Inicio  /  Hydrology  /  Vol: 10 Par: 8 (2023)  /  Artículo
ARTÍCULO
TITULO

Development and Automation of a Photovoltaic-Powered Soil Moisture Sensor for Water Management

Denilson Alves de Melo    
Patrícia Costa Silva    
Adriana Rodolfo da Costa    
Josué Gomes Delmond    
Ana Flávia Alves Ferreira    
Johnny Alves de Souza    
José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior    
Jhon Lennon Bezerra da Silva    
Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz Jardim    
Pedro Rogerio Giongo    
Maria Beatriz Ferreira    
Abelardo Antônio de Assunção Montenegro    
Henrique Fonseca Elias de Oliveira    
Thieres George Freire da Silva and Marcos Vinícius da Silva    

Resumen

The objective of this study was to develop and calibrate a photovoltaic-powered soil moisture sensor (SMS) for irrigation management. Soil moisture readings obtained from the sensor were compared with gravimetric measurements. An automated SMS was used in two trials: (i) okra crop (Abelmoschus esculentus) and (ii) chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens). All sensors were calibrated and automated using an Arduino Mega board with C++. The soil moisture data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. The data recorded by the equipment was correlated with the gravimetric method. The determination coefficient (R2), Pearson correlation (r), and root mean square error (RMSE) were adopted as criteria for equipment validation. The results show that our SMS achieved an R2 value of 0.70 and an r value of 0.84. Notably, there was a striking similarity observed between SMS and gravimetric data, with RMSE values of 3.95 and 4.01, respectively. The global model developed exhibited highly efficient outcomes with R2 (0.98) and r (0.99) values. The applicability of the developed SMS facilitates irrigation management with accuracy and real-time monitoring using digital data. The automation of the SMS emerges as a real-time and precise alternative for performing irrigation at the right moment and in the correct amount, thus avoiding water losses.

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