ISSN 2347 - 3983

Jolan Baccay Sy et al., International Journal ofVolume 8.Trends

Emerging No. 9,inSeptember
Engineering2020
Research, 8(9), September 2020, 5645 – 5650
International Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering Research
Available Online at http://www.warse.org/IJETER/static/pdf/file/ijeter119892020.pdf
https://doi.org/10.30534/ijeter/2020/119892020

A Low-Cost Arduino-based Smart Irrigation System

(LCABSIS)
Jolan Baccay Sy1, Edward B. Panganiban2, Abdulkerim Seid Endris3
1,3
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kombolcha Institute of Technology,
Wollo University, Ethiopia
2
Isabela State University, Echague, Isabela, Philippines


ABSTRACT
15 September 2020, based on the world Meter, with a total
land area of 1,000,000 km2 (386,102 sq . miles) and 21,3 per
This study shows the best approach to have an effective low cent of the population urban (24,463,423 in 2020). Most of
cost Arduino-based smart irrigation system (LCABSIS). The the population lives as farmers in rural areas [2].
system is designed to allow farmers to be more efficient, to
reduce labor expenses and to make reasonable use of water by Ethiopia is the second largest populous nation in Africa.
utilizing the correct amount at the appropriate way. The Agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy ,
Arduino based smart irrigation system consists of Arduino, accounting for 41.4 per cent of the country's gross domestic
LCD , SIM900 A, moisture sensors, an Ultrasonic sensor, a product ( GDP), 83.9 per cent of total exports, and 80 per cent
solenoid valve, and a submersible pump. The motivation of of all jobs in the country [3]. Farmers were faced with
the study due to lack of vegetable supplies and the inflation demanding tasks due to the restricted presence of technology.
rate, Since Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture and the The first agricultural revolution required the advent of new
climatic conditions lead to a lack of rain and scarcity of water technology (as tractors). This meant a dramatic shift for
in some areas. There is a vast land that is not utilized due to farmers, as they could be even more productive and move
the improper use of water. Also, The farmers manually turn towards a technological age [4].
the pump on/off whenever needed, which compels them to
stop doing other works – which are also essential for them to, From the study of S. Akter, P. Mahanta, and others They
and thus they lose their precious time and efforts. This develop intelligent irrigation systems based on
automatic irrigation system senses the moisture content of the microcontrollers. Their system uses soil moisture sensors as
soil, and the availability of water in the reservoir input, and they only determine that their system will help
automatically switches the pump either to fill it to the tank or restrain wasteful irrigation and inadequate irrigation. This
to irrigate. Appropriate use of irrigation systems is very system acts as a possible remedy to the challenges of manually
significant because the key factor is the shortage of land watering in the farm. Their design is only used of soil
allocated for water due to lack of rain, unforeseen utilization moisture sensor without interaction on the water availability
of water; as a result , huge quantities of water get wasted. and also the in input from the farmers if they allow the system
Photos of the built and tested prototype, a schematic diagram to work or not [5].
of the control system, and the flowchart on which the Arduino
Ethiopia has the best opportunity to develop a water
script is developed are shown. The operation and
management system for both irrigation and hydropower. In
user-interaction of the actual system are also described. Data
order to capture its full potential, it needs to overcome crucial
are also tabulated and shown, along with statistical analysis.
challenges in the preparation, design, implementation and
The control system program is written such that the moisture
maintenance of its irrigation systems. The strongest options to
content is displayed in liquid crystal display(LCD) and send
be considered for the production of effective and stable food
SMS.
security are the expansion of irrigation systems on a variety of
scales, by river diversion, the building of small dams and
Key words: Arduino Automated System, Moisture Sensor,
water harvesting mechanisms [6].
Ultrasonic Sensor
The deployment of farming emerging technologies is the
1. INTRODUCTION necessity for advanced agricultural innovation, but it is also
an important sign of the upcoming degree of agricultural
Agriculture plays a vital role in the economy of most nations.
progress; it will be the future path of agricultural
The growth of agriculture means economic development[1].
improvement. Following the design of the farmland water
The approximate population of Ethiopia is 115,528,092 as of
irrigation process technology and the study and research of
the channel management features , functionality and the

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related software architecture of the precision agriculture

water irrigation systems, the actual implementation of the
Internet of Things to highly effective and secure agricultural
production has a major effect on ensuring the efficient use of
water [7].

Nowadays, the growth in the agriculture industry is attributed

to the advancement of the idea of smart farming and
modernization. One of the technologies developed is the
smart irrigation system. Several smart irrigation systems [8],
[9] was developed. Some has established a smart irrigation
system with the controlled process [10], [11], and embedded
system [12]. The integration of the internet of things (IoT) to Figure 1: LCABSIS Block Diagram
smart irrigation system were also introduced which tracks and
keeps the appropriate the content of soil moisture [13] or
evaluate the water needed for plants [14]. Solar energy was
used in the paper of Harishankar et al. [15] to implement their
developed smart irrigation system. A smart irrigation system
can also be established using Message Queue Telemetry
Transport protocol [16], and TINY OS focused on IRIS
methods to calculate the water content of the agricultural land
[17]. Smart Agriculture Irrigation System Using Raspberry Pi
was developed by Chate and Rana while this paper used
Arduino UNO as its microcontroller.

2. METHODS
The development of the Low-Cost Arduino-based Smart
Figure 2: Schematic Diagram
Irrigation System follows a four-part methodology:
formulation of the required design based on sensor behavior,
operational, manufacturing, and economic requirements; 2.3 Control System Software Modeling and Simulation
modeling, design, and simulation of the Arduino based
control system; system test and data collection; and hardware Figure 3 is the LCABSIS control system model equivalent to
prototype development the smart system developed. It shows the actual connections
of the components used to have an easier guide on how the
2.1 System Requirements components were attached to each other.
Ethiopia has vast natural resources, and it’s known as the
water tower of Africa; it has an excellent opportunity of
irrigating the land resource. The government’s strong
political commitment and encouragement to study
cost-effective and automated irrigation systems. The system is
designed to help meet these requirements. The control system
components are to be selected to be the cheapest possible or
can be sourced from junk materials. The code for the
micro-controller should be written so that it can easily be
modified to suit the actual components used.
2.2 Control System Design
The design of the control system is illustrated by way of the Figure 3: LCABSIS Control System Model
LCABSIS Block diagram in figure 1. Microcontroller
Arduino UNO is the major component that controls 2.4 Hardware Model Parts List:
components attached to it. The components used were
SIM900A, soil moisture sensor, ultrasonic sensor, LCD, Below is the discussion on the components used in this paper.
submersible pump, and water solenoid valve. Its equivalent
schematic diagram is shown in figure 2. a. Main Component

Arduino UNO [18-15] is a type of microcontroller that is

based on the concept of a Microchip ATmega328P

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microcontroller that controls the input or output of the smart the low cost and Arduino-based smart irrigation system. This
irrigation system. is also a guide for the researchers to come up with a desirable
output.
b. Soil Moisture sensor
This sensor for the soil moisture is a system for measuring soil
moisture content. It comprises of an attaching probe mounted
in the soil. it is utilized to detect soil moisture and
transmit impulses to the controller when the moisture level
exceeds the specified level.

c. GSM modem
GSM SIM 900 A [18] is used to transmit information From
distant regions such as one location to the same location or
another location. Send a message to the user about the soil
moisture content status, either to acknowledge that the engine
is automatically turned on or simply to ignore it.

d. Solenoid valve
The solenoid valve is an electric powered system comprised of
an energizing coil and a soft piece of iron with a valve that
cuts or supplies the fluid. When the coil is supplied, it
energizes and pushes the valve, and the valve opens and the
water flows. When the coil is de-energized, the valve closes
automatically due to the spring movement and cuts off the
water supply. T he function of the solenoid valve will be
automatic as soon as the water level in the container exceeds
the minimum reference level.

e. Relay Figure 4: Process Flowchart

Relay is also an electrical device consisting of an two NC and
NO contacts, operating coil. NC is configured as normally
closed and NC is normally open contacts. If the coil is not 2.5 Hardware Prototype Development
supplied, there is no change in the contact position. When the
coil is supplied, NO closes, and NC opens. It remains the The developed hardware prototype for this paper titled
unchanged until the coil is in powered state. “Low-Cost Arduino-based Smart Irrigation System” is shown
in figures 5A, 5B, and 5C together with its components.
f. Water Pump Submersible Figure 5A is the prototype implementation; figure 5B shows
This is used to pump or get water from the source like how the moisture sensor was tested, while figure 5C is the
container and is directly connected to the distribution pipe or complete set-up of the established smart irrigation system.
host.

g. Ultrasonic Sensor
This is an electronic component that can determine the
distance to an item by using a sound wave. It calculates
distance by sending a sound wave to a particular frequency
and by listening to the sound wave rebounding. It is used to
calculate the water depth in the container.

h. Liquid Crystal Display(LCD)

In order to create a visible image, the electronic display
module uses liquid crystal. In this paper, LCD will display the
moisture content of the soil, the water level of the container,
and the time the motor is running.

2.5 Flowchart
The Arduino Uno script is based on the flowchart shown in Figure 5A: Control System Prototype Implementation
Figure 4. This serves as the detailed steps in the operation of

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3.1 Test comparison using Control System Hardware

Model Tests and Hardware Prototype Tests

The tests conducted and the results for 1) Control System

Hardware Model Tests and 2) Hardware Prototype Tests are
similarly based on findings during the experiments

The results are summarized, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Summary of System Responses under the Different

Test Cases
Control
Test System System LCABSIS
Case Description Hardware Prototype
Model
Figure 5B: Moisture Sensor Testing Ultrasonic sensor
(Water Level ) at
minimum water
1 level – The Correct Correct
solenoid valve
motor
automatically on
Ultrasonic sensor
(Water Level ) at
Maximum water
2 level – The Correct Correct
solenoid valve
motor
automatically OFF
Soil Moisture
Sensor < 500
3 Correct Correct
Submersible pump
Figure 5C: Complete Setup Smart Irrigation System
is OFF
Soil Moisture
3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Sensor > 500
4 Correct Correct
Submersible pump
3.1 System Tests and Data Collection is OFF
Sim 900 A Send
Throughout the number of iterations undertaken in the
Data to User when
development of the LCABSIS, from hardware prototype, a 5 Correct Correct
the soil moisture
series of similar tests are conducted. There are 7 test cases on
sensor is > 500
the system, as illustrated in table 1.
Sim 900 A
Received Data to
Table 1: System test cases 4 Correct Correct
User to ON the
1. Ultrasonic sensor (Water Level ) at minimum water level
motor
– The solenoid valve motor automatically on
LCD displayed the
2. Ultrasonic sensor (Water Level ) at maximum water level Moisture sensor
– The solenoid valve motor automatically OFF 6 and duration time Correct Correct
3. Soil Moisture Sensor < 500 Submersible pump is OFF the motor is
4. Soil Moisture Sensor > 500 Submersible pump is OFF running
5. Sim 900 A Send Data to User when the soil moisture
sensor is > 500
6. Sim 900 A Received Data to User to ON the motor
7. LCD displayed the Moisture sensor and duration time the
motor is running

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