Development and Implementation of a Solar-Powered Automated Irrigation Control System for Maize Crop Grown in Loamy Soil

Authors(5) :-Ibrahim A. G., Mosadomi, T. J., Odekunle, M. O.

This work presents a microcontroller based system which makes use of soil moisture sensors and plant growth models to develop irrigation schedules for maize crop grown in loamy soil. The methodology adopted for this work involves field survey, electronic circuit design, implementation and testing. The field studies provided details on the crops root depth pattern and water requirement throughout its growth period. With a dual power source of solar and a.c power supply, moisture sensor, microcontroller, LDR, LCD and sprinkler units; the microcontroller would permit the sprinkler to start and stop at given times during each growth period when the soil moisture falls below a predetermined level as sensed by the soil moisture sensors. Also included in this design is a DTMF decoder unit that permits interaction with the farmer on the current state and step to be initiated by the device via a remote phone. Test results indicate effective irrigation throughout the maize crop’s life cycle, bringing about improved crop yield/quality, water and energy conservation.

Authors and Affiliations

Ibrahim A. G.
Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria
Mosadomi
Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria
T. J.
Department of Geography, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria
Odekunle

M. O.

Irrigation, Loamy soil, Microcontroller, Maize crop, Soil sensor.

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Publication Details

Published in : Volume 1 | Issue 2 | March-April 2015
Date of Publication : 2015-04-25
License:  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Page(s) : 471-478
Manuscript Number : IJSRSET152285
Publisher : Technoscience Academy

Print ISSN : 2395-1990, Online ISSN : 2394-4099

Cite This Article :

Ibrahim A. G., Mosadomi, T. J., Odekunle, M. O., " Development and Implementation of a Solar-Powered Automated Irrigation Control System for Maize Crop Grown in Loamy Soil, International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology(IJSRSET), Print ISSN : 2395-1990, Online ISSN : 2394-4099, Volume 1, Issue 2, pp.471-478, March-April-2015. Citation Detection and Elimination     |     
Journal URL : https://ijsrset.com/IJSRSET152285

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