WSN-Based Irrigation Scheduling Model for Sugarcane Crops

The critical demand for freshwater resources worldwide necessitates their efficient utilization.  The agricultural sector is one of the major consumers of fresh water. However, in traditional irrigation techniques, about 60% of the water is wasted, resulting in low water use irrigation efficiency. Practical sensor-based methods are desperately needed to determine the soil water status for adequate irrigation scheduling. Using cutting-edge solutions to improve irrigation management is essential to water resource conservation. Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are an innovative technology advancing agriculture toward greater efficacy and sustainability. This research focused on developing a WSN-based irrigation system to minimize water losses under actual field conditions. The designed system was integrated with Fr4 capacitive-based soil moisture and DS18B20 soil temperature sensors, specifically evaluated for managing irrigation in loamy soil for sugarcane cultivation. The sensors were strategically installed at depths of 15 cm, 30 cm, and 45 cm below the surface of the soil. Throughout the crop's growth season, these sensors continuously measure the soil parameters (soil moisture content, soil temperature) and wirelessly transfer them to a cloud server through the ZigBee protocol to facilitate remote accessibility. The data was easily accessible online via a web service. An analytical approach utilizing a weighted average method was employed to interpret the soil moisture data collected from the three depths. This technique accurately depicted the soil water condition in the crop's root zone.

Furthermore, by setting a threshold according to the sensor's soil water content, the system may precisely initiate irrigation operations when needed. Overall, the WSN-based irrigation management system aims to improve productivity, reduce water waste, and increase the overall sustainability of agricultural operations. The efficacy of the developed system was field validated in terms of cost, efficiency, and ease of replicating before being delivered for societal use. With cloud-based data analysis and monitoring, users/farmers can access the irrigation system from anywhere and monitor it online. The experimental findings indicate that this irrigation management system utilize less water along with high water use efficiency.

 

Keywords: Wireless Sensor Network (WSN); Soil Moisture Sensors; Irrigation Scheduling.