Smart Irrigation System – Core of Smart Agriculture

With the increasing scarcity of global water resources and the challenges posed by climate change, traditional agricultural irrigation methods are no longer sufficient to meet the needs of modern agricultural development. In order to achieve efficient water use, increase crop yields, and reduce environmental impact, the smart irrigation system has emerged. This technology not only provides farmers with precise water management solutions but also leads agriculture into a new era of sustainable development.

What is an Smart Irrigation System?

A smart irrigation system is a modern irrigation solution that integrates various advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things, sensor technology, automation control, data analysis, and remote monitoring. It can intelligently adjust the irrigation process based on the actual needs of the soil, weather, and crop growth, thereby ensuring crops grow under optimal conditions while maximizing water resource conservation.

A person is monitoring farmland conditions with a mobile phone.

Principle of the Smart Irrigation System

The principle of the smart irrigation system mainly includes four aspects: sensor monitoring, data processing, controller instructions, and actuator operations:

Firstly, through devices such as soil moisture sensors and weather sensors, key parameters such as humidity, temperature, and weather information of the farmland are monitored in real-time.
Secondly, the data obtained by the sensors is analyzed and calculated through the data processing system to derive a reasonable irrigation plan.
Thirdly, the controller accurately controls the switches and water volume of the irrigation equipment according to the instructions of the processing system, achieving intelligent regulation of the water source.
Finally, the actuator automatically operates the irrigation equipment according to the controller's instructions, completing the irrigation process.

Advantages of Smart Irrigation Systems

Conservation of water resources. Through precise water control, smart irrigation systems can significantly reduce the waste of water resources.
Enhancing crop yield and quality. Providing the appropriate amount of water at the right time and under suitable conditions helps crops grow healthier, ultimately improving yield and quality.
Reducing environmental impact. Over-irrigation can lead to soil erosion and nutrient loss, which in turn pollutes water sources. Smart irrigation systems can effectively avoid these issues, helping to protect the ecological environment.
Reducing operational costs. Automated irrigation reduces reliance on manual labor, thereby lowering labor costs. In addition, due to more efficient use of water resources, irrigation costs have also decreased accordingly.
Easy operation. The user interface of smart irrigation systems is usually designed to be simple and intuitive, allowing even farmers unfamiliar with technology to easily get started.

Types of Smart Irrigation Systems

There are three common types of smart irrigation systems: bus-controlled irrigation, wireless remote-controlled irrigation, and solar irrigation.

Bus-Controlled Irrigation
Bus-controlled irrigation systems refer to the control of the entire irrigation system using bus control as the measurement and control terminal. In a bus-controlled irrigation system, each measurement and control terminal is relatively independent and can independently perform operations such as water demand information collection, integration, judgment, and basic irrigation. First, the water requirement information of the vegetation is collected by monitoring and control terminals from various locations, then transmitted to the central computer monitoring system. The latter performs unified analysis and processing to generate irrigation parameters, automatically starting and adjusting the irrigation system for irrigation. Compared to wireless remote control, bus control covers a wider range and has a lower overall investment cost, thus having a high application value.
Wireless Remote Control Irrigation
The wireless remote control irrigation system refers to a system that uses remote terminal units as information relay stations to assist in irrigation. Specifically, the remote terminal is responsible for collecting information on the vegetation's fertilizer and water needs, then transmitting this information to the central control system via GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). After analyzing the information, a series of automated irrigation operations are completed through remote control. The greatest feature of this irrigation system is its integration of technology and modernity, making full use of GSM network technology. It not only has a simple structure and fewer transmission lines but also requires less maintenance investment in the later stages. The overall investment cost of the system is not high, making it widely promotable.
Solar Irrigation
Solar irrigation refers to using solar energy as the starting power to utilize water resources such as streams and groundwater for irrigation. The solar irrigation system mainly consists of a rain detector and solar panels. The function of the rain detector is to detect rainy weather, and if rain is detected, the system will automatically shut down. The primary function of solar panels is to absorb solar energy and convert it into power for the electric pump, providing necessary energy for the pump to extract water sources. After extracting water sources, the solar irrigation system transports them to a storage tank for preservation, and then implements irrigation through sprinklers located uphill. This irrigation system is often used in remote areas that are not connected to municipal water supplies.

The smart irrigation system can not only improve resource utilization efficiency and alleviate the increasingly tense conflict over water resources, but also increase crop yields and reduce the cost of agricultural products. An irrigation system based on sensor technology is the only way to develop efficient and precision agriculture.