ISSN No: 2309-4893

International Journal of Advanced Engineering and Global Technology

I Vol-03, Issue-01, January 2015

Solar-Powered Automated Plant/Crop Watering

System
Rana Biswas, Romit Beed, Ankita Bhaumik, Shamik Chakrabarty & Raghav Toshniwal
St. Xaviers College (Autonomous), 30, Mother Teresa Sarani, Kolkata-700016, India.
rana.xaviers@gmail.com, rbeed@yahoo.com, silverdoe066@gmail.com,
shamikchakrabarty@gmail.com, raghav.toshniwal@gmail.com

ABSTRACT: This work aims at developing an entirely automated of irrigation, the overall expenditure involved in agriculture is
plant/crop watering system. The main motivation behind this system very high. A need of automation and controlled irrigation
is to conserve the wastage of water and to effectively manage the system would bring down costs in a significant way.
amount of watering of the plants. It also aims at reducing human
labour, effort and errors due to human negligence. It uses solar
panels to provide power to the system at daytime. Solar energy is used
to run the system during daytime and charge the batteries to operate
at night. It uses moisture sensors to sense the level of moisture in the
soil. When the moisture content of the soil goes below a certain limit
for a plant/crop, the pump system is triggered and the plant/crop is
watered. The plants are watered efficiently till the desired value is
reached and the pump is switched off automatically.

KEYWORDS: Arduino Uno, Moisture Indicator, Moisture Sensor,

Solar Panel, Water Pump.

1. INTRODUCTION

India is the home to about seventeen percent of the entire world

population [7]. However, it has only four percent of the world
fresh water resources at its disposal. Given that India is an
agrarian economy, the stress on water consumption is even
greater due to the fact that most of Indias fresh water resources
are used for irrigation purposes. Food and Agriculture
Fig. 2: Major use of Water for irrigation listed by countries [4].
Organization has given the following breakdown in water
usage: A multidisciplinary approach to better the irrigation practices
needs to be undertaken at various levels [1]. The classification
of approaches leading to better irrigation can be stated as:

Agronomic Approaches: Approaches made in agriculture

practices such as plant spacing, tilling and water utilization that
maximize efficiency of water use.

Engineering Approaches: Efforts made in this direction involve

Fig. 1: FAO breakdown of water use
It is therefore a matter of utmost importance that efficiency in
water use for irrigation is improved.
Irrigation efficiency is only 35% today in India. An increase in
this figure would dramatically reduce water consumption. The
National Commission for Irrigated Water Resource
Development (NCIWRD) has stated that wasteful practices of
irrigation not only increase stress on water resources, they also
contribute to factors lowering over all yield and thus the
productivity [5]. Due to manual and labour intensive methods
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the use of devices such as moisture sensitivity and automation
in the irrigation practices.
Institutional Approaches: Proper training of farmers at a
broader scale and making them equipped to understand the
value of water and how to operate irrigation devices would fall
under this heading.
2. PLANT WATERING SYSTEM
A solar powered automatic plant watering system can detect
and sense the moisture level in the soil and water the plants
whenever required. When the moisture content decreases below
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 ISSN No: 2309-4893
International Journal of Advanced Engineering and Global Technology
I Vol-03, Issue-01, January 2015

the specified level the water pump gets switched on

automatically and the plant is watered till the specified level of
moisture is obtained. The probes of the sensor in the soil detect
the moisture level by the conductivity established between the
probes. If the soil moisture and mineral level is high then
conductivity is established and the corresponding conductivity
level is shown by the LEDs. There are a total of 10 LEDs to
indicate the level of moisture in the soil. The watering system
mostly used in the open fields can utilize the resource of the sun
completely and use solar energy to power itself and even the
water pump [3].

Being a combination of hardware and software components, the

user can change the requirement as and when needed according
to the season, the kind of plants or the water requirements of
the plants [2]. Moreover, it does not require any highly qualified
person to control the system. Only knowledge about the plant
is required which has to be supplied in easy steps. This system
has much application in farms owned by big firms producing
crops for the world market. Requiring a very low cost to be
installed, it minimizes labour cost for the company as no man
power is required to go out and water the plants by testing the
soil moisture [6]. Only one person is required who will operate
the machine sitting in the control room. Electrical energy is
being saved at a huge level by utilizing the solar power.
Fig. 4: Circuit Diagram of the Solar Battery Charger
3.2 Moisture Sensor:
The soil moisture sensor probes enable precise low cost
monitoring of soil water content. Because the probe measures
the dielectric constant of the soil using transmission line
techniques, it is insensitive to water salinity, and will not
corrode over time as does conductivity based probes. The
probes are small, rugged, and run on low power. They can be
inserted and take an accurate reading in under 1 second. Power:
3 mA at 5V DC operating temperature: 40C to +60C,
dimensions: 0.089 m 0.018 m 0.007 m (active sensor length
0.005 m) [9].

Fig. 3: Block Diagram

3. CIRCUIT COMPONENTS Fig. 5: Moisture Sensor

3.1 Solar Panel: 3.3 Moisture Indicator:

A Solar Panel is a packaged, connected assembly of
photovoltaic cells, which generates electricity from the rays of
the sun using the photovoltaic effect. The circuit uses IC
LM317 as a voltage regulator [8]. A heat sink is used to absorb
the excess heat produced by IC LM317 so that the IC is not
damaged. It also uses a diode to protect the solar panel by
preventing the backward flow of current, an inclination meter
to indicate the amount of voltage generated at each inclination.
A solar panel is used as the source of electricity and a fuse to
protect the charging device against excess current.
It consists of IC LM3914 and PC 817. The output from the
moisture sensor is sent as input to the LM3914 which detects
the moisture level. It is a dot display driver. The outputs of the
chip are connected to the LEDs. When the output is low the
LED is put on otherwise it is off. 10 LEDs are used as the
indicator of the moisture level in the soil. The number of LEDs
glowing represents the moisture content of the soil. When the
triggering LED as set in the Arduino gets switched off it means
that specific plant needs to be watered.

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International Journal of Advanced Engineering and Global Technology
I Vol-03, Issue-01, January 2015
Fig. 6: Moisture Indicator Circuit
3.4 Arduino Uno:
The Arduino Uno [10] is a microcontroller board based on the
ATmega328p [11]. It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which
6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz
ceramic resonator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP
header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to
support the microcontroller. We either need to connect it to a
computer using a USB cable or power it with an AC-to-DC
adapter. The Arduino circuit acts as an interface between the
software (programming) part and hardware part of the project.
The output from the PC817 is supplied as input to the Arduino
circuit. Based on a particular triggering value, it sends an output
to the pump, indicating it to be switched on.
Fig. 7: Arduino Uno Circuit
ISSN No: 2309-4893
3.5 Optocoupler:
PC817 Series contains an IRED optically coupled to a
phototransistor [12]. It is packaged in a 4pin DIP, available in
wide-lead spacing option and SMT gullwing lead-form option.
It is used to isolate two parts of a circuit. Isolation prevents
ground loops and prevents transmission of unwanted noise. It
transmits signals between circuits of different potentials and
impedances.
Fig. 8: Optocoupler
3.6 IC LM3915:
The LM3915 is a monolithic integrated circuit that senses
analog voltage levels and drives ten LEDs, LCDs or vacuum
fluorescent displays, providing a logarithmic 3 dB/step analog
display [13]. One pin changes the display from a bar graph to a
moving dot display. LED current drive is regulated and
programmable, eliminating the need for current limiting
resistors. The whole display system can operate from a single
supply as low as 3V or as high as 25V. The IC contains an
adjustable voltage reference and an accurate ten-step voltage
divider. The high impedance input buffer accepts signals down
to ground and up to within 1.5V of the positive supply. It is used
to display the moisture content of the soil. The number of
LEDs switched on indicates the moisture level in the soil.
These send inputs to the digital pins of the Arduino circuit.
Fig. 9: IC LM 3915 Circuit
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 ISSN No: 2309-4893
International Journal of Advanced Engineering and Global Technology
I Vol-03, Issue-01, January 2015

3.7 Selection Switches:
A switch is kept reserved for each type of plant. The switches
are used to select the kind of plant that needs to be sensed and
watered. By this technique a variety of plants/crops having
varying moisture requirements can be catered to by the same
circuit. The circuit works according to the moisture level
requirement set for the plant/crop that has been selected.
Step 2: The Arduino Uno circuit checks which crop is selected
and checks whether the moisture level is below the triggering
value for that crop.
Step 3: If it is below, it sends a signal to switch on the pump
else goes to step 1.
Step 4: Moisture sensors check the level of moisture and sends
a signal to the Arduino Uno circuit.
Step 5: If the moisture level is above normal value, stop the
pump and return to step 1.

4.2 Flowchart:

Fig. 10: Switching Circuit

3.8 Pump Circuit:

The output from the Arduino is fed to the pump switching
circuit which puts on the pump for as long as the Arduino
doesnt send an output to switch it off.

Fig. 11: Pump Circuit

Fig. 12: Flowchart

4. ALGORITHM AND IMPLEMENTATION 4.3 Program Code:

int pump=13;
The void setup() function is used to:
4.1 Broad Steps: int plant1=10;
Step 1: Moisture sensor senses the moisture content of the soil Initialize pins 2 to 11 as input pin.
int triggerpin1=5;
and sends a signal to the Arduino Uno circuit. Initialize pin 13 (pump) as output pin.
int stoppin1=7;
void setup() {

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International Journal of Advanced Engineering and Global Technology
I Vol-03, Issue-01, January 2015
int i;
for(i=2;i<12;i++)
pinMode(i,INPUT);
pinMode(pump,OUTPUT);}
void loop() {
if(digitalRead(plant1)==HIGH){
if(digitalRead(triggerpin1)==LOW){
while(digitalRead(stoppin1)==LOW){
digitalWrite(pump,HIGH);}
digitalWrite(pump,LOW);}}}
The void loop() function is used to:
Check which plant is selected.
Check whether moisture level is below triggering value
for that plant.
Switch on the pump till certain moisture level is reached.
4.4 Circuit Implementation:
Fig. 13: Plant Watering System Implementation
5. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
The proposed project undertakes a viable solution to the
problem of unsustainable irrigation. There is a growing need for
better irrigation practices so as to conserve millions of gallons
of water which otherwise goes wasted. The proposed device
uses a solar cell to power itself which makes it a self sufficient
device. The use of clean energy in engineering endeavors
cannot be understated because of the energy crisis we are
heading towards if hydrocarbons are not used in a sustainable
fashion.
ISSN No: 2309-4893
The device also does away with the need of employing a labour
force for slow and intensive irrigation; the opportunity cost
which is saved enables the farmer to concentrate on making
other improvements and maximizing yield for the crops.
Due to the inexpensive materials used in the construction and
further cost optimization if the device is taken to the market, it
finds application in a wide area. Scalability of the project would
be considerably easier as the device can be used to on small as
well as big farms. Thus this device would not only capture the
market of bigger and wealthier farms but also smaller farms
with limited resources.
The device is also easy-to-use and no complex training is
required on part of the farmers to use this device. Apart from
the environment benefitting from lesser consumption of water,
the farmer also benefits from a higher yield due to optimized
irrigation. Thus there are huge economic benefits for the
farmers alongside the positive environmental impact this
project would have. Given the demand for such a product, a win
for all major stakeholders is evident if such a project is used.
Apart from sensing soil moisture, this apparatus can also be
used to test the difference among mineral and distilled water,
the strength of acids and any material which involves the
ionization of it, hence allowing it to be a multipurpose tool for
measuring the levels of various substances.
As citizens of this planet it is our individual
responsibility to take an active role in water conservation. And
hence this project is an outcome of that responsibility.
6. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to thank the Principal & Computer Science
Department of St. Xaviers College, Kolkata (Autonomous) for
supporting us in this work.
7. REFERENCES
[1] Dr Ghosh, P., Dr Bharat, G., Water Woes: Shortage or
Wastage? Available online at:
http://southasia.oneworld.net/peoplespeak/ water-woes-
shortage-or-wastage#.VHX2edKUf8Y
[2] Hema,N., Aswani, R., Malik, M., Plant watering
autonomous mobile robot, International Journal of
Robotics and Automation (IJRA),(Vol. 1: No. 3) ,September
2012,ISSN: 2089-4856, pp. 152~162
[3] Muoz-Carpena, R., Dukes, M.D., Automatic irrigation
based on soil moisture for vegetable crops,Applied
Engineering in Agriculture ,2005.
[4] Saeijs, H.F.L., Berkel, V., Global Water Crisis, the Major
Issue of the 21st Century, M.J., European Water Pollution
Control, (Vol. 5.4), 1995, pp. 26-40.
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I Vol-03, Issue-01, January 2015

[5] Turner, K., Georgiou, S., Clark, R., Brouwer, R., Economic
valuation of water resources in agriculture, Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,Rome, 2004.
[6] Van Henten, E.J., et al, An autonomous robot for
harvesting cucumbers in greenhouses; Autonomous
Robots, (Volume 13 Issue 3), November 2002.
[7] World Business Council for Sustainable Development,
Water: Facts and Trends, World Business Council for
Sustainable Development, (Version 1), 2005.
[8] http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm317.pdf
[9] http://www.vernier.com/products/sensors/sms-bta/
[10] http://arduino.cc/en/Main/arduinoBoardUno
[11] http://www.atmel.in/Images/doc7810.pdf
[12] http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/73758.pdf
[13] http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/ lm3915.pdf

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