Hydrosense: Pioneering Iot for Precision Drip Irrigation and Sustainable Water Management

A smart irrigation system using real-time sensors can greatly improve water efficiency and resource management. Traditional farming often struggles with inefficient water use, which affects crop growth. To address this issue, a drip irrigation system powered by IoT was designed and evaluated, with its performance compared to an evapotranspiration-based system. The system includes sensors and microcontrollers that track Soil Water Content (SWC), soil temperature, humidity, and air temperature. Irrigation was scheduled based on predefined upper and lower moisture thresholds (half of the farm area's capacity). Watering started when soil moisture dropped to 35% and stopped when it reached 85%. Sensor data was sent wirelessly to a cloud server, allowing farmers to access it from anywhere. The results showed that brinjal plants under the IoT-based system expanded by 1.3 cm more than those in the crop Evapotranspiration -based system. The leaves were also larger, both in length and width. The system was built to withstand outdoor conditions, with a water resistant enclosure ensuring durability.