Irrigation Control System

INTRODUCTION
Irrigation is the application of controlled amounts of water to plants at needed intervals. Irrigation helps to grow agricultural crops, maintain landscapes, and revegetate disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of less than average rainfall. Irrigation also has other uses in crop production, including frost protection,[1] suppressing weed growth in grain fields[2] and preventing soil consolidation.[3] In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed or dry land farming.
Irrigation systems are also used for cooling livestock, dust suppression, disposal of sewage, and in mining. Irrigation is often studied together with drainage, which is the removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area.
Irrigation has been a central feature of agriculture for over 5,000 years and is the product of many cultures. Historically, it was the basis for economies and societies across the globe.
irrigation control system is a device to operate automatic irrigation systems such as lawn sprinklers and drip irrigation systems. Most controllers have a means of setting the frequency of irrigation, the start time, and the duration of watering. Some controllers have additional features such as multiple programs to allow different watering frequencies for different types of plants, rain delay settings, input terminals for sensors such as rain and freeze sensors, soil moisture sensors, weather data, remote operation, etc.
There are two basic types of controllers, electric and hydraulic. Most automatic irrigation valves are diaphragm valves in which the water above the diaphragm must be discharged for the valve to open. In a hydraulic system, the controller and valves are connected via small plastic tubes approximately 4 mm (¼ in) in diameter. The controller opens the tube connected to the valve, allowing that valve to open.
Most newer systems employ electromechanical or electronic controllers. In this scenario, the controller is connected to an electrical circuit that operates a solenoid attached to each valve (solenoid valve). When the solenoid is actuated, the water above the diaphragm is relieved and the valve opens.
Although sophisticated controllers that allow irrigation schedules to be automatically adjusted according to the weather have been available for many years, until recently these controllers were out of reach of the average consumer. One type is evapotranspiration controllers or “ET controllers”. Several manufacturers are now producing controllers that can be automatically updated by either a simple weather sensor, via a pager that receives a daily update from a network of local weather stations, or through soil moisture sensors.[1] Several companies have also introduced products that gathers information from the internet to update the watering schedule.[2]
There are broadly two categories of irrigation controllers: domestic ones for gardening applications, and professional controllers for more demanding agricultural applications. While most domestic (gardening) controllers can only open/close zones based on a time duration, without any feedback from the irrigation process, professional irrigation controllers can irrigate based on volume (quantities defined in cubic meters / Gallons), receive feedback from the process, and react to actual events happening during the process.
For example, the typical professional controller will calculate the actual flow rate running in the system when a specific zone is operated, compare this to a pre-configured required amount, and adjust the irrigation process if deviation from the zone’s flow rate is detected; This mechanism is called “Flow monitoring”, and can prevent irrigation when a burst is occurring in the main line or in the zone’s hydraulic components.

1.1 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
Irrigation is the method in which a controlled amount of water is supplied to plants at regular intervals for agriculture. At the end of the project students:
1. Will be aware of the various types of irrigation systems and their purposes and applications.
2. Will understand the differences in using overhead versus drip irrigation in container production.
3. Will learn about the various components of an irrigation system.
4. Will learn about water application measurements, including interception efficiency.
5. Will learn that the leaching fraction tells you how much water has leached out the bottom of a container, carrying nutrients with the water.
6. Will learn and understand methods of system evaluation.

1.2 AIM OF THE STUDY
The main aim of the study is to develop irrigation system to provide irrigation system for the plants which help in saving water and money. The aim is to apply the system for improvement of health of the soil and hence the plant.

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1. Irrigation control system makes it possible to grow cash crops which give good returns to the cultivators. Examples of cash crops are; sugarcane, potato, tobacco etc.
2. It improves the groundwater storage as water lost due to seepage adds to groundwater storage.
3. It improves the yields of crops which mean more income for the farmer people prosperous.
4. We use it to help the growth of crops during the period of inadequate rainfall.

1.4 PROBLEM OF THE STUDY
1. Excessive seepage and leakage of water create marshes and ponds all along the channels. The marshes and the ponds in some time become the colonies of the mosquito, which gives rise to a disease like malaria.
2. It lowers the temperature and makes the locality damp due to the presence of irrigation water.
3. Excessive seepage into the ground raises the water, hence causing water logging of the area.

1.5 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
1. Irrigation system system maintains moisture in the soil. Moisture is necessary for the germination of seeds.
2. Water supplies two essential elements, hydrogen and oxygen to the crop.
3. Irrigation is necessary for the absorption of mineral nutrients by the plants from the soil.
4. It is essential for the growth of the roots of the crop plants.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The present study is confined itself to understand the influence of irrigation on farm economy. It does not cover the technical and managerial aspects of irrigation are not considered for this analysis.
The validity of the present study is subject to the following limitations. They include

1. The study is based only on limited experiences of only two crops and two LGA only.
2. The present study could not examine all minor irrigation programs except with reference to tanks tube wells.
3. The power and irrigation charges are highly subsidized inputs in agriculture in the state and hence the differences in cost of cultivation are marginal.
4. Enough empirical data is not available on the reasons for low productivity in agriculture and this analysis is mostly based on the perceptions of the farmers which are highly subjective and hence, objective reality could not be obtained to the extent required.

1.7 HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY
1. The impact of minor irrigation on farm economy is positive in terms of farm income and its variability is significantly across the different categories of the farmers.
2. The impact of minor irrigation is more on the growth of the farm related activities when compared to that of nonfarm related activity.