CHAPTER 4

CONCLUSION
Results from this project, shown almost all the objectives have been achieved. As
the technology is going on developing day by day, we prefer things to be done
automatically and in the same way our projects reduces the work to mankind. In addition,
lots of learning process and knowledge has been obtained from designing stage of the
application to development of the study. This project given true experience in
programming and hands on learning, the system level prototyping will be useful for
future employment. There are little problems that have been found. First, it started with
unstable output of rain sensor. We found out that the piezo electric sensors were been use
in detecting drops of water can also measure the temperature, it affects the thermistor to
sense the temperature. Therefore, To overcome this problem by using a true rain sensor.
The results obtained from the measurement have shown that the system performance is
quite reliable and accurate.

Project description:
The microcontroller based watering system and retractable roof is a device that
maximizes the growth and develops of plants by allowing good water management to be
given to the plans occupying the garden. This is an automatic sense that senses the soil
moisture content present in the garden and analyze by the microcontroller to act upon the
present situation.
The working idea behind the development of the system is growing importance of
pants to human life, and so the need to properly cultivate them is more beneficial for us.
The proper irrigation and care of plants must be provided since this one of the most
critical factors affecting their internal processes and this is the project comes in.
This system is extremely useful for plant hobbies, farmers and greenhouse owners
who constantly look up to their crops for economic purposes. With the project
implementation there is no way to worry about irrigation need of your garden. It not only
provides the water but also efficiently uses the water by irrigating only parts of the garden
that is really needing water and especially only the root zone of the plants. The harmful
effects of soil moisture judging through human assumption are removed since an efficient
soil moisture sensor is used to properly check the water content of the soil profile.
The operation of the automatic retractable roof is based on the operation of soil
moisture sensor, temperature sensor and drops rain sensor. Soil moisture sensors detects
the level of water moisture content in the garden. A number of soil moisture sensor are
only 2 or 3. It was designed that we use few sensor proportional to the other plants.
Temperature sensor detects the level of temperature inside the garden. The temperature
sensor will determine the temperature of the environment of the Bok Choy Plant. Once
the microcontroller detected that the temperature is higher than 39C, The retractable roof
will be closed to protect against the sun light. The rain drops sensor will detect the
whether there is rain, and then the roof will close. When the sensor sensed that the rain
stopped, the roof will open.

Advantages

-prevent over irrigation

-can measure the moisture of the soil accurately
-There is a huge range of temperature to control the environment of bokchoy
plants
Disadvantages
-The testing is very time consuming.
-Non-linearity, and unsuitability for use in extreme temperatures.
-limitation is accuracy, system error of less than 1C can be difficult to
achieve

CHAPTER 5

Summary of Findings
Based from the obtained results of the research study. The efficiency of the
sensor device is said to be good since it provided the required signal for the soil moisture
content, rain sensor and temperature sensor. This is shown by the significant changes in
the level of output voltage of the sensor along with the varying condition of the resistance
for the soil type.

Recommendation
-use it in conjunction with a solar panel so that the entire system is eco-friendly
-Increase the number of probes to increase the efficiency of determining the soil
moisture content
-Other function can be integrated to the system
-The user should be able to properly set the reference voltage comparator which
must conform to the soil moisture content needed by the plant.

Project Evaluation
The testing and evaluation process will be conducted assessing the following
criterias of the system: Functionality, Reliability, Usability, Efficiency, and
maintainability. AS part of the evaluation questionnaire was done as a guideline in the
assessment of the system.

Project Structure:
Our research study is comprises of mainly three components: the sensor device, a
controller and a watering system or retractable roof. The sensor device check for the soil
moisture content, temperature and rain drops of water, while the controller responds this
data by controlling the operation of the retractable roof and watering system. These
components and their connection can be sees figure below.

SENSOR
DEVICE

CONTROLLE
R

WATERING
SYSTEM
ROOF

FIGURE 4.1- Components of the microcontroller based watering system and

retractable roof

The soil moisture sensor contains probes spaced at least one inch apart and buried
underneath ground. But in our soil moisture sensor the researcher use one proportional to
the other bochoy plants. The probes are made wires, highly conductive is the wire the
better since the soil resistance is quite high.
The controller is composed of microcontroller and pump. The microcontroller
purpose is to process a signal coming from the sensor and to act upon this signal. This is
due to the fact that this signal shows the soil moisture condition of the garden. The
microcontroller produce an outcome that corresponds to the input by controlling the
operation of the pump. The pump control the activation of the water flow in the garden.

The water is not allowed to flow into the plants by the control pump unless told by the
microcontroller.

GUIDES ON HOW TO PLANTS A BOK CHOY

Notes on planting:
If in pots, plant 2-3 seeds per pot. Plant 1-2 seed per hole.
Prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, pH 6.0 to 7.5.
Needs plentiful, consistent moisture.
WHEN TO GROW
Bok choy does best in the cool of late spring and early fall, in temperatures of 50 F 70
F. Warm weather can cause the plant to prematurely bolt, but luckily little time is needed
from planting to harvest (30-50 days). For best results, sow seeds or set out transplants
after the last frost day for your area since frost and extended temperatures below 50 F
can also cause premature bolting. Bok choy can also be started indoors 4 6 weeks prior
to the last frost of winter or 1-2 months prior to the first frost of the fall.
WHERE TO GROW
Plant bok choy in the full sun, though they can tolerate partial shade. Partial shade may
be best for summer crops or in areas with a particularly hot spring or fall season. This can
help prevent bolting. In general, plant bok choy in a space where it will receive 6-12
hours of direct sunlight per day.
Fertilization recommendation:
Supplement with 30-50 grams of Peters WSF 30-10-10 per 16 liters of water for weekly
foliar application.
WATERING & CARE

Bok choy needs ample moisture to thrive and prevent premature bolting. Keep the soil
moist with regular, even watering, usually about 1 inch per week. Use heavy mulch. This
will also help with keeping down weeds. 1-2 days interval for irrigation.
Bok choy will benefit from a feeding of organic fertilizer that contains more nitrogen
than phosphorus after thinning or transplanting. HARVESTmost bok choy is best
harvested when it reaches 12 18 inches tall. Be sure to harvest it before the weather
turns too warm.
SOIL
Bok choy should be grown in well drained, fertile soil with a pH of 6.0 7.5. Add plenty
of mature compost before planting. PLANTINGBok choy does best if seeds are directly
sown into a fertile, well-tilled garden bed. Transplanting can cause shock, which can lead
to bolting. Sow seeds inch deep 1 inch apart. Thin to 6-12 inches between smaller
varieties and 18-30 inches between larger varieties.

Thermistor

A thermistor is a component that has a resistance that changes with

temperature. The amount by which the resistance decreases as the
temperature increases is not constant; it varies in a nonlinear way.

Figure 5.1 Thermistor vs resistance

Figure 5.2 Curve of the thermistor vs resistance

How Soil Moisture Sensor Systems Work

Most soil moisture sensors are designed to estimate soil volumetric water content
based on the dielectric constant (soil bulk permittivity) of the soil. The dielectric constant
can be thought of as the soil's ability to transmit electricity. The dielectric constant of soil
increases as the water content of the soil increases. This response is due to the fact that
the dielectric constant of water is much larger than the other soil components, including
air. Thus, measurement of the dielectric constant gives a predictable estimation of water
content.
The Soil Moisture Sensor uses capacitance to measure dielectric permittivity of
the surrounding medium. In soil, dielectric permittivity is a function of the water content.
The sensor creates a voltage proportional to the dielectric permittivity, and therefore the
water content of the soil.

The sensor averages the water content over the entire length of the sensor. There
is a 2 cm zone of influence with respect to the flat surface of the sensor, but it has little or
no sensitivity at the extreme edges. The figure above shows the electromagnetic field
lines along a cross-section of the sensor, illustrating the 2 cm zone of influence.

How does a Rain Sensor Works?

A rain sensor works by detecting rainfall and shutting off an irrigation or sprinkler
system when no additional watering is needed. The sensor is connected to the wiring of
the irrigation system. When rain is detected, the circuit to the system is disrupted,
interfering with the electrical flow from the controller of the irrigation system that
activates the valve.

Rain sensors can save money on utilities as well as conserve water and prevent
the over watering of green space. Many areas have legislation that requires these devices
to be present in sprinkler systems, and some utility companies offer rebates to the
purchaser of such devices. Rain sensors are installed close to the controller.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to develop a system

entitled Designing and Developing Automation Based
Irrigation and Roofing System for Bok Choy Planting Using
Soil Moisture Sensor Temperature and Arduino First to allow
the garden to detect soil moisture content available for the
plants in order to properly manage its irrigation needs to
maximize the growth and develop. Second it also allows
detecting rainfall to shutting off an irrigation or sprinkler
when no additional water is needed. The sensor is connected
to the wiring of the irrigation system. When rain is detected,
the circuit to the system is disrupted, interfering with the
electrical flow from the controller of the irrigation system
that activates the valve. Lastly it detects the temperature of
the surroundings in our garden, resistance that changes with
temperature. The amount by which the resistance decreases as the
temperature increases is not constant; it varies in a nonlinear way.
The system is composed of three sensor namely, rain
sensor, temperature sensor and soil moisture sensor. The
controller processes the information regarding the incoming
input of the sensors. The watering irrigation is based from
the drip irrigation technique which effectively uses the water.
It performs the watering process to deliver the water only to
the specified zone and to the root zone of the plants only to
efficiently use the water.
Through this study, it was found out that the Designing
and Developing Automation Based Irrigation and Roofing
System for Bok Choy Planting Using Soil Moisture Sensor
Temperature and Arduino can be implemented and used by
the people who have gardens to maximize the growth and
development of plants by caring for feeding a proper
sunlight to prevent bolting and for improving the water
management of the garden.