Sensors warn grower in case of water shortage

In North Rhine-Westphalia there are many growers who grow potted plants in the open air. They determine, among other things, on the basis of experience when the plants need water. This can sometimes lead to excessive watering. The grower then has to spend more money on irrigation (which takes place with fixed sprinklers or irrigation booms) for water, energy and labour. In addition, valuable fertilizers can then leach into the soil, which is also restricted by environmental regulations. Watering that is too low is also possible: this leads to quality problems and less production.

The project uses sensors from the Dutch company Quantified. These communicate wirelessly with a gateway, which is connected to the cloud via the internet or a 4G connection. Three moisture sensors are used per valve section, which, to keep costs low, all work via one and the same transmitter. The grower can monitor the moisture content of the plants in the relevant section on a website. In addition, the sensors also provide other relevant information, such as the EC content and the temperature in the pot, but air temperature, relative humidity and the position of the sensors are also monitored.

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Courtesy of Wagenigen University & Research

Source: Wageningen University & Research