In this paper, we are attempting to examine the WUWSN (wireless underground water sensor node*) for precision agriculture. The development and function of this sensor along with its software application is described in this paper. The equipment is under testing and the laboratory results and interpretations are discussed in this paper. This equipment is based on the new concept of sensing underground soil moisture. The sensor is cost effective sensor and has a long life span without any drawbacks of contamination of soil and it’s surrounding environment. This system helps in precision agriculture and irrigation in monitoring 18 inches underground water for green house or the targeted field. It gives the status of the water required by the crop. It thus enhances the analysis and decision making system for controlling the growth and quality of yield. This equipment is based on the principal of measurement of a dielectric value of the surrounding media. In this case it is soil. We explore the different parameters such as the moisture content which affect the dielectric value of the soil. In future we would further focus on various more parameters such as pH value, electric conductivity, temperature, etc using the same equipment.
Wireless underground water sensor node contains sensors and communication unit. This node can detect the underground water with wireless communication capability. This is an innovative approach for determining the soil moisture content and to update the information to the server through RF. This system is more useful for precision agriculture in finding the exact requirement of water for different crops. The sensor works on the principle of change in capacitance which occurs due to the change in dielectric property of the soil. This change is acquired by data acquisition system and the data is transferred through the communication unit. It is transmitted to the collection point for further analysis and decision making of the system. The communication of each node is based on the application based protocol for wireless sensor network. This node is useful in various application sectors for remote underground water sensing and monitoring.
Estimation of soil moisture content is important in precision agriculture especially during irrigation scheduling. Changes in the percentage of soil moisture during the irrigation event can be controlled by indicating the amount of applied water to soil. Continuous monitoring of soil moisture content within and below the rooting zone can facilitate optimal irrigation scheduling aimed at minimizing both- the effects of water stress on the plants, and also leaching of water below the root zone which can have adverse environmental effects.
*Patented IPI 453/MUM/2013
