30-08-2014, 01:15 PM
Water Saving-Irrigation Automatic Agricultural
Controller
Water Saving.pdf (Size: 280.88 KB / Downloads: 130)
Abstract :-
For weather monitoring system and irrigation controller, we need to measure different parameters i.e. Atmospheric temperature, Humidity,
Wind speed, Wind direction, Radiation, Soil temperature, Sunshine and Rain fall etc. The key objective of this project is to report on a developed
indigenous low cost time based microcontroller based irrigation scheduler who performs user defined functions and outputs commands to derive
appropriate actuators (relay, solenoid valves, motor). A soil moisture sensor was modeled, simulated and tested for achieving, with low-cost, accurate
and reliable measurements. A low-cost high-performance and small temperature sensor is used, with the same PCB circuit it can measure humidity also.
The tipping bucket rain gauge is used to measure rain fall. After a pre-set amount of precipitation falls, the lever tips, dumping the collected water and
sending an electrical signal. An anemometer is a device used for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument. Hence current
research focuses on precision agriculture, soil conservation and crop irrigation scheduling and water quantity control for increasing water use efficiency.
There is a need to develop new indigenous irrigation controller to improve farm productivity and input use efficiency of water and other nutrients. This
system presents the design and development of Irrigation controller System built around PIC16F877A microcontroller. The system consists of
microcontroller, peripherals including RTC, LCD and driver circuit relay to switch on/off a motor.
Project undertaken
The health of a plant is influenced by many factors. Weather
monitoring system will measure various parameters like wind
speed and direction, rain fall, radiation, temperature and
humidity etc. One of the most important is being the ready
availability of moisture in the soil. Irrigation without soil
moisture monitoring is like driving a car without a
speedometer – but with the potential for much greater
penalties. Monitoring tells us more than when and how much
to irrigate, it helps improve the bottom line experience has
proven that manipulating moisture levels allows a grower to
influence the balance between canopy size and fruitfulness,
Radiation and sunshine
The Solar Radiation Sensor, or solar pyranometer, measures
global radiation, the sum at the point of measurement of both
the direct and diffuse components of solar irradiance. The
sensor’s transducer, which converts incident radiation to
electrical current, is a silicon photodiode with wide spectral
response. From the sensor’s output voltage, the console
calculates and displays solar irradiance. It also integrates the
irradiance values and displays total incident energy over a
set period of time. The outer shell shields the sensor body
from thermal radiation and provides an airflow path for
convection cooling of the body, minimizing heating of the
sensor interior. It includes a cutoff ring for cosine response, a
level indicator, and fins to aid in aligning the sensor with the
sun’s rays. The space between the shield and the body also
provides a runoff path for water, greatly reducing the
possibility of rain- or irrigation-water entrapment. The diffuser
is welded to the body for a weather-tight seal; it provides an
excellent cosine response. The transducer is an
hermetically-sealed silicon photodiode with integrated
amplifier. Spring-loaded mounting screws, in conjunction with
the level indicator, enable rapid and accurate leveling of the
sensor. Each sensor is calibrated against a secondary
standard Pyranometer in natural daylight. Sunshine duration
is the length of time that the ground surface is irradiated by
direct solar radiation (i.e. sunlight reaching the earth's
surface directly from the sun). In 2003, WMO defined
sunshine duration as the period during which direct solar
irradiance exceeds a threshold value of 120 watts per
square meter (W/m2). This value is equivalent to the level of
solar irradiance shortly after sunrise or shortly before sunset
in cloud-free conditions.
CONCLUSION
With the use of this technique we can reduced water
consumption. It can be set to lower and upper thresholds to
maintain optimum soil moisture saturation and minimize
plant wilting. It can contribute to deeper plat root growth,
reduced soil runoff/leaching, less favorable conditions for
insects and fungal disease. It is also possible to control the
nutrition levels in their entirety thus, lower nutrition costs. No
nutrition pollution is released into the environment because
of the controlled system. Hence will have great saving of
irrigation water, stronger, healthier plants and stable, high
yields. Hence definitely will have improvement in biological
fertility