Sensors for Managing Water Resources in Agriculture

Abstract

Most of the agricultural lands in the world depend on rain water. But unfortunately, evoking floods and droughts at irregular intervals of timings and improper occurrence of monsoon winds make the frequency and distribution of rainfall uneven and uncertain. A survey under COMMONSense Net Project (Panchard, 2007) implemented by central and state governments in India revealed that semi arid regions like main parts of Karnataka and some parts of Andhra Pradesh in India are slowly losing the potential of having rain fed agriculture. So the preservation of water and need based irrigation are essential for effective operations and management of water in agriculture. A precise estimate of water requirement can be made at each stage of growth of a crop only through electronic sensors. An irrigation control system uses moisture sensor as a feedback element that takes soil moisture as an input, enabling the system to manage the necessary water flow. In this paper a constructive attempt has been made to introduce the concept of sensors, methodology of their working and different types of sensors that are used for water management. A clear description of sensors, the inherent technology and the evaluation of parameters are presented. In doing so, the desirable characteristics of sensors and their significance have been clearly brought out. This critical review enables a judicious design and usage of sensors in agriculture.