Optimizing Water Use for Okra Cultivation: A Soil Moisture Sensor-Based Approach

Abstract

Indian agriculture relies on monsoons, a water source notorious for its unreliability. To ensure sustainable production and productivity, the judicious and timely utilization of available water becomes imperative, emphasizing the need to maximize soil moisture while minimizing water losses. Drip irrigation stands out as a widely adopted and highly regarded water-conserving technology. The potential of an automated drip system becomes evident as it holds the promise of blessing farmers with higher yields despite the constraints of limited irrigation water. The necessity for a soil moisture-based drip irrigation system becomes apparent, tailored to the specific moisture and soil types of individual farms. A low-cost soil moisture sensor-based automated drip irrigation system emerges as the research objective, aiming to enhance efficiency and resource management. Gravity, coupled with drip irrigation, emerges as the most suitable method. The system operates in a closed-loop fashion, continuously monitoring and adjusting based on soil moisture content and the crop's water requirements. In the agricultural landscape of Chhattisgarh, where the total cultivable land spans 4.8 million hectares, with 0.51 million hectares dedicated to cultivating okra crops, the Crop Water Requirement (CWR) for okra varies from 30 cm to 55 cm, influenced by factors such as variety and crop seasons. The research yields insightful results, showcasing maximum water use efficiency in the sensor-based treatment at 46.76 kg/ha/mm, while the control irrigation exhibits a minimum efficiency of 26.66 kg/ha/mm.