Automation of greenhouse irrigation system using fuzzy logic controller

Abstract

The idea of automated irrigation is not new, mankind has figured out how to irrigate large areas of foliage through the use of automated and drop irrigation systems. Efficient, automated irrigation systems, which can irrigate plants to a desired level and supply those plants with just the amount of water required for normal an uptake plant growth, are currently not available. These systems, if developed, could reduce waste of irrigated water. Nowadays computerized control is very essential for the greenhouse irrigation control. Many conventional methods for controlling greenhouse irrigation are not effective because based on on-off control methods or proportional control methods. This results in a loss of energy and productivity. Intelligent control based irrigation is necessitated to maximize the efficiency and production. The developed fuzzy logic controller can effectively estimate amount of water uptake of plants in distinct depth using the reliable irrigation model, environmental conditions of greenhouse, soil type, type of plant and another factors affecting the irrigation of greenhouse. This project presents a solution for an irrigation controller based on the fuzzy-logic methodology and compare with the on/off system. The developed fuzzy logic controller (FLC) prototype is based on a Mamedani controller and it is built on MATLAB software.