Top irrigation systems transforming agriculture

Abhrasnata Das

Mostly, monsoon dependent Indian agricultural system has witnessed a considerable change over the years. The reason being both, government schemes and mental up-gradation of the mass, today India is one of the few crop surplus nations. As far as irrigation systems are concerned, the trends of the past like micro-irrigation, drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and more are now commonly used. However, the aforementioned irrigation systems lack dedicated solutions while only gratifying the upscaling needs. To address the recent situation, irrigation systems need to be one crucial step away and install a brain. That being said, let’s explore the recent trends pertaining to irrigation systems and understand what the future will look like.

Smart Irrigation Systems

In a nutshell, the recent implementation of new technologies like IoT, Blockchain, Automation, and AI is bringing agriculture 4.0 into practice. For a country like India, smart irrigation systems will resolve the water misuse problem while providing more dedicated solutions based on the particular needs at specific circumstances.

For example, IoT-controlled lasers can level fields, allowing water to be sprayed more effectively and with less liquid waste flowing into nearby streams and rivers. Sensors on agricultural equipment may also collect data on the weather, soil, pest, and hydration conditions, which can subsequently be sent to a centralized smart farm platform for analysis and prediction regarding the amount of water needed for cultivation.

Recently, a team from IIT (ISM) developed a mobile app-based Smart Auto-Irrigation and Soil Monitoring System in which the moisture of the soil, as well as the surrounding temperature and humidity, can be monitored on a regular basis using sensors connected to a master device in the farms, prompting the motor or sprinkler to start automatically if any of the parameters falls below the prescribed limit.

According to Professor Rajeev Kumar Ranjan, team leader “It is an automatic system under which, a signal will be received on the android phone through a mobile application – AgroPro, when moisture content of the soil goes down from a certain level and the motor or sprinkler gets started on its own, without any human intervention.”

Drone Irrigation

Drone irrigation is a more advanced kind of smart irrigation. The drones are integrated with AI software that collects data on irrigation systems in fields using advanced analytics and high-resolution aerial images. Drones using hyperspectral, thermal, or multispectral sensors detect regions that are too dry or require the farmer's attention. Irrigation monitoring yields calculations of the vegetation index to help realize the health of crops and emitted heat/energy.

Drone survey helps improve water efficiency and disclose potential pooling/leaks in irrigation by providing Irrigation monitoring yields calculations of the vegetation index to help realize the health of crops and emitted heat/energy. If utilized properly, the drone irrigation concept can significantly change the face of the Indian agriculture segment.

Remote leak detection

Smart meter integration in farms is still one of the unsolvable difficulties for most farmers and agricultural businesses. Though this technique is one of the most effective ways to improve irrigation efficiency, the initial investment required is sometimes only possible with government assistance. As a result, in the twenty-first century, the usual trend is for teams to gather visual readings for many weeks, resulting in higher expenditures, time-consuming data collecting, and the potential for human error.

The future of irrigation is dependent on smart metering in the quest for more water and operational efficiency. This innovation, like that of drinking water, will enhance billing cycle management, including meter reading, billing & payment, and real-time reading of subscriber meters. A farmer can also monitor and detect leakage, fraud, and estimate demand using sophisticated algorithms.

Smart Pumps

Shortage of power in many locations makes it difficult for farmers to pump water from deeper borewells. Furthermore, the water collected in this manner is unfit for human consumption and may injure crops. The new-generation pumps may function well even at low voltage. Pumps with pressure controlled by IoT sensors are available to meet the demands of sprinkler and drip irrigation systems in farms. Some pumps even feature chlorination technology to improve the quality of the water they produce.

Roadblocks ahead

The new irrigation technology meant for advanced implementation will change the face of the Indian agriculture sector in the near future. However, the obvious problems being illiteracy and cost factors, It will be hard to implement smart irrigation technologies at the ground level in the Indian agriculture sector. Secondly, more data needs to be collected and more specific designs need to be developed for the proper implementation of smart systems in a geographically diverse India. Ultimately, generating the urgency of implementing the new technologies will be a major challenge, where government needs to play its role efficiently.