Team Project Title: AUTOMATION OF WATER SPRINKLING THROUGH REAL TIME ESTIMATION OF SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT

1. Abstract

Irrigation is method in which water is supplied to the plants at regular intervals of time. It is important as it can reduce crop stress if rainfall doesn't provide the amount of moisture it needs and also for timed supply of water for optimal crop yields. Ancient methods depended upon physical geography and geology. These methods required diversion of river water to the fields. It has several disadvantages. We have come up with a proper solution for this problem. Sprinkling Irrigation is the main concept of our solution. It is nothing but the simulation of natural rainfall. It can be implemented under any climatic conditions and it keeps tab of water consumption and usage. It is highly efficient due to uniform distribution of water and offers a possibility for implementing a method for water quality control. The best part is that no special skills or training is required for efficient monitoring of crops.

Course ENV 200 Environmental Studies

Batch Semester ECE B / S6 (2013-17)

Program Amrita School of Engineering

Department ECE Dept.

Instructor Dr. Smitha Chandran

Taught in (Semester) S6

2. Team Members

S.No Roll. No. Name

1. U4ECE13117 G Rajesh

2. U4ECE13132 K Sarath

3. U4ECE13139 M Akhil

4. U4ECE13153 S Vignesh

3. Introduction

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In present times, when water crisis is developing very fast everywhere, we should adopt improved techniques of irrigation to encourage suitable water management. Sprinkler irrigation method is an easy and simple method of irrigation in present times.

The whole land becomes available for cultivation of crops, whereas in traditional irrigation methods, 15 to 20 per cent land remains vacant in depressions and boundaries. Modern equipment’s can also be used in it due to absence of depressions and boundaries. Rate of infiltration is higher in sandy soils where frequency of watering is more. Hence, sprinkler irrigation method is more suited to sandy soils.

In sprinkler irrigation method, water is taken from source to the fields through pipes, whereas in surface irrigation methods only 30-45 per cent water reaches the crops. Such loss of water is avoided in sprinkler irrigation method. The problem of water logging or ‘kallar’ may be caused in case of excess water from surface irrigation, whereas no such problem is caused in sprinkler irrigation method. The balance of groundwater is also maintained.

For development of sprinkler irrigation method, the following circumstances are essential:

1. It is done in areas having scarcity of water.2. Uneven ground level where irrigation is not possible by other irrigation methods.3. Places having maximum temperature where crops might get destroyed, sprinkler irrigation method maintains humid environment for the crops.4 .Where soil textures may be of different nature, for example, sandy soil at some places and stony soil at others places.5. It requires lesser number of labourers hence, it can be developed even where there are less workers.6. Irrigation may be required in large areas.In areas where change in temperature of earth, environment and humidity is required for growth of crops, sprinkler irrigation method is possible to a certain extent. Due to continuous spray of water, there IS improvement in physical conditions of earth and composition of soil. In kallar or reh soils, land can be improved by sprinkler irrigation, whereas surface irrigation needs much more water for it.

Advantages of sprinkling type irrigation:1. There is increase in production and compactness.

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2. It is helpful in soil conservation and stabilization of sand dunes in desert areas.3. Sprinkler system is considered more suitable in areas where slit is coagulated on surface of soil after rains, prevents growth of crop.4. This system saves the crop from extreme frost or temperature.5. Fertilizer application as well as insecticide spray can be done by sprinkler system.6. Waste land can be improved by less water. Physical condition and composition of soil can be maintained in a balanced condition by continuous sprinkling.

Now that we have established the necessity for sprinkling type irrigation, we will discuss the method that we followed to implement

4. Background

Background concepts involved are intermediate-level Arduino programming, and sensor applications. There are two types of modes planned for this project which are “automatic” and “semi-automatic”. For the semi-automatic model, experience with MIT app inventor is needed. Few basics about KVL and KCL are desired but not necessary. Once implemented this product requires absolutely no technical knowledge to operate efficiently and also the user interface is created for the best possible experience for the person who operates. We have worked hard to belie the complexities involved in this project with or design

1. Need: The main reason why we decided to move forward with project was that we witnessed the prodigality of water all around us. Then we asked ourselves if we could do something about it. This automatic (semi) was our answer. Not only could this project eliminate the possibility of potential water scarcity, but also have provision for quality management of water used for irrigation.

2. Scope: Theoretically scope of this project is limitless. However, thinking in terms of feasibility and affordability, this project can be implemented for a medium sized farm land. We have talked to the concerned officials to implement this project on the garden in front of our college building.

5. Concept Definition

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This project is a perfect example of an embedded system. The microcontroller board acts as the brain of the project. The basic block diagram is given below.

6. Project Tasks and Timeline Sample

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S. No. Task Description Start

DateEnd Date

Extent Completed %

Person Responsible Comments

1. Initial literature survey 14/03/16 22/03/16 100% Individual

Topics were divided and we discussed to have an initial literature study individually

2. Components procurement 25/03/16 1/04/16 100% Rajesh, Akhil Components were identified

and acquired

3. Concept Testing 4/04/16 4/04/16 100% Sarath, Akhil Initial ideas were implemented on the Arduino

4.Model testing, design of a presentable model

7/04/16 9/04/16 80% Vignesh, Rajesh

A presentable prototype was made

5. Exhaustive testing 10/04/16 14/04/16 60% Rajesh, Akhil Tests conducted on various soil samples, results tabulated

6. Report Writing 24/04/16 24/04/16 100% Vignesh, Sarath

Complete documentation of the works performed

7. Project Description

Basic components required:

Arduino: Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message - and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online. You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. To do so you use the Arduino programming language (based on wiring), and the Arduino Software (IDE), based on processing.

Over the years Arduino has been the brain of thousands of projects, from everyday objects to complex scientific instruments. A worldwide community of makers - students, hobbyists, artists, programmers, and professionals - has gathered around

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this open-source platform, their contributions have added up to an incredible amount of accessible knowledge that can be of great help to novices and experts alike.

Arduino was born at the Ivrea Interaction Design Institute as an easy tool for fast prototyping, aimed at students without a background in electronics and programming. As soon as it reached a wider community, the Arduino board started changing to adapt to new needs and challenges, differentiating its offer from simple 8-bit boards to products for IoT applications, wearable, 3D printing, and embedded environments. All Arduino boards are completely open-source, empowering users to build them independently and eventually adapt them to their particular needs. The software, too, is open-source, and it is growing through the contributions of users worldwide.

b. Washer Pump: Washer pump is basically a motor mechanically modified as a pump. It can be easily obtained from any service shop. It is commonly used in

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the wind-shield cleaning. Required voltage for normal operation is 12V.

c. Wireless transmitter module: A wireless module for transmission and reception of sensor data is employed in the semi-automatic mode. This can be a Bluetooth module, Xbee, RF or even Wi-Fi module.

d. Motor Driver IC: The L293D works on the concept of typical H-bridge, a circuit which allows the high voltage to be flown in either direction. In a single L293D IC there are two H-bridge circuits which can rotate two DC motors independently. Due to its size and voltage requirement, it is frequently used in robotics applications for controlling DC motors, including in Arduino projects. The L293D is also a key component in larger 'motor driver' boards available premade for hobbyists. There are two drive pins on L293D. Pin 1 (left H-bridge) and pin 9 (right H-bridge). To turn ON the corresponding motor, pin 1 or 9 need to be set to HIGH. If either pin 1 or pin 9 goes low then the motor in the corresponding section will go OFF (high impedance). These inputs (1 and 9) are the ones that should be used to control motor START/STOP and motor speed under PWM, since there would be high impedance output during low semi period of PWM, it would not provoke overload of the L293D when the motor is turning. Thus, PWM or motor ON/OFF control should never be input to pins 2, 7, 15, 10, which should only be used to control direction (Clockwise – Counter Clockwise). The direction-defining four Input pins for the L293D are pin 2 and 7 on the left and pin 15 and 10 on the right as shown on the pin

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diagram. Left input pins will determine the rotation of motor connected on the left side and right input for motor on the right hand side. The motors are rotated on the basis of the inputs provided at the input pins as LOGIC 1 or LOGIC 0.

e. Analog Moisture Sensor Module: This Moisture Sensor can be used to detect the moisture of soil or judge if there is water around the sensor, let the plants in your garden reach out for human help. They can be very easy to use, just insert it into the soil and then read it. With the help of this sensor, it will be realizable to make the plant remind you : hey, i am thirsty now, please give me some water. An electronic brick is an electronic module which can be assembled like Lego bricks simply by plugging in and pulling out. Compared to traditional universal boards and circuit modules assembled with various electronic components, electronic brick has standardized interfaces, plug and play, simplifying construction of prototype circuit on one’s own. There are many types of electronic bricks, and we provide more than twenty types with different functions including buttons, sensors, Bluetooth modules, etc., whose functions cover from sensor to motor drive, from Ethernet to wireless communication via Bluetooth, and so on. We will continue to add more types to meet the various needs of different projects. Electronic brick of soil moisture sensor is mainly used to detect the moisture content in the soil. The control board can get the moisture value or threshold in the soil via analog or digital pins.

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8.Android Application

An android application "Jai Kisan"(version 2.1) was made for manual control of watering the plants. The app, runs smoothly on any android device with an android version of 4.1 and above. Also, extra care has been taken to make the app compatible with almost all of the low end and small screen devices. The app was created using MIT App inventor . MIT App Inventor is an innovative beginner's introduction to programming and app creation that transforms the complex language of text-based coding into visual, drag-and-drop building blocks. The simple graphical interface grants even an inexperienced novice the ability to create a basic, fully functional app within an hour or less. The MIT App Inventor project seeks to democratize software development by empowering all people, especially young people, to transition from being consumers of technology to becoming creators of it.

In the final and stable version of the Application ,the user can see the status of the soil in status field in the middle of the screen. Initially the user has to connect to the system using the "Scan Devices" option. Once connected the status field(on the top of the screen ) indicates that the phone is connected. The soil condition is shown as "wet" when the soil is moist and a scrolling text "Dry, water it" in the status field.The application provides the user with two buttons : "Pump water for 1 sec" & "pump water for 2 sec". The first option, : "Pump water for 1 sec" sends a message to the arduino to release the water pump for 1 second and similarly the second option : "Pump water for 2 sec" sends a message to the arduino to release the water pump for 2 seconds. The app can be further worked on ,to simultaneously monitor and control around 8-10 plants. The app has Amrita Viswa vidyapeetham logo along with the team members name at the left-down and right-down corners.

Image: Designer workspace of MIT App inventor 2

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Image: Blocks workspace of MIT App inventor 2

Image: Jai Kisan running on an android phone

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9.Code:

i) Arduino Code for Automatic Mode of Operation

long int x,i=0,z=0,v;const int y=800;

void setup() {Serial.begin(9600);pinMode(A5,OUTPUT);pinMode(A4,OUTPUT);pinMode(11,OUTPUT);pinMode(10,OUTPUT);digitalWrite(A5,HIGH);digitalWrite(A4,LOW);}

void loop() {x=analogRead(A2);Serial.print(x); if(x>y){ i++; v=0; // if(z==0){ Serial.println("soil is dry,calibrating"); //z++;} if(i>50){ Serial.println("calibrated,water it"); digitalWrite(11,HIGH); digitalWrite(10,LOW); delay(3000); digitalWrite(11,LOW); digitalWrite(10,LOW); i=0; z=0;} }else{ digitalWrite(13,LOW); digitalWrite(10,LOW); i=0; // if(v==0){ Serial.println("/twet"); // v++;} delay(100);}

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ii) Arduino Code for Semi- Automatic Mode of Operation

long int x,i=0;const int y=800;short int b,v=0,z=0;void setup() { Serial.begin(9600);pinMode(A5,OUTPUT);pinMode(A4,OUTPUT);pinMode(11,OUTPUT);pinMode(10,OUTPUT);digitalWrite(A5,HIGH);digitalWrite(A4,LOW);}

void loop() {x=analogRead(A2);//Serial.println(x); if(x>y){ i++; v=0; // if(z==0){ Serial.println("soil is dry,calibrating"); // z++;} if(i>50){ Serial.println("calibrated,water it"); while(!Serial.available()){Serial.println("calibrated,water it");} b=Serial.read(); if(b==51){ digitalWrite(11,HIGH); digitalWrite(10,LOW); delay(4000); digitalWrite(11,LOW); digitalWrite(10,LOW); i=0; z=0;} if(b==52){ digitalWrite(11,HIGH); digitalWrite(10,LOW); delay(3000); digitalWrite(11,LOW); digitalWrite(10,LOW); i=0; z=0;} }}else{ digitalWrite(13,LOW); digitalWrite(10,LOW); i=0; //if(v==0){ Serial.println("wet"); // v++;}} delay(100);}

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10. Outcomes

We have tabulated the sensor readings for a variety of soil samples. Basically we studied and predicted the behaviour of the sprinkler under various conditions. Higher the sensor value, higher the moisture content.

S.No. Time Amount of water/moisture

Sensor readings

1. 5:00 am Very low level, only moisture present might be dew

458

2. 5:00 am Moderate, soil treated with controlled amount of water

652

3. 5:00 am High, soil watered just before measurement

960

4. 10:00 am Very low, almost completely dry with hardly any trace of water

442

5. 10:00 am Moderate, soil treated with controlled amount of water

631

6. 10:00 am High, soil watered just before measurement

936

7. 2:00 pm Very low, almost completely dry with hardly any trace of water

407

8. 2:00 pm Moderate, soil treated with controlled amount of water

611

9. 2:00 pm High, soil watered just before measurement

917

10. 6:00 pm Very low, almost completely dry

412

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with hardly any trace of water

11. 6:00 pm Moderate, soil treated with controlled amount of water

621

12. 6:00 pm High, soil watered just before measurement

925

13. 10:00 pm Very low, almost completely dry with hardly any trace of water

438

14. 10:00 pm Moderate, soil treated with controlled amount of water

637

15. 10:00 pm High, soil watered just before measurement

942

11. Sharing Your Experiences

Rajesh- “I am very happy with this project. With the help of my teammates I can proudly say that I have contributed something that can save water.”

Sarath- “I learnt a lot about traditional irrigational methods and their flaw. I couldn’t understand why people are still using these as it wastes a lot of water. Now they don’t have to anymore. ”

Akhil- ” I could not have done this without my team. We had abstract concepts and ideas to make this project, but I never imagined that it would turn out so good”.

Vignesh- “I just loved the experience of working in a team to collectively solve a major problem. I would like to thank Dr. Smitha for giving us this opportunity.”

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12. The Road Ahead

We are planning the usage of GSM module instead of Bluetooth module in the semi-automatic mode. Also, usage of autonomous drones to sample soil moisture regularly throughout the field is an idea one of our teammates came up with. Other feasible improvements are usage of different sensor technology like usage of low-frequency microwave/infrared for moisture detection. Sensor network to monitor the presence of nutrients in entire field is a far way down the road but it will be realistic at least in future.

13. References

1. Williams, J. F.; S. R. Roberts; J. E. Hill; S. C. Scardaci; G. Tibbits. "Managing Water for 'Weed' Control in Rice". UC Davis, Department of Plant Sciences. Retrieved 2007-03-14.

2. Blonquist, J. M. (2005). "A time domain transmission sensor with TDR performance characteristics" (PDF). Journal of Hydrology 314: 235–245. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2005.04.005. Retrieved 31 Jan 2016.

3. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.analchem.5b01653

4. Decagon Devices "List of peer-reviewed publications using Decagon soil moisture sensors". Retrieved: 20 July 2015.

5. Williams, J. F.; S. R. Roberts; J. E. Hill; S. C. Scardaci; G. Tibbits. "Managing Water for 'Weed' Control in Rice". UC Davis, Department of Plant Sciences. Retrieved 2007-03-14.

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