Smart Irrigation for Wineries: A DIY Solution

Farmers rely heavily on weather and soil moisture to decide when to water their crops. A group in Spain hit a snag while setting up a vineyard. They needed a budget-friendly way to monitor soil and air conditions. Commercial options were either too pricey or didn't fit their needs. So, they rolled up their sleeves and created their own system using low-cost, open-source parts. Their design uses small devices called nodes. These nodes measure air temperature, humidity, soil temperature, water pressure, and moisture content. The nodes talk to a central hub, or gateway, using LoRa technology. The gateway sends data to an online server and saves a copy on a memory card. All this is managed with simple programming using Arduino IDE. Their homemade system worked like a charm for vineyard irrigation. But, they noticed that soil type can mess with moisture readings. To fix this, they suggested calibrating the sensors for each type of soil. Also, they warned that irrigation limits should be tweaked to match local conditions and the farmer's goals.