SENSORS for AGRICULTURE and WATER USE EFFICIENCY

SENSORS FOR AGRICULTURE AND WATER

Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar Reddysaibhaskarnakka@gmail.com

Lecture at Engineering Staff College of India, Hyderabad on 24th May 2016

Water Use EfficiencyCANAL

MONITORINGMANUAL - DATA

COLLECTIONAUTOMATION -

SENSORS

MANAGEMENTMANUAL - SCHEDULE

AUTOMATION - CANAL

AUTOMATION

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS

ON-FARM

MONITORINGMANUAL - DATA

COLLECTIONAUTOMATION -

SENSORS

MANAGEMENTMANUAL - SCHEDULE

AUTOMATION - CANAL

AUTOMATION

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Challenges in collecting data

The first problem primarily has to do with entering data manually, while the second problem is caused by different colleagues in the field taking measurements in different ways

People can cheat by sending information without being in the field based on their experience / guess.

IRRIGATION SCHEDULING

Irrigation scheduling is the process used

by irrigation system managers to determine the correct

frequency and duration of watering.

Effective irrigation is possible only with regular monitoring

of soil water and crop development conditions in the

field, and with the forecasting of future crop water needs.

An optimum irrigation schedule maximizes

profit and optimizes water and energy use.

Only 40%- 60% of the water is effectively used

by the crop.

With increasing scarcity and growing

competition for water, judicious use of water

in agricultural sector will be necessary.

There are two situations farmers are frequently faced

1. Under-irrigation (Where a limited quantity of water is available).

2. Over-irrigation( more than required water is available).

NEED FOR IRRIGATION SCHEDULING

Proper timing of irrigation water applications is a crucial decision for a farm manager to:

meet the water needs of the crop to prevent yield loss due to water stress;

maximize the irrigation water use efficiency resulting in beneficial use;

conservation of the local water resources; minimize the leaching potential of nitrates and certain

pesticides that may impact the quality of the groundwater.

OBJECTIVES

Maximum yield/biomass production. Maximum economic return.• Water conservation.• Reduced nutrient leaching.• Increase the water application efficiency.

CANAL PARTICULARS

1 2

34

Demolished water pipe line Sluice wall damage and soil being eroded

Culvert damage

Sluice walls damage,causing water leakage

IRRIGATION SCHEDULING PRACTICE

Water requirement of rice crop at different growth stages

Stages of growth Avg. water requirement

(mm)

% of total water requirement

(approx.)

Nursery 50-60 5

Main field preparation 200-250 20

Planting to Panicle initiation (PI) 400-550 40

P.I to flowering 400-450 30

flowering to maturity 100-150 5

Total 1200-1460 100.0

• Moisture stress at active tillering phase - 30% yield reduction.• Moisture stress at reproductive phase - 50 - 60% yield reduction

Advantages Of Irrigation Scheduling

It enables the farmer to schedule water rotation among the various fields

It reduces the farmer's cost of water and labor through fewer irrigations, thereby making maximum use of soil moisture storage.

Lowers fertilizer costs Increases net returns Minimizes water-logging problems Assists in controlling root zone salinity problems through controlled

leaching. It results in additional returns by using the "saved" water to irrigate

non-cash Crops that otherwise would not be irrigated during water-short periods

Smart irrigation technologies

Existing Irrigation Technology

Smart Irrigation Control Technology

This system is based on fixed schedule and the controller executes the same schedule regardless of the season or weather conditions.

water is wasted.

Don’t consider the plant productivity which is not based on efficient irrigation.

Existing technology these kinds of facilities are not easily available

This system is based on everyday climate criterion and actual water need of plant.

little chance of water wastage.

Consider all the aspects of plants related to water irrigation. It is based on efficient irrigation.

Can be controlled manually or automatically without physical presence at the system or field

In order to achieve the above objectives the following is the on of the basic recommendations

smart irrigation controllers

smart irrigation controller is a device that gives your plants the right amount of water for the time of year, climate and weather.

Smart irrigation controllers are again two types.

1. Sensor Based Controllers

2. Signal Based Controllers

Sensor Based Controllers:

uses real-time measurements of one or more locally measured factors to adjust irrigation timing.

example: temperature, rainfall, humidity, solar radiation, and soil moisture.

RAIN SENSOR

A rain sensor or rain switch is a switching device activated by rainfall.

Rain sensors for irrigation systems are available in

Wire less

hard-wired versions,

INFORMATION VISUALISATION

HIERARCHY

Flow chart of digitalizing process

FARMER

DATE:DD/MM/YYYYTIME: --:--RAINFALL: Y/NTEMPERATURE: --

T

T- Time of receiving water to his field, --:--

Since most of them are using basic cell phones, color depiction cannot be adopted.

Also additional information may confuse them since they are unaware of the system

BASIC COLOR LAYOUT

MODULES for locating sensors

Displaying water level

Januar

yAp

ril July

October

0

40

80

Details of rainfall

-Details of temperature

What is water use efficiency (WUE)?

The yield of marketable crop produced per unit of water used in evapotranspiration .WUE=Y/ET whereWUE = water use efficiency (kg/ha mm of water)Y =The marketable yield (kg/ha)ET = Evapotranspiration (mm)

Factors affecting WUENature of the plantClimatic conditionsSoil moisture contentFertilizers and plant population

Virtual water

Water embedded in commodities

Commodity Virtual water in litersOne cup of coffee 140One liter of milk 800One kg maize 900One kg of wheat 1100One kg of rice 3000One kg of sugar 3200One kg of chicken 6000One kg of beef 16000

Virtual water of some important commodities

27

27

Crop WUE (Kg/ha-mm)Rice 3.0Jowar 9.0Bajra 8.0Maize 8.0Finger millet

13.4

Groundnut 9.2

WUE in different crops Kg/ha-mm

Yellamanda Reddy & Sankara Reddy (1995)

28

Crop Water requirements (mm)

Rice 900-2500Wheat 450-650Sorghum 450-650Maize 500-800Sugarcane 1500-2500Sugarbeet 550-750Groundnu

t 500-700

Cotton 700-1300Soybean 450-700Tobacco 400-600

Water requirement (mm) of different crops

Crop Water requirements (mm)Tomato 600-800Potato 500-700Pea 350-500Onion 350-550Bean 300-500Cabbage 380-500Banana 1200-220Citrus 900-1200Grape 500-1200Pineapple 700-1000

Periods sensitive to water shortages Crop Sensitive period Alfalfa Just after cutting Alfalfa (for seed prod.)

Flowering

Banana Through out Bean Flowering and pod filling

Cabbage Head enlargement and ripening

Citrus Flowering and fruit setting morethan fruit enlargement

Cotton Flowering and boll formation

Contd…

Crop Sensitive period Grape Vegetative period and flowering

more than fruit filling

Groundnut Flowering and pod setting

Maize Flowering and grain filling

Olive Just prior to flowering and yield formation

Onion Bulb enlargement

Onion ( for seed Prod.)

Flowering

Contd…

Contd…

Crop Sensitive period Pea / fresh Flowering and yield formation

Pea /dry Ripening

Pepper Through out

Pineapple Vegetative period

Potato Stolonisation and tuber initiation

Rice Head development and flowering

Sorghum Flowering and yield formation

Soybean Flowering and yield formation

Crop Sensitive period

Sugar beet First month after emergence

Sugarcane Vegetative period (tillering and stem elongation)

Sunflower Flowering more than yield formation

Tobacco Period of rapid growth

Tomato Flowering more than yield formation

Water melon Flowering and fruit filling

Wheat Flowering more than yield formation

Sensitivity of various field crops to water shortages

Sensitivity Low Low –medium Medium- High High

Crops Cassava Alfalfa Beans Banana Cotton Citrus Cabbage Fresh greenMillet Grape Maize Vegetables

Pigeonpea Groundnuts Onion Paddy

Sorghum Soybean Peas Potato Sugar beet Pepper Sugarcane Sunflower TomatoWheat Water melon

Canal Network Flow Monitoring System

Overview

Canal Network Flow Monitoring System is a web based system that provides the requisite information of water flow in the canal network to the concerned officials for decision making.

It forms basis for monitoring of release of water to canals against the water release schedule and for effective monitoring of Water regulation of Irrigation Systems.

CNFMS

• Monitoring• Control centre• Sensors and Instrumentation lab at

WALAMTARI • Software development• Operation and maintenance - Sensors,

instruments, transducers, communication systems, power, etc.

• Decision support systems – Information visualization, Graphics, Artificial Intelligence, analysis, reports, etc.

• Associated with CWPRS regarding capacity building on canal automation

WATER MANAGEMEN

T CENTRE(CNFMS)

WATER MANAGEMENT

Canal Network Flow Monitoring System Introduction:Canal Network Flow Monitoring System is one of the technique used to quantify water measurement at a required location in a canal by using advanced technology for effective irrigation.

With Network Control solutions, the control of the entire network of channels is improved so that the flow calculations are optimised and the delivery of water to farmers can be managed effectively.

Canal Network Flow Monitoring System is an Operations Management Solutionto streamline internal processes and reduce costs by automating the collection and management of water delivery by using software tools to simplify the planning and execution of water delivery.

Canal Network Flow Monitoring System

Overview CNFMSAround the world Smart Water Technology is revolutionising the operation and management of Open Canal Irrigation water distribution systems reducing the massive amounts of water lost from storage to farms.

Using the limited water resources efficiently is becoming increasingly important as India is facing scarcity of water.

Efficiency is a lot more than water usage; it’s about working smarter and providing with a better service, faster, quicker and cheaper.

With around 70% of the worlds fresh water is being used for Irrigation, we should look forward for the ways to reduce water lost in inefficient irrigation infrastructure.

Around the World Canal Automation is being implemented to reduce the water losses and secure more water for productive usage.

Technical architecture

Flow diagram

Canal Network Flow Monitoring System

Modules Allotted:SMS Interface(Both UI and Service)

This is one of the important module of CNFMS where in the concerned AEE/Section officer sends the gauge reading/discharge reading of his section to a particular mobile number defined. The concerned readings will be saved in the database and can be retrieved from the UI whenever required.

42 TYPES OF SENSORS

SENSORS

CONTACT

PRESSURE TYPE

CAPACITANCE TYPE

SHAFT ENCODERS

BUBBLER

NON CONTACT

ULTRASONIC

RADAR

MMC

43 Pressure Sensors > contact type submerged at a fixed level under the water surface.

measures the equivalent hydrostatic pressure of the water above the sensor diaphragm.

It is like weighing the water.

Staff Gages> contact type The Staff Gage provides a quick and easy visual indicator of water level.

Made with a durable baked-on porcelain enamel finish on a metal plate.

44

STAFF GUAGE

PRESSURE SENSOR

45 Bubbler Systems> contact are hydrostatic pressure sensors

are used to measure water level by detecting the pressure required to force air through a submerged tube.

the tube is mounted with the end of the tube below the water surface being

measured, and the air emerges from the bottom of the tube as a stream of bubbles

46 Digital Pulsed Doppler

>contact type Pulsed wave (PW) Doppler systems use a transducer that alternates transmission and

reception of ultrasound.

One main advantage of pulsed Doppler is its ability to provide Doppler shift data selectively from a small segment along the ultrasound beam, referred to as the “sample volume”.

The location of the sample volume is operator controlled.

47

48 Aqua Profiler

> Contact type The system is designed to measure both, the vector and the magnitude (using twin

velocity beams) of individual velocity cells to account for velocity variations within the flow and obtain the flow profile.

A third vertical acoustic or hydrostatic sensor beam is used to measure water level.

49

50 Ultrasonic transmitters

> Non contact operate by sending a sound wave generated from a piezoelectric transducer to the surface

of the process material being measured.

transmitter measures the length of time it takes for the reflected sound wave to return to the transducer.

successful measurement depends on the wave, reflected from the process material and moving in a straight line back to the transducer.

factors such as dust, heavy vapours, tank obstructions, surface turbulence, foam, and even surface angles can affect the returning signal when using an ultrasonic level sensor.

51 Radar

> Non contact Working principle is similar to ultrasonic sensors.

operation of all radar level detectors involves sending microwave beams emitted by

a sensor to the surface of liquid.

electromagnetic waves after hitting the fluids surface returns back to the sensor which is mounted at the top.

The time taken by the signal to return back i.e. time of flight (TOF) is then determined to measure the level of fluid.

52 SENSOR INSTALLATION

Selection of right sensor

1. measuring range

>based on max. and min. water level

2. measurement interference

>natural or man made

e.g.: presence of large rock in canal gives

wrong reading

53 3. installation

>details of permanent structures should

be collected.eg: bridge ,ridges etc.

4. environmental and seasonal conditions

>wind , wave, salinity ,bank stability etc.

should be determined

54 Data acquisition

>process of sampling signals such as voltage, current etc.

> these signals are further processed

Telemetry

>includes reporting information

Control

>necessary steps followed after data analysis

55 DATA FLOW PATH

56

COMPONENTS OF RADAR SENSOR SYSTEM

Developed sensors for–the parameters water level, soil moisture, relative humidity, temperature ;etc.

Aqua Profiler

59

60DATA VISUALISATION

Graphical representation

61

Tabular data representation

62COMPARISON

63

 SENSORS

 WATER LEVEL

 ACCURACY

 POWER INPUT

 COST/UNIT(Rs)

SERVICE OF AGENCY

1) CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC

1 year warrenty

>RADAR RANGING SENSOR 40275-72585

a)CS475-L 50mm-20m ± 5mm 9.6-16 Vdc

b)CS476-L 50mm-30m ±3mm 9.6-16 Vdc

c)CS477-L 400mm-70m ±15mm 9.6- 16 Vdc

>SONIC RANGING SENSOR 2565-55285

SR50A-L 0.5-10m ±1cm 9-18 Vdc

2) VIRTUAL ELECTRONICS

>DIGITAL WATER LEVEL RECORDER-RADAR TYPE 3025-60125

DWLR-R 15m-70m ±2mm 12 v  

64 3) HYDROVISION

>ULTRASONIC LEVEL SENSOR 2575-50254

SEP3702 25m ±2% 24 Vdc

SHANGHAI

CX-RLM RADAR WATER LEVEL SENSOR WITH

ALARM

30 m <0.1% 4216-60230 1Year warranty

4) CHEMINS

WATER LEVEL SENSOR LKZLD-A

30 m <0.1% 24 Vdc

RADAR WATER LEVEL SENSPOR HD

30 m 6000-12000

65 5) SHANGHAI

CX-RLM-081 PULSE RADAR INFRARED

WATER LEVEL SENSOR

20m <0.1% 7000-60230

RRF-15 70m ±5mm 60230-18690

VRPWRD51-56 20m ±10mm 48184-12460

VRPWRD35 20m ±3mm 24 Vdc 48184-12460

SHAANXI CHINA-RADAR WATER LEVEL SENSOR

YK=RLT01 35m ±2mm 6023-72276

66CANAL SENSOR TYPE LIMITATION MAINTAN

ANCEMARK

MAJOR RADAR NON CONTACT

COST LESS 9

MAJOR ULTRASONIC NON CONTACT

TEMPERATURE VARIATION

LESS 9

MAJOR DIGITAL DOPPLER

CONTACT PERIODIC REMOVAL

6

67 CANAL SENSORS TYPE LIMITATION MARK

MINOR DIGITAL DOPPLER

CONTACT PERIODIC REMOVAL

9

MINOR PRESSURE SENSOR

CONTACT PERIODIC REMOVAL

5

SUB CANALS STAFF GAUGES

CONTACT HUMAN HELP

5

68 Another consideration is that adjustment and operation of

radar and ultrasonic instruments are easy than contact type.

In open channels, the flow measurement error of ultrasonic sensors, due to temperature error, can amount to more than 20%. Temperature sensitivity is around ± 15 -20 0 C

Previously, the price difference between radar and ultrasonic instrumentation was very high; today, the price of radar is comparable to that of ultrasonics. But while considering large scale installation a large amount variation will be there.

69 Canals Sensors Type Description Average cost for

complete installation

(Rs)

Installation

Major RADAR Non-contact Highly accurate but

coastlier

30000- 60500 Stand alone poles or

by providing

extension hangings

Major ULTRASONIC Non-contact Accurate but depends on

temperature variation

15670- 35000 Stand alone poles or

by providing

extension hangings

Major Digital doppler Contact Measures velocity also 10000 – 30000 Mounted to canal

sides

Minor Digital doppler Contact Measures velocity also 10000 – 30000 Mounted to canal

sides

Minor Pressure sensor Contact Based on weight of water 5000-25000 Submerged in canals

Minor Staff guages Contact Human recording 1000 Mounted along canal

sided

70

Permanent structures like bridges and drops are found to be the suitable place for sensor installation.

Major field challenge include theft and unawareness about sensors.

71 ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

Operating Temperature Range: –40° to +80°C

Storage Ranges >Temperature: –40° to +80°C

>Relative Humidity: 20% to 80% RH

Vibration Resistance: Mechanical vibrations with 4 g and 5 to 100 Hz

72

MODELS AVAILABLE IN MARKET

73CAMPBELL SCIENTIFIC

RADAR RANGING SENSORS

CS475-L

74

CS476-L

75

CS477-L

76

SONIC RANGING SENSOR

SR50A-L

77

VIRTUAL ELECTRONICSDIGITAL WATER LEVEL RECORDER-RADAR TYPE

DWLR-R

78

HYDROVISIONULTRASONIC LEVEL SENSOR

SEP3702

What is a system?

A system is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole or a set of elements (often called 'components' ) and relationships which are different from relationships of the set or its elements to other elements or sets.

Each element in the system is called “component”.Every system is having following components

1) Input2) Processor3) Transmitter4) Output

Block Diagram of System

ProcessorInput Transmission Output

Inputs (Sensors)

Contact sensors Soil moisture sensor Temperature and humidity sensor Pressure sensor

Non-Contact sensors Ultrasonic sensor Doppler sensor Optical sensor

Processing

Arduino Micro Controller

An open source platform, easy to use software and hardware

54 digital input and output pins

14 analog input pins

16 MHz crystal oscillator

Serial communication is possible because of Tx , Rx pins

Flash memory of 256 KB

SRAM of 8 KB

EEPROM of 4 KB

Recommended voltage 7V-12V

Arduino over microcontrollers :

Inexpensive

Cross-platform

Simple programming environment

Transfering Mechanisms

Wired Cable

Wireless Bluetooth GSM/GPRS Wifi

Output

• SMS• Image• Video• Light• Sound• Display

Input Processor Transmission Output

oContact• Pressure• Capacitance• Bubbler• Soil moisture

sensor

oNon contact

• Ultrasonic• Doppler• Optical

oMCU

oArduino

oWired• Cable

oWireless• Bluetooth• GSM/GPRS• Wifi

Overview

•SMS•Sound•Light•Image•Display

Display

Soil Moisture Measurement System(CLICK v1.0)

Soil moisture sensor Arduino

Circuit and program

SMS

Soil Moisture Measurement System(CLICK 2.0 )

Soil moisture sensor Arduino Mega GSM modem- SIM900

Circuit and Program

Sensors

Ultrasonic sensor for water level Temperature and relative humidity sensor

Microcontroller and GSM Board

Arduino Uno Microcontroller

GSM BOARD FOR SENDING SMS

TWEET AND CLICK

TWEET sensor for water level with GSM

CLICK sensor for soil moisture with GSM

Soil Moisture Measurement System(CLICK v3.0)

Soil moisture sensor Arduino LEDs

Circuit and program

Display

Water Depth Measurement System (TWEET v1.0)

Ultrasonic sensor HC- SR04 Arduino Mega

Circuit and program

SMS

Water Depth Measurement (TWEET v2.0)

Ultrasonic sensor HC- SR04

Arduino Mega GSM-SIM900

Circuit and program

Display

Temperature and Humidity Measurement System

DHT11 sensor Arduino

Circuit and program

SMS

Temperature and Humidity Measurement System

DHT11 sensor Arduino Mega GSM modem- SIM900

Circuit and program

Power Analysis

1) Non rechargeable batteries

2) Rechargeable batteries

Electrically rechargeable

Solar panels

9V non rechargeable battery12V electrically rechargeable battery

Installation in real time

Observations & Conclusions

Robust covering should be provided.

Graphical data transmission such as MMS is not possible with Arduino, Arduino compatible cameras are not adequately available in the market.

Areas at which signal strength is less, power consumption by the system is more to send data as SMS. To overcome this problem one should go for the networks which are having high signal strength.

Ultrasonic sensor should not be installed near the bank, as water near the bank may not be stable at all the times.

Limitations

Range of ultrasonic sensor is 3 m only.

Ultrasonic sensor can not be used, if it is to be implemented in the stilling well because of the reason that sentry angle is 15 degrees only.

If flow is not smooth, measurement may not be accurate.

Future work

To install the device in the field, it is better to use solar energy.

To reduce the power consumption,use logical devices to activate the system only at required times and system should be idle for remaining.

Automation of the gates if device installed at the reservoirs, automation of the motors if the device installed in the farming fields.

Incorporate the exhaust fan in the device as heat sink, to protect the device from heat.

To send images use Raspberry pi.

RBC (Replogle, Bos, Clemmens) flumes

Water Level and discharge measuring using ultrasonic sensor in RBC Flume

Ultrasonic sensor

Water Level and discharge measuring using ultrasonic sensor in RBC Flume

Ultrasonic sensor

Water Level in Field water tube (Bowman) using ultrasonic sensor

Water level measurement in open canal using three ultrasonic sensors

Glow Level – Color LEDs for different water levels as signals

Water

Glow Level – Color LEDs for different water levels as signals

Water

Glow Level for Tube wells – Colour LEDs for different levels of water in the tube wells

Glow Level for Tube wells – Colour LEDs for different levels of water in the tube wells

Glow Level systems applied in a field

Glow Level along the canals / streams / rivers

Soil Moisture measurement in the soil at various depths using ER sensors and Arduino

Field level monitoring

Smart phones and tablets

Aqua Profiler

141

River Surveyor

Portable sensors

River Surveyor

Smart phones and tablets

DATA VISUALISATION

150

Monitoring the water level & flows

Water management of tanks with sensors – level and quantity

Water management: Sensors for water flow and levels monitoring

Solar Power

Arduino, SIM 900, Battery, Temp and Relative Humidity

sensor

Bowman Water Tube with ultrasonic sensor

RBC Flume with ultrasonic sensor

ClimaAdapt Project, Kondrapole, Miryalaguda, Nalgonda

On farm water monitoring

Developed sensors for measuring the parameters - water level, soil moisture, relative humidity, temperature

RBC (Replogle, Bos, Clemmens) flumes

AUTOMATIC WEATHER STATION

Drones Imaging and 3D

Control CenterData Processing and

dissemination for Decision Support

Meteorological predictions and informationWeather forecast

information to mobiles

Pest and disease surveillance for major crops

Weather based crop insurance products

Computer- models

ObservationsWeather information

VIPS

http://washtech.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/monitoring-water-for-people-launches-android-app/

Thank you