Smart Irrigation
Description
LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology) is making it easy and affordable for irrigation management systems, Climate change and dynamic weather conditions continue to present challenges.
The advent of affordable Internet of Things (IoT) can alter the irreversible consequences of poor irrigation management by providing farmers with real-time soil moisture monitoring.
LoRa Technology has provided producers with actionable data, therefore enabling more efficient water management, optimized plant growth, increased crop yields, and up to a 50% savings in irrigation water usage.
Benefits
Implementing a LoRa-based smart irrigation solution begins with deploying calibrated, high-accuracy soil moisture sensors in every irrigation zone. Multiple sensors are buried in a vertical column to measure the water levels at two, three and four feet deep. The goal is to supply the exact amount of water needed and delivering it only to the soil layers with an active root system. For instance, water that reaches beyond three feet is out of reach from the active roots of a grapevine and is wasted. The soil moisture sensors use LoRa.
Technology to communicate with a wireless gateway. The gateway can be deployed as a private network or added to an existing low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) infrastructure.
Once deployed in an agricultural field, the soil moisture sensors and sensor station platform use the LoRaWAN™ open protocol to transmit granular soil moisture data to a Cloud-based management application. The application transmits actionable information that is accessed by farmers through a customized dashboard. The system calculates and displays water requirements and can trigger solar powered irrigation valve-controllers to automatically release water at intervals and durations to accurately meet desired soil moisture levels.