Chapter III

Research Design

The study entitled Automated Plant Watering System via Soil Moisture and Quality Level is an
experimental type of research. The experimental procedures evaluate the relationship between
dependent and independent variables in order to draw conclusive results. In this study, the independent
variables are the soil moisture level and soil quality level while the dependent variable is the water
pump in the system. The proponents is developing a system that detects moisture as well as nitrogen
(N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content of the soil through the use of soil moisture probe and
NPK sensor. A pump is used to irrigate the plants with water or liquid fertilizer if needed. Thus the
proponents chose this method because it is the most appropriate to used.

Components used for implementation of the system:

1. Power Supply (12V)

2. Microcontroller (Arduino Uno)
3. Soil moisture sensor (soil moisture probe)
4. Electrochemical sensor (NPK sensor)
5. Relay
6. Water pump
7. Water container
8. Hose with sprinkler

Arduino Uno

Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It has 14 digital input / output
pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, 16 MHz ceramic resonator, USB
connection, power jack, ICSP plug, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the
microcontroller; simply use the USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery is connected to
a computer begins.

Figure: Arduino Uno

Soil Moisture Sensor

Soil moisture sensor measures the water content of the soil. Soil moisture probe is a fork shape probe
that acts as variable resistor wherein the resistance depends on the water content in the soil. The
moisture level will be measure through the output voltage produce by the probe according to its
resistance. Hence, the resistance is inversely proportional to the soil moisture which means that when
there’s more water in the soil, the resistance is low while less water content means higher resistance.

Figure: Soil Moisture Probe

NPK Sensor

NPK sensor is used to detect the fertility of the soil. It can measure the nutrient contents such as the
nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content in the soil by facilitating a systematic
assessment in the soil condition. The sensor operates on 9-24V and having accuracy within 2%. It is a
high-quality probe with resistance to rust, electrolytic, salt and alkali corrosion, to ensure the long-term
operation of the probe part. Thus the probe of this sensor is inserted to the soil to measure the NPK
content in 1mg/kg (mg/l).

Figure: Soil NPK Sensor

Relay Module

Relay module is an electrically switch operated by an electromagnet. The electromagnet is activated by a

separate low-power signal from a micro controller. When the relay is de-energized, it opens the sets of
contacts and breaks the connection. Moreover if the contacts are open, the relay is energized and it
close the connection. In addition, switching of the current in the coil can be done when the armature is
returned by force to its relaxed position where the force comes from the spring or through gravity.
 Figure: Relay Module

Water Pump

Water pump is used to perform a specific task of artificially pumping. It can be controlled by an
electronic microcontroller. It can be on 1 triggered by sending the signal and turned off as needed.

Figure: Water Pump

Sprinkler

Sprinkler is a device used to water the plants. The water is distributed through the hose and having the
sprinkler as the final destination of water before it is absorb by the soil.

https://lastminuteengineers.com/soil-moisture-sensor-arduino-tutorial/

https://www.geppowerproducts.com/standard-products/power-distribution-fuse-relay-holders-fuse-
blocks/relay-modules/#:~:text=A%20power%20relay%20module%20is,or%20close%20an%20electrical
%20circuit.

https://how2electronics.com/measure-soil-nutrient-using-arduino-soil-npk-sensor/

https://blog.agrivi.com/post/top-5-reasons-why-successful-farmers-use-sprinkler-systems

DrashtiDivani, Pallavi Patil, Prof. Sunil K. Punjabi, “Automated Plant Watering System”, 2016 International
Conference on Computation of Power, Energy Information and Communication (ICCPEIC).