International Commission on Irrigation & Drainage Commission Interationale des Irrigation et du Drainage



Automatic Irrigation Systems

Automation of micro-irrigation system refers to operation of the system with minimum manual interventions. A well- controlled irrigation system is one which optimizes the special and temporal distribution to maximize the benefit cost ratio. Automation of micro-irrigation system involves understanding of irrigation scheduling.

Major components that are required to convert a conventional micro-irrigation system are: controller, control valves, automatic metering valves, metering pumps, peristaltic pumps, flow transducers, sequencer systems, fertilizer and chemical injectors and filters and environmental sensors.

Automatic systems are broadly divided into: non-feedback systems  where operation is carried out  on the basis of pre-set conditions - time based system or volume based system - and real-time feedback systems is driven by at least two inputs signals. There are four basic closed loop control methods which are generally used in automation of micro-irrigation systems: soil water, plant water, evapotranspiration estimates and a combination of some or all of them. It requires estimation of crop evapotranspiration, which is a function of weather, plant and soil measured through sensors. Sensors are also required for measuring crop growth, canopy cover and weather conditions.The feedback is provided by one or more sensors.

Most of these systems are computer controlled which provides a method to control the application of water and monitor it in real time. A number of sensors can be connected to the computer through interface circuits and software. Software calculates the crop water requirements based on various inputs such as crop type, soil type, weather data, crop growth stages, date of sowing and other known factors that determine crop water requirement. Many of the advanced systems also use 7-10 days weather forecast. Many of the systems are increasingly using internet based enabling mobile phone controlled operations.

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Dictionary - Automatic Irrigation Systems Terms

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