AN IOT BASED DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM FOR VERTICAL FARMING IN RAINSHELTER

Abstract

Watering the plant is the most important cultural practice and one of the labour-intensive tasks in daily greenhouse operation. Watering systems ease the burden of getting water to plants when they need it. Knowing when and how much to water is two important aspects of irrigation process. The introduction of ―Automation in drip irrigation‖ can bring a green revolution in greenhouse. With advancing technology growth in the agriculture sector, the internet-of-things (IOT) technology provides a solution much simpler and faster for drip irrigation. The use of wireless sensor networks, IoTs, and communication technology for the automation of irrigation is an entirely new and futuristic field of research for development. It eliminates the manual opening and closing of valves. It starts and stops pump exactly as and when required thus optimizing the energy requirement. Irrigation system can be started at any desired time. Automating the data acquisition process of the soil conditions and various climatic parameters that govern plant growth allows information to be collected with less labour requirements. The study entitled ―An IoT based Drip Irrigation system for Vertical farming structure in Rain shelter‖ was taken up to develop an automated system for naturally ventilated Rain shelter situated in PFDC, located in the instructional farm of KCAET. The study was carried out using Amaranthus during the month of February to May, 2023 in two phases, one with conventional type of irrigation and other with automation in drip irrigation. It was found that the automation system installed was successful in minimal use of water to effective root zone which increases plant quality as well as productivity.