Development and Implementation of a Solar-Powered Automated Irrigation Control System for Maize Crop Grown in Loamy Soil

Abstract

This work presents a microcontroller based system which makes use of soil moisture sensors and plant growth models to develop irrigation schedules for maize crop grown in loamy soil. The methodology adopted for this work involves field survey, electronic circuit design, implementation and testing. The field studies provided details on the crops root depth pattern and water requirement throughout its growth period. With a dual power source of solar and a.c power supply, moisture sensor, microcontroller, LDR, LCD and sprinkler units; the microcontroller would permit the sprinkler to start and stop at given times during each growth period when the soil moisture falls below a predetermined level as sensed by the soil moisture sensors. Also included in this design is a DTMF decoder unit that permits interaction with the farmer on the current state and step to be initiated by the device via a remote phone. Test results indicate effective irrigation throughout the maize crop‟s life cycle, bringing about improved crop yield/quality, water and energy conservation.