Smart Irrigation for Sustainable Agriculture: A Crop-Specific and Soil-Responsive Approach

Abstract

This study presents a crop-specific and soil-responsive automated irrigation technology developed for more efficient water use in agricultural practices. The irrigation system includes a capacitive soil moisture sensor, an Arduino Nano microcontroller, an AC water pump, with relay switch, and an LCD display that carefully manages irrigation based on real-time soil condition and crop stage growth. The controller programming includes crop-specific irrigation thresholds during the crop growth stage for rice, wheat, maize, tomato, and potato, while respecting soil type preferences. The system operates like a closed-loop control system with various schedules for irrigation based on real-time soil moisture, therefore conserving about 30–50% of water compared to fixed-schedule irrigation. Findings demonstrate more efficient water allocation, assisted in leftover water that could cause over-irrigation and under-irrigation practices, and conserved water associated with reduction in labour costs. It operates across multiple crops and soil types, demonstrating practical scalable use. By amalgamating automation with Internet of Things (IoT) technology while confirming water application according to stage-specific crop evapotranspiration data, it also enables sustainable agricultural practices, resource-efficient management, and climate-resilient agricultural practices.