Abstract
Abstract The article presents the issues of water saving, declining freshwater resources in the world, and the problems of drought in the context of proper and effective irrigation of various types of crops. The use of microprocessor irrigation management systems has a significant impact on the quality of the yield and the rational use of water. An example of the irrigation system construction scheme is presented. The system uses strain gauge soil moisture sensors, which can be used to determine the relative water demand of plants, depending on the growing substrate. Additional system security in the form of rainfall and wind speed sensors provide the necessary information for the correct operation of the irrigation system. Then, two universal algorithms were proposed to automate the irrigation process of plant crops due to the way water is supplied to the plants. The first algorithm is designed for systems using drip lines - they are widely used in various types of crops where there is a need to precisely supply water to the plant, such systems are destined especially for crops grown undercover or for nursery crops. The second algorithm for sprinkler-based systems is mainly used in field crops and in mushroom farms. The presented algorithms can be used to design and implement intelligent irrigation systems, and after adding an additional module – for plant fertilization.
Highlights
For the effective cultivation of various types of plants, maintaining the correct soil moisture is essential
The use of an appropriate irrigation system is necessary to prevent overdrying of plants, and, in cases where intelligent irrigation systems are used, allows to adjust the amount of water supplied for the development phase of the cultivated plant, what leads to minimization of plants production costs through lower water consumption (Rzekanowski, 2009; Neugebauer et al, 2007)
It is estimated that society wastes about 25% of the world's freshwater resources (Jury and Vaux, 2007; Taft, 2015)
Summary
For the effective cultivation of various types of plants, maintaining the correct soil moisture is essential. The use of an appropriate irrigation system is necessary to prevent overdrying of plants, and, in cases where intelligent irrigation systems are used, allows to adjust the amount of water supplied for the development phase of the cultivated plant, what leads to minimization of plants production costs through lower water consumption (Rzekanowski, 2009; Neugebauer et al, 2007). New problems arise as the world's population grows and the availability of freshwater varies. An additional factor is the progressive degradation of water quality. It is estimated that society wastes about 25% of the world's freshwater resources (Jury and Vaux, 2007; Taft, 2015)
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