Research Article DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AUTOMATED IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Transcription

1 ISSN: X CODEN: IJPTFI Available Online through Research Article DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AUTOMATED IRRIGATION SYSTEM 1 Thaj Mary Delsy. T, 2 Karthikeyan. R, 3 Gopi Krishna Rao P V 1 Assistant Professor, Dept. of Electronics & Instrumentation, Sathyabama University, Chennai. 2 Assistant Professor Dept. of Instrumentation & Control, Sairam Engineering College, Chennai. 3 Assistant Professor, RGM college of Engineering and Technology, Nandyal. delsykennedy@gmail.com Received on Accepted on Abstract The problem of water stress on the yield of the crop due to the conventional methods of irrigation of the farmland has led to the new thinking of automated water management, which can boost the yield and the economy. Automated irrigation system is a computerized technique of watering the farm, saving labour effort and the time to be incurred in the manual exercise. More so, agricultural practices can be on the line throughout the year and the technique also provide the means of extracting raw data from the soil which is transform to information that would be useful for future planting of crop. This is essentially the major difference between the economy of advance countries and the developing countries. The method makes use of CARBON PROBE which is one of the devices for measuring the moisture content of a particular soil which needs irrigation, interfacing with the computer system which now compares the least moisture content of the soil with the maximum water level for that soil. The maximum watering level is obtained from annual rainfall data. These two levels is favorably compared in accordance with the instruction code employed in the program, the system triggers on and commands the pump to irrigate at 6 am in the morning and 6 pm in the evening. Since, it has been developed and proven that at 6 am there exist a very low humidity and least moisture content of the soil and at 6 pm the soil give away the soil heat thereby increasing the rate of evaporation. Keywords-: Automation, Irrigation, Agriculture, Soil Moisture, crop. Introduction Water in the form of precipitation or irrigation, is one of the most critical crop inputs that is needed to achieve a potentially high-value crops such as fruits, vegetables, tobaccos and nursery stock must be of top quality to win acceptance in the marketplace. Attaining quality requires timely management decisions especially of crop production inputs. Natural rainfall can be unpredictable, if predictable; it cannot be throughout the year. IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8210

2 Water must be supplied in sufficient quantity or desired quantity when the crop needs it. By efficiently controlling crops water supply, you are controlling an essential production variable Beyond good soil management methods irrigation is the best management technique available to meet crops water requirement and when natural rainfall is inadequate. Then, irrigation provides the root zone of crops with usable amount of water during the periods of need. In this research work, the programmable logic controller based irrigation adopted is sprinkler irrigation for the- field distribution of irrigation water. Research Methodology Automation of a system is the application of scientific and technological knowledge and theories to produce a more efficient system, thus the need for irrigation system automation. This is achieved in this research work with the use of a computer, since water must be supplied in sufficient quantity when the crop needs it, the amount of water needed at a particular point in time is made available through the computerized system. Sprinkler irrigation involves spraying the water over the entire soil surface of the field. The following procedure was used to install the programmable water-sprinkling machine. Network of pipe transmits water to all areas of the field to be irrigated Irrigation pipe transmits water from the pump to the nozzles for application to the desired site Pipes can be located on or below the ground surface and must be properly sized Pipe material is aluminum, PVC, polyethylene, steel or concrete, and comes in many sizes. Sprinkler heads is the component that evenly distributes the water over the field surface Special heads are available for only a part-cycle application In all systems, a proper design is required to match the water supply, the pump, the piping and all sprinklers at the proper spacing, in order to achieve the desired application rate and evenness of distribution. Water is distributed in a circular pattern A 50% overlap of application is usually required to get an even distribution of water. Water is applied in the form of an aerial spray, either above or below the crop canopy Entire cropland surface receives intermittent application of water. IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8211

3 Drawbacks of Conventional Irrigation Methods Owing to the difficulties faced with the manual way of practicing irrigation control system, there is need for computerization of the whole process. The problems that the manual system of irrigation is prone to are -: Inadequate water quantity of water sprayed. The land may be water logged as a result of the manual way of operation. If electronically automated, only crop that the irrigation is being automated for can be propagated on that farmland based on the moisture content considered i.e. it may be suitable for a type of crop and be water logged for another. Objectives of the Work This paper aims to develop a computer driven circuitry that will automatically turn on and off a water sprinkler connected to it based on the desire moisture content for the farmland. It also involves the development of a driver for the circuit that will enable one set of moisture content appropriate or suitable for a particular farmland. Objectives-: The following are the sequence of process that will be involved in the design of the system in order that the aim is achieved The moisture content of the farmland is measured by means of a sensor This measurement is sent to the circuit constructed The circuit converts it to a digital signal and sent it to the computer system via a printer port The program on the system will then compare the measurement with the one that is set for that farmland based on the type of crop that will be propagated on the farmland Hardware Construction Power Supply Unit The 8805 voltage regulator is a circuit component that maintains a constant output voltage of +5V in spite of variations in input voltage. The voltage required for most of the integrated circuit (IC) for the design is about 5V, so the need for regulating the available input voltage to 5V which can be achieved by the connection shown in figure 1.0 below in accordance with the work of Cromton T.R. (1982). IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8212

4 Fig. 1.0 Power Supply Unit. Moisture Sensing Module The moisture content of the soil is determined in terms of resistivity with the use of carbon probes that is dripped in the soil to measure the resistance across the two probes as in figure 1.1. (Doorenbos and Pruitt:1977). Fig 1.1 Moisture Sensing Module. A known voltage value is passed across the probes, and them different output voltages is fed into the ADC (Analogto-digital converter) as the resistance of the probes varies. Due to unavailability of the porous blocks, a carbon probe is used in this design to denote the varied resistance measured from the porous block at different period of time for the soil moisture. To achieve this assertion of mind, the design is modified as in figure 1.2. IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8213

5 Fig 1.2 Soil Moisture Module with ADC Unit. The moisture content of the soil that is measured in terms of voltage (analog) is needed to be fed into the computer system, but since computer can only take digital values, then the need for conversion to digital form. This can be achieved by connecting the ADC0808 analog to digital converter IC (Dorembos and Pruilt: 1977). The voltage is connected to the Vin (Pin6) of the IC and the equivalent digital value (8bits) is obtained at D 0 -D 7 (pins 11-16). The obtained digital value can then be fed into the computer for analysis. Buffering Module Since there are only four input lines on the printer port and there are 8 bits to be fed into the computer, then there is a need for a buffer. The 74LS254 buffer IC is used in the design as connected in figure 1.3. the buffer has two enable pins of low signal. Pin 1 (enable 1) enables the first input nibble of the IC, which are pins 2, 4, 6, and 8 (from the lower order bits, pin 18-15, of the ADC) and there corresponding outputs are pins 18, 16, 14 and 12. The second input nibble pins 17, 15, 13 and 11 (from the higher order bits, pins of the ADC), is enabled by pin 19 (enable 2). The two outputs are joined together at points a, b, c and d that enters the computer system through the port. Fig LS254 buffer IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8214

6 Pump Control Module Thaj Mary Delsy. T* et al. International Journal Of Pharmacy & Technology This is the section the computer sends signal to turn ON the pump in order to irrigate or turn OFF to stop irrigation. A signal sent from the computer system will trigger ON the relay at time and at another time, the signal will trigger the relay OFF (Wilson O.B: 1982). Fig. 1.5 Pump control module. Algorithm Development A computerized system requires an interface between the computer and the other external devices. The connection of interfacing circuitry to a computer provides a useful means of expanding capability and enhancing performance. It gives the computer the ability to communicate with a variety of devices or other computer systems. System Interfacing System interface means bringing two non-compatible faces together. It is the point at which a connection is made between two elements so that they can work with each other. In computing, it could be hardware interface, which is electronic device or circuit or other point of contract between two pieces of equipment. This applies to communication of a device or application with a computer system through a port. It could also be a software interface, which is the software that links a computer with another device, or the set of commands, messages, images, and other elements allowing communication between computer and operator (Joseph D.L and Willam E.B:2000). Data Acquisition Data acquisition, relating to information and communication systems means the gathering and collection of bits of facts about changing effects or situations in those system. The process of obtaining data from another source, usually are outside a specific system is called data acquisition. Here in this research findings, the application of this sort, that requires acquisition of data involves the transformation of acquired data from the analog form to its equivalent digital IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8215

7 form. This is done with the aid of Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), and an output of which is buffered for accurate and steady reception by the system, through the computer s port. Appropriate processing and actions are taken in accordance with the semantics of the signal of information received by the system. Parallel Transmission In this research work, parallel transmission of signal is employed as short distance data transmission is desirable. This is the simultaneous transmission of a group of bits over separate wires. With microcomputer, parallel transmission refers to the transmission of 1 byte (8bits). The standard connection for parallel port is known as the centronics interface or parallel port. This transmission is faster since existed bit are sent at once. Its main advantage is the high data transfer rates which is attained by simultaneous transmission of all bits of binary word (normally on ASCII code) (Jensen M.E(E.D), Visual Basic and Activex Control The ability of Visual Basic programs to read and write to input/output ports including the parallel port is achieved by the use of I/O Active controls such as NTROPT, PARPORT, and INPOUT32 (Joseph D.L and William E.B.2000). This capability of the programming language to read and write the parallel. PORT is exploited in the implementation of the computerized irrigation control system, making it possible for external circuit and other signals to be monitored by the computer as well as sends. Signals to the circuit. The front end of this software extract is exhibited in figure 1.5 and front submenu of the zone moisture content is figure 1.6. The program flow chart is figure 1.7. Fig. 1.5 Front End of the Irrigation Software. IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8216

8 Fig. 1.6 Front Submenu of the Zone Moisture Content. Fig. 1.7 Program Flow Chart. IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8217

9 Irrigation Requirement Thaj Mary Delsy. T* et al. International Journal Of Pharmacy & Technology The irrigation requirement of a crop is the total amount of water that must be supplied by irrigation to a disease-free crop, growing in a large field with adequate soil water and fertility, and achieving full production potential under the given environment (Doorenbos and Pruitt, 1997). The irrigation requirement include water used for crop consumptive use, maintaining a favourable salt balance within the root zone, and overcoming non-uniformity and inefficiencies of irrigation. Irrigation Scheduling Irrigation scheduling is the process of determining when to irrigate and how much water to apply for irrigation. Proper irrigation is essential for the efficient use of water, energy, and other production inputs, such as fertilizer. It allows irrigations to be coordinated with other farming activities including cultivation and chemical applications. Some benefits of effective irrigation scheduling are: improved crop yield and /or quality, water and energy conservation, and reduction in production costs. Time of Irrigation There are numerous methods for determining when to irrigate. The are classified as; Plant indicator Soil indicators, and Water budget technique Plant and soil indicators involve monitoring the plant and the soil respectively, to determine when to irrigate. The water budget technique is based on evapotranspiration. Only soil indicators are considered in this write-up, which is based on soil moisture detection. Soil indicators- soil-based irrigation scheduling involves determining the current water content of the soil, comparing it to predetermined minimum water content and irrigating to maintain soil water contents above the minimum level which often varied according to growth stage, particularly for deficit irrigation schedules. Soil indicators of when to irrigate also provide data for estimating the amount of water to apply per irrigation. The soil water contents are determined either by direct measurement or inference from measurement of other soil parameters such as soil water potential or electrical conductivity. Electrical resistance method with the use of PROBE are considered in this paper as earlier discussed, but several common method of the same function for IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8218

10 estimating soil water contents are listed in Table 1.0, along with the major advantages and disadvantages of various soil indicators (Stegman and Musick, 1980). Table 1.0 Soil-Based Indicators of when to irrigate. Observed or Measured Parameters Appearance and feel Gravimetric Sampling Electrical resistance Testing and Results Required Instruments or Procedures Principal Advantages Principal Disadvantage Hand probe Simple Time-consuming, approximate; requires interpretative skills Sample cans, soil agar, scale, and oven Carbon probe Simple and accurate Provides indirect measure of soil water content Destructive technique (successive samples at same location and depth are impossible) Requires careful installation, calibration, and frequent readings; not sufficiently sensitive in coarse-textured soils; shot block life; need multiple sites An experiment was carried out to analyze the interfacing of the carbon probe with the C ++ program to trigger the relay which in turn triggers the motor pump in order for the pump to pump water to the soil sample being used. Discussion The computer program is effective in solving the problems of manual method of irrigation as; It saves human labor It increases crop yield It promotes economic development Different crops can re-use the farmland because it won t be water logged for all type of crops. The maximum moisture content required for each crop is set on the system and the sprinkler will be automatically switched ON when the moisture content of the farmland has reduced beyond that which is set for that crop. Conclusion The use of C ++ and visual basic program made it possible to compare the value of moisture content read by the carbon probe with the standard value which has been written into the program References 1. Cronton T.R. (1982). Small Batteries/Secondary cells; John Wiley and Sons, New York. IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8219

11 2. Doorenbos and Pruitt, (1977). Soil Moisture Content and Application BPB Publications, Helsniki, pp 1-7, Jensen M.E (E D), (1993), ASAE Monograph 3, St. Joseph, M.I, 4th Edition, me gram Hill Book company, New York, p Joseph D.L and Williams E.B, Programming Business Application with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 3rd Edition, Cambridge University Press, Great, Britain. pp Musick J.T, Stegman E.C and Stewart J.I. (1980). Irrigation Water Management in Design and Operation of farm systems, C.R.C press and IEEE press, pp , pp Wilson O.B. (1982). Irrigation System and Mechanization 3rd Edition, Macmillan Press LTD, pp Corresponding Author: Thaj Mary Delsy. T*, IJPT July-2015 Vol. 7 Issue No Page 8220