Data-Driven Irrigation: A Paradigm Shift
Traditional irrigation relies on fixed schedules set at the beginning of the season. This approach irrigates just as much during rainy weather as it does during a heat wave, consumes 20 to 40% too much water, and can stress the plant through over- or under-irrigation. Remote irrigation monitoring reverses this approach by controlling watering based on the crop’s actual needs, which are measured and calculated in real time.
This approach, which was long reserved for large farms with agricultural engineers on staff, is now accessible to farms of all sizes thanks to IoT sensors and agricultural cloud platforms.
Sensors and Equipment for a Complete Solution
Soil Measurement
- Tensiometer: measures soil suction (centibars). Simple and rugged, but requires maintenance (annual flushing).
- Capacitive sensor: measures volumetric water content (m³/m³). Maintenance-free, but sensitive to salinity.
- Multi-layer soil profile: a combined probe that measures moisture at 20, 40, and 60 cm to track the moisture front.
Atmospheric Measurements
- Tipping-bucket rain gauge: accuracy ±0.2 mm per bucket, automatic recording.
- Weather station: temperature, relative humidity, wind, and solar radiation for calculating ETo.
Control and Distribution
- Remote-controlled solenoid valves: Open/close by sector from the platform.
- Electromagnetic flowmeter: measures the actual volume supplied by sector.
- 4G gateway: collects sensor data and controls valves via the cloud.
Key Features of the Connected Irrigation Platform
The irrigation monitoring platform offers:
- Field map with real-time moisture levels by zone.
- Automatic calculation of ETc (crop evapotranspiration) based on the crop coefficient (Kc).
- Automatic irrigation schedule adjusted daily based on ETc, actual rainfall, and weather forecasts.
- Water stress alerts: detection of areas where moisture levels fall below the critical threshold before the next scheduled irrigation.
- Water consumption reports by plot, by season, and comparisons with the previous season.
- Manual mode for specific operations (tilling, frost, treatment).
Return on Investment
| Parameter | Unsupervised | Supervised |
|---|---|---|
| Water consumption | 100% | 65–75% |
| Pumping energy | 100% | 65–75% |
| Irrigation labor | 3–5 hours/week | < 30 minutes/week |
| Crop yield | Base | +5 to +15% |
| Typical ROI | — | 18–36 months |
Use Case: Greenhouse Vegetable Farming
In intensive greenhouse vegetable farming, soil moisture and water balance are critical factors for quality and yield. Remote monitoring makes it possible to:
- Control drip irrigation to the nearest half-hour based on solar radiation.
- Immediately detect a leak in the drip irrigation system (abnormally high flow rate).
- Adjust the program in the event of a pump failure (switch to backup mode via smartphone).
- Generate irrigation records for GlobalG.A.P. or organic certification.