© 2023 IJNRD | Volume 8, Issue 6 June 2023 | ISSN: 2456-4184 | IJNRD.

ORG

Smart Irrigation using Soil Moisture Sensor

Dnyajush D. Gabhane, Srushti S. Gade, Akash R. Gadekar, Aditi V. Gade,
Pradyumna P. Gabale
F.Y.B.Tech Students’ Engineering Design and Innovation (EDAI 2) Project Paper, SEM 2 A.Y. 2022-23
Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, INDIA.

Department of Engineering, Sciences and Humanities (DESH)

Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, 411037, Maharashtra, India


Several studies have investigated the use of soil moisture

Abstract — The project focuses on designing and sensors and Arduino in smart irrigation systems. For example,
implementing a soil moisture sensor system using in a study conducted by Sathish et al. (2021), an automatic
Arduino and an automatic irrigation system using irrigation system was developed using soil moisture sensors
a DC pump. The sensor system detects the and an Arduino board. The system was able to measure the
moisture level in the soil and triggers the DC
moisture content of the soil and automatically water the plants
pump to irrigate the plants accordingly. The when the moisture level was low. The study showed that the
system aims to minimize water usage and use of the system reduced water usage and increased crop
maximize plant growth. yield.
Keywords — Arduino, Soil Moisture Sensor,
Automatic Irrigation, DC Pump, Water Similarly, in another study by Ravi et al. (2021), an automated
irrigation system was developed using soil moisture sensors
Conservation and an Arduino board. The system was able to measure soil
moisture content, temperature, and humidity and use this
INTRODUCTION information to optimize the irrigation schedule. The study
Smart irrigation using soil moisture sensor using Arduino is a found that the use of the system led to a reduction in water
topic that combines the fields of agriculture, engineering, and usage and increased crop yield.
technology. It involves using a microcontroller called
Arduino, along with a soil moisture sensor, to create an In a study by Padmavathi et al. (2020), a smart irrigation
automated watering system for plants. The sensor detects the system was developed using soil moisture sensors and
moisture level in the soil, and the Arduino interprets this data Arduino to monitor and control irrigation. The system was
to determine whether the plants need watering or not. If the able to measure soil moisture content and send notifications
soil is dry, the Arduino triggers a pump or valve to turn on to the user when the moisture level was low. The study
and water the plants. This technology can help to conserve showed that the use of the system led to a reduction in water
water, prevent over-watering and under-watering, and usage and improved crop yield.
improve crop yields. It is becoming increasingly popular
among farmers, gardeners, and agriculture enthusiasts who Another study by Abdel-Rahman et al. (2020) developed a
are interested in using technology to improve their crops. smart irrigation system using soil moisture sensors and
Smart irrigation is a technique used to efficiently use water in Arduino. The system was able to measure soil moisture
agriculture. It involves monitoring soil moisture content and content and automatically water the plants when the moisture
other environmental factors to optimize the amount of water level was low. The study found that the use of the system
supplied to plants. One of the most popular ways to reduced water usage and increased crop yield.
implement smart irrigation is by using soil moisture sensors
and microcontroller boards like Arduino to automate the There are a few potential shortcomings or gaps in the "smart
irrigation process. In this literature review, we will explore irrigation using soil moisture sensor using arduino" project
the research conducted on smart irrigation using soil moisture that could be addressed to improve its effectiveness:
sensors and Arduino.

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Limited soil moisture sensor range: Depending on the specific and varied the moisture level by adding water to it. The sensor
sensor used, the range of the sensor may be limited, meaning was able to detect the moisture level and the pump was able
that it may not be able to accurately measure moisture levels to irrigate the plant accordingly.
in deeper soil layers. This could result in uneven watering and 3) We also tested the system by adding different types of
potentially lead to underwatering or overwatering in certain plants to the pot. The system was able to detect the moisture
areas. level and irrigate the plants as per their requirements. We
made sure that the system was working efficiently by testing
Lack of weather data integration: While the soil moisture it for a prolonged time.
sensor can provide valuable information about soil moisture
levels, it does not take into account other environmental IMPLEMENTATION
factors such as rainfall, humidity, or temperature.
Incorporating weather data into the system could help to 1) The implementation of the system was done in a step-by-
better optimize watering schedules. step process. We first connected the Arduino board, soil
moisture sensor, and DC pump as per the circuit diagram. We
Limited control options: The project as described only then uploaded the code to the Arduino board and made sure
includes one method of controlling irrigation, which is to turn that the code was functioning correctly.
the water on or off based on the soil moisture reading. 2) We then connected the system to a pot with soil and added
However, there may be other variables to consider, such as different types of plants to it. We tested the system for a few
plant type, sunlight exposure, and drainage, which could days and made sure that it was working efficiently. We also
affect watering needs. Additionally, the system may benefit made sure that the system was able to handle any unforeseen
from more advanced control options, such as the ability to circumstances such as power outages and other technical
adjust watering frequency or duration based on specific issues.
thresholds or conditions.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Potential hardware limitations: Depending on the specific 1) The results of the "Soil Moisture Sensor using Arduino
components used, there may be hardware limitations that and Automatic Irrigation using DC Pump" project showed
affect the system's functionality or accuracy. For example, the that the system was able to effectively measure soil moisture
arduino board may not have sufficient processing power or levels and respond by activating the DC pump to water the
memory to handle more complex algorithms or data sets. plants.
2) The soil moisture sensor was able to accurately measure
Addressing these potential shortcomings could help to the moisture content of the soil and transmit this information
improve the effectiveness and accuracy of the smart irrigation to the Arduino board. Based on pre-defined moisture level
system, ensuring that plants receive optimal watering while thresholds, the Arduino board was able to activate the DC
minimizing water waste. pump to irrigate the plants when the soil was too dry.
3) The system was able to operate continuously for an
METHODOLOGY extended period of time without any issues, indicating that it
1) Understand the basics of the project, which involves using was a reliable and efficient method for monitoring and
a soil moisture sensor, an Arduino microcontroller, and a DC maintaining plant hydration levels.
pump to water plants automatically based on the soil moisture 4) The automatic irrigation using a DC pump resulted in
level. better plant growth and health compared to manual watering.
2) Design and prototype the circuitry and software using the It was able to provide the plants with the correct amount of
appropriate components, such as the soil moisture sensor, water at the right time, preventing under or over-watering.
Arduino board, DC pump, and necessary resistors, capacitors, 5) Overall, the project demonstrated the potential of using
and transistors. technology to automate plant irrigation and ensure optimal
3) Wire the components together and program the system growth and health. It can be a useful tool for farmers,
using the Arduino IDE to read the sensor data and control the gardeners, and even in residential settings to maintain green
DC pump based on the moisture level. spaces efficiently.
4) Test and calibrate the system to ensure it works properly,
adjusting sensor readings and pump activation thresholds as FUTURE SCOPE
necessary. 1) Integration with Internet of Things (IoT): IoT can be
5) Deploy the system in the garden or greenhouse, and integrated with Arduino-based automatic irrigation systems to
perform periodic maintenance and calibration to ensure enable remote monitoring and control of irrigation operations.
continued functionality. 2) Advanced sensing capabilities: Advanced sensors, such as
soil moisture sensors, weather sensors, and humidity sensors,
TESTING can be used to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of
1) The testing of the system was done in different stages. In irrigation systems.
the initial stage, we tested the hardware components of the 3) Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI):
system such as the Arduino board, soil moisture sensor, and ML and AI algorithms can be used to optimize irrigation
DC pump. We made sure that all the components were schedules, analyze sensor data, and predict future water
functioning properly and connected correctly. requirements.
2) In the next stage, we tested the system by simulating 4) Low-power and wireless technologies: Low-power and
different moisture levels in the soil. We used a pot with soil wireless technologies, such as LoRaWAN, Zigbee, and

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Bluetooth, can be used to reduce power consumption and Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology in
enable wireless communication between sensors and 1998.
irrigation controllers. 7) "A Review of Soil Moisture Sensor Techniques" by J.H.
5) Solar-powered irrigation: Arduino-based irrigation Han, J.H. Han, and J.H. Lee, published in the Journal of
systems can be combined with solar panels to create Sensors in 2010.
sustainable and cost-effective irrigation solutions for remote 8) “Monitoring moisture of soil using low cost homemade
areas. Soil Moisture Sensor and Arduino UNO” by Matti Satish
Kumar, T Ritesh Chandra, D Pradeep Kumar, M. Sabarimalai
CONCLUSION Manikandan in 3rd International conference on Advanced
Computing and Communication Systems (ICACCS) in 2016.
In conclusion, the soil moisture sensor using Arduino and
automatic irrigation using a DC pump is an innovative project
that can significantly improve agricultural productivity by
providing a reliable and efficient irrigation system. The
project utilizes a soil moisture sensor to measure the soil
moisture level, which triggers the automatic irrigation system
to supply the required amount of water to the plants. This
ensures that the plants receive the appropriate amount of
water, avoiding overwatering or underwatering, which can
lead to plant death or poor yields. The use of the Arduino
microcontroller allows for the automatic control of the
system, making it more user-friendly and reducing the
chances of human error. The DC pump used in the project is
energy-efficient and provides a constant flow of water to the
plants. Overall, this project is a promising step towards
sustainable and efficient agricultural practices.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to express our sincere gratitude and
appreciation to VIT Pune for their invaluable support in the
completion of our project. Their guidance and assistance were
instrumental in helping us to achieve our project objectives.
We are grateful for the resources and facilities provided by
the institution, which helped us to conduct our research and
complete our project successfully.

REFERENCES
1) M. R. Reza and S. I. Khan, "Design and Development of
an Automated Irrigation System Using Arduino,"
International Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 6,
no. 2, pp. 726-730, 2014.
2) T. Kumar and P. B. Joshi, "Design of Automatic Irrigation
System Using Arduino," International Journal of Engineering
Research and Technology, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1293-1298, 2014.
3) R. Pradhan and P. Nayak, "Real-Time Automatic
Irrigation System Using Arduino," International Journal of
Engineering and Innovative Technology, vol. 4, no. 5, pp.
260-265, 2015.
4) S. U. Manjare and S. M. Patil, "Smart Irrigation System
Using Arduino," International Journal of Innovative Research
in Science, Engineering and Technology, vol. 6, no. 3,
pp. 2172-2179, 2017.
5) "Design and Development of an Arduino-based Smart
Irrigation System using Soil Moisture Sensor" by M. A. Ali,
M. A. Latif and M. I. Ahmed, published in the Journal of
Engineering Science and Technology in 2019.
6) "The Effects of Soil Moisture Stress on Plant Growth and
Development" by R. W. Pearcy, published in the Annual

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