Journal of Agronomy and Field Innovations

Background: Around 70% of global freshwater is used in agriculture, with irrigation being responsible for 80-90% of water withdrawals in agriculture. Due to climate change, depletion of groundwater, and rapid population growth, irrigation management requires innovative methods. Traditional uniform irrigation fails to consider spatial-temporal variation of crop water needs and soil moisture and leads to a waste of water and nutrients along with reduced productivity.
Objective: The current paper proposes a combination of real-time soil moisture sensors, IoT, and VRI technology to create an integrated approach to irrigation management in order to optimize water use, ensure better resource usage, and maximize agricultural productivity.
Methods: A randomized complete block plot design was used to investigate three modes of irrigation (CUI, SMDI and VRI) on 24 plots (320 m² in size) which took place in 2023. Capacitive soil moisture sensors, ESP32 controller and LoRaWAN technology helped with real-time data collection at five soil depths. The use of GIS-based maps, algorithms for scheduling, and variable-rate sprinkles ensured differentiated water application.
Outcomes: Water use dipped with VRI by 38% (520mm against 840mm) when compared to traditional irrigation and the yield of maize rose by 18.2% (10.8 ± 0.6 versus 9.1 ± 0.5 t/ha). Water Use Efficiency went from 1.08 kg/m³ (traditional irrigation) to 2.08 kg/m³ (VRI). It has been shown that Irrigation Water Productivity now equals 2.04 USD/m³ against 1.02 USD/m³. Additionally, the spatial variability in soil moisture was brought down to 8% from 23% under the VRI system, which ensured better uniformity in irrigation.
Summary: The concepts of integrated soil moisture sensing together with Variable Rate Irrigation contribute greatly to the increase in irrigation efficiency as well as reduction in water consumption and improvement of crops yield. It is the real-time decision support systems that make it possible to implement precision irrigation basing on the demand of certain crops in water and the state of soil.