Application of Deep Learning for Smart Farming

Deep Learning for Smart Farming

1Sandeep Mathur*, 2Disha Vaid and 3Ajay Rana

1GL Bajaj Institute of Management, Greater Noida, UP, India

2Amity Institute of Information Technology, Amity University, Noida, UP, India

3Shobhit University, Merrut, UP, India



Abstract

Machine learning is the ability provided to a machine to improve with experience and by using the accurate facts and figures. In the world that is preparing itself to get adapted to automated tools in the upcoming future, machine learning defines the core of dynamic fields such as robotics, various E-platforms, etc., and with the extent in the vision, it has a wider scope. History provides us with traces that our ancestors discovered the concept of civilization due to agriculture. In the modern world, the trending automation tools with traditional agricultural practices are blended. India is the largest producer of grains in the world. Being from the land of farmers and farmlands, a wide variety of crops are grown in respective seasons, but sometimes, the blessing turns out to be a curse for the farmers. There is a wide variety of challenges that farmers are facing such as climatic disasters, pests, quality of seeds, and land quality. Here, we are working on using modern machinery methods to solve these issues and paving the nation toward Jai Jawaan, Jai Kissan, and Jai Vigyan. In the present research work, we investigated the deep learning technologies that encompass traditional farming into smart farming.

Keywords: Deep learning, smart farming, image analysis, IoT, land quality check

6.1 Introduction

Machine learning is the ability provided to the machine to enhance with experience. It provides the computer the ability to adjust itself to a changing environment so that the programmer does not need to think of all possible inputs. Since the last decade, AI and automated tools had been an area that has seen tremendous growth and popularity among many people. With the advancement of such technologies, life is becoming easier and machine learning provides the backbone to them. It helps in finding many solutions in vision, speech, database recognition, etc. It has been used to prevent fraud, the advancement of AI, medical sites, agriculture, etc. Machine learning has always been an area of keen interest for scientists as it provides them a hope that this tech can help them and creates a synthetic human brain or a super humanoid robot in the future. The practical application of machine learning can be seen in agriculture. India is known as the farmer’s nation and has benefited from the improvement of technologies for the agriculture sector. The farmers of our country are getting well adapted to these techs which are safe and reliable, and enhance the quality of life. Agriculture does not only restrict the growing of crops but also means the growing of flowers, the recreation of a forest, animal husbandry, etc. There has been the development of many machineries with the rise of machine learning and AI that covers various aspects of agriculture ranging from the sowing of seeds to harvesting of grains. This machinery not only makes the agricultural practices easier but also prevents occupational hazards such as hazards occurring due to grain bins, contact of chemicals, excessive noise, musculoskeletal injuries, overheat, and others, and maybe exposure to animals that can transmit diseases. A large number of animal-related diseases have been discovered and cured with advanced tools, but the challenge still exists. All the farmers cannot afford technical practices over the traditional methods of farming to reduce the chances of crop failure. Hence, it is a great matter of concern for the inventor and needs to think about the ideas that make these gadgets affordable for large- and small-scale farmers.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is commonly known as “IoT”, a new model that is transforming computing. It can be explained as the linkage between the individually distinguishable embedded computing instrument in the approachable internet framework. The “IoT” connects multiple different devices with the help of the internet as well as electronic sensors. Nowadays, many devices are connected to the web, whether it is mobile devices or appliances. There are many applications of IoT in different sectors:

  • • Elder care
  • • Smart city
  • • Smart home
  • • Medical and healthcare
  • • Home automation
  • • Agriculture
  • • Product digitalization, etc.

The IoT’s biggest notable vogue in recent years is the increased number of gadgets connected to and supervised by the Internet. The large range of programs for IoT technology refers to that the details can vary from one device to other device but there are foundational features that are shared by most. The “IoT” generates chances for more straight combination of actual world into computerized systems which results in better improvements and reduced human efforts. The number of IoT devices has increased 31% every year to 8.45 billion in year 2017, and it has been calculated that there will be more than 30 billion devices by 2021. As we already know what is IoT and it is benefits now let us learn a bit about Green IoT. Green IoT represents the problem of bringing down energy consumption of IoT devices that attain a feasible environment for IoT systems [20]. Green IoT is identified as an essential skilled course in IoT to decrease the nursery impact brought about by existing applications. It is all about using the IoT to reduce the greenhouse effect and CO2 emission.

When we are talking about the use of Green IoT in the environment, we mean using solar panels, IoT-based drones, soil moisture sensor, etc.

Benefits of Green IoT are as follows:

  • • Better health
  • • Healthier environment
  • • Smart energy-efficient system
  • • Cleaner water system
  • • Smart farming

6.2 Literature Review

Table 6.1 closely contrasts the various techniques for managing farm and different farming activities to enhance the productivity level with quality.

Table 6.1 Reviewing multiple authors previous research work.

Author’s name Outcome Future work Reference no.
Eugeniusz Herbut “The aim of the paper discusses the connections among modern livestock production which includes its techniques and concentration with animal welfare demands”. “Precise production methods, as well as concentrated stocking density. This must be closely connected in providing the animals with necessary living conditions, which provide them with a base of welfare”. [1]
R.K.P Singh, K.K. Singh, and Abhay kumar Blending the trend with tradition in the field of agriculture and providing their access to farmers in Bihar. Self-driven system which will allow the enhancement of GPS locators and provide enough data for the monitoring system. [2]
“Abdul Rehman, Luan Jindong, Rafia Khatoon, and Imran Hussain” Focuses on farmers’ adoption of modern agricultural techniques, their efficient usage and role. Development of more efficient mobile apps to control the techs and can be available in all languages that provides even more better access and output through the devices [3]
“Marianah Masrie, Moham mad Syamim Aizuddin Rosman, Rosidah Sam, and Zuriati Janin” This project provides the methods to calculate the quantity of nutrients in soil at minimum cost. Minimizes the use of synthetic nutrients which are harmful for the resources. More no. of pre-tests should be conducted to know the actual wavelength each nutrient signifies to enhance the precision and accuracy of the method. [4]
N. Singh and A.Shaligram. Provides the idea regarding the functionality of NPK managing robots in the field and How it calculates the NPK content of soil. Introduction of a wide variety of sensors among one single robotic body to make things easier to operate even using a mobile app. [5]
“Y. Kulkarni, K. K. Warhade, and S. Bahekar” Information regarding the use of lights of different wavelengths in determining soil nutrients is mentioned in this paper. Synthetic nutrients are harmful for the natural elements which support farming. So, it is very important of them to be used. [6]
L.C. Garvade Focuses on the methodology in which devices calculate the content of NPK in the soil. Building up even better algorithms which will help in measuring the quantity of nutrients with even more precision. [7]
“D.V. Ramane, S.S. Patil, and A. Shaligram” Details regarding the use of optical sensors in the fields for even more precise data. Planting the sensors in each corner of the field which later used in gathering collective information regarding the crops. [8]
A. Rashid Details regarding the soil health using electromagnetic radiation are described in this paper. Even more different lights of various wavelengths should be tested to measure the soil health even more accurately. [9]
D.Q. Huo et al. Microfluidics can be used as a helpful tool for several machineries and has a wide area application in agriculture. Advance systems need to be developed using the principles of microfluidics for proper analysis of agriculture fields. [10]

6.3 Deep Learning in Agriculture

Deep learning refers to a subdivision of “Machine Learning” which is further a subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI basically refers to any program that emulates the functions and working of the human brain. It works on various techniques and algorithms for creating different patterns and processing data which can be later used in process of decision making. It gradually selects useful data and information from the raw facts and figures. Deep learning AI is capable of learning and performing different tasks on various structured or unstructured data sets. The methods are based on artificial neural networks also known as neural networks. Artificial neural networks are computing structures that are roughly inspired by the human neural network. It is a collection of interconnected nodes also known as artificial neurons. Deep learning works on multiple layers in a network. Earlier the work was done on a linear perceptron but as the time passed, it was observed that new algorithms with more layers should be used. A modern alternative which was introduced for working on multiple layers was deep learning which grants practical application and advanced implementation. The data on which it is implemented is very vast and it is known as big data. This data can be found anywhere in different forms and structures from different zones of this world. Evaluating and comprehending this data and extracting the useful information manually can take decades, deep learning comes to rescue in these types of situations. Deep learning is a very powerful and effective tool whenever we are dealing with unstructured data. Deep learning algorithms easily become overfitted if the data we are working upon is very simple or incomplete, thus it fails to generalize the new data in a good manner.

“Deep learning” methods are based on “artificial neural networks” which can be grouped in the following types [18].

6.3.1 Feedforward Neural Network

“Feedforward neural network” is the easiest and first category devised of artificial neural network. In this type of neural network, the connections among the nodes do not form any cycle. It is totally different from the successor: recurrent neural networks (RNNs). The facts and figures progress in only a single direction forward from input nodes, across the hidden node and output node, in this network. No loops or cycles are formed in this network.

6.3.1.1 Single-Layer Perceptron

“Single-layer perceptron network” is the extremely basic type of neural network, which consists of a single (one) layer of output nodes; the inputs are sustained right to the outputs via a sequence of weights. In every node, the addition of the products of weights and the inputs is computed, and if the value is above doorway (typically 0), the neuron launches and takes the current activated value (typically, 1); else the disbanded value is taken (typically, −1).

Neurons with this type of simulation function are also known as false neurons or linear threshold units. A perceptron commonly known as algorithm that can be generated using any values for the currently activate states and deactivated states as long as the doorway value lies between the two.

Delta rule calculates the mistakes between calculated output and sample output data. A “single-layer neural network” computes a constant output instead of a single step function. A usual choice is the so-called logistic function:

image

The single-layer network is similar to the organizing regression model, commonly used in statistical modeling The derivative of this function is easily calculated:

image

If its activation function is modulo 1, then it can solve XOR problem with exactly one neuron.

image

6.3.1.2 Multi-Layer Perceptron

In this type of networks, there are many computational units’ layers that are connected to each other in a feedforward way. Every neuron in a layer has straight connections to neurons of the next layer. The units of these networks have a sigmoid function as a starting function. It uses a variety of learning approaches, and the most popular is back-propagation. In this, the output values are then contrasted with the actual right answer to compute the value of some already defined error-function, and after that, the error is then fed back again through the network. After repetition of this process for multiple times, the network normally converges to a state where the chances of mistake are less. To alter weights correctly, one applies a general method for non-linear development that is called “gradient descent.” The issue of the back-propagation algorithm is the speed of merging and the chances of ending up in a local minimum of the error function. Today back-propagation in multi-layer perceptron’s the tool of choice for various machine learning tasks.

6.3.2 Recurrent Neural Network

RNNs are a strong and robust type of neural network. It belongs to the most favorable algorithms in use as it is the only unique algorithm with an inner memory. RNN is the state of the artwork for consecutive.

In this, the relation among nodes forms a directed graph along a secular series.

This allows it to show secular dynamic behavior. Obtained from feedforward neural networks, RNNs use their inner memory to process length of a variable series of inputs. This makes them relevant to tasks such as non-segmented attached handwriting recognition or speech recognition. It is used by Apple’s Siri and Google’s voice search feature. It is the first algorithm that recalls its input, due to an internal memory. Over the past years, impressive achievements were seen in the field of deep learning.

The filtering units in RNN form a cycle. The output from layer 1 becomes the input for the upcoming layer, which is typically the sole layer; hence, the output of the layer becomes an input to it, setting up a feedback loop. It permits the network to have memory about the earlier states and use that to affect the present output. One notable result of this contrast is far from feedforward neural networks, and RNN can have a series of inputs and create a series of output values as well, giving it very useful in applications which require filtering sequence.

image

Here,

xt is the input at time t.

U, V, and W are learned parameters (shared by every step).

Ot is the output at time t.

St is the state at time t.

f is the activation function.

6.3.3 Radial Basis Function Neural Network

Radial basis function neural network is a different kind of artificial neural network that is used in classification processes, faster learning techniques, and better universal approximation methods. It consists of three different kinds of feed forward neural network layers known as input layer, hidden layer, and output layers. In the first layer, it takes the inputs from the users, the second layer is a hidden layer which has some RBF non-linear activation units, the last and the final layer has the output of the network. Activation functions in RBFNs are typically executed as Gaussian functions [19]. For radial basis function, Gaussian function is generally used. We define radial distance r = ||x − t||.

“Gaussian Radial Function: =

ϕ(r) = exp (− r²/2σ²)

where σ > 0”

6.3.4 Kohenen Self Organizing Neural Network

Kohonen self-organizing neural network arranges the network model into the input data on its own using non manageable learning. In other words, it is also known as Kohenen self-organizing maps. It comprises two fully interconnected layers, known as input layer and output layer. The output layer is arranged as a 2D grid. There is no starting function, and the weights represent the characteristics (position) of the output layer’s node. The Euclidean interval among the input data and each output layer node are computed. The weights of the nearest node and its adjacent from the input are updated to bring them near to the input with the formula below:

image

Here, x(t) is the input data at time t;

wi(t) is the ith weight at time t, and ηj∗i is the adjacent function between the ith and jth nodes.

6.3.5 Modular Neural Network

A modular neural network is another artificial neural network that is distinguished by a continuous series of self-dependent neural networks decreased by some mediator. Each network obeys as a module and works on multiple different inputs to complete some subtask of the task in the network [1]. The mediator takes the results of each module and operates on it to generate the output of the network. The mediator accepts the outputs of the modules only—it does not respond nor otherwise signals. The modules do not interact with each other. Unlike one big network which can allocate to random tasks, each module in a modular network must be allocated a particular task and attached to other modules in particular ways by a designer. Example, the brain developed (rather than learned) to generate the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). In some cases, the generator can opt to go after biological models. In some cases, other models may be better. The standard of the output will be a function of the standard of the blueprint.

Food production is used to get processed through agriculture. History provides us the traces that our ancestor discovered the concept of civilization due to agriculture. In modern world, blending the trend, i.e., automated tools with traditional agriculture. Being from the land of farmers and farmlands, we come across a wide variety of crops that are grown in respective seasons. Agriculture sector shares 16% of total GDP of India and provides employment to around 60% of the population. But sometimes, the blessing turns out to be curse for the farmers. There are a wide variety of challenges farmers face such as climatic disasters, pests, quality of seeds, and land quality, and here, we are working on using the modern machinery methods to solve these issues. Agriculture might be seemed to be an easy task for an individual living in a high-tech city, but the reality just opposes this whole mirage of thoughts. The cycle mentioned below showcases the various steps taken to ensure the healthy crop production and quality. Figure 6.1 shows the distinctive crop cycle applicable across the world [18].

Each of these steps participates equally in the crop production and must be performed within the stipulated time and in almost accurate number of resources in use. Taking example of fertilizing, fertilizer is something which is a major resource and factor for a good quality of crop, but it should be applied during a phase of the crop growth that too in the adequate amount. Otherwise, it may lead to acidification of soil ultimately turning a fertile land into a barren one. Each of the crops required a certain type of climatic conditions and soil type to grow depending upon the nutrients and nourishment required by them for growth. Even, distance between the seeds while sowing plays a vital role so that there should be no conquest between plants for nutrients. Moreover, in last couple of years, some part of our nation especially regions of Maharashtra had been adversely affected by the shortage of rainfall that too leading to crop failure. As per the Jal Shakti Ministry, 42% of fertile land turned into barren due to shortage of rainfall and inappropriate irrigation methods since independence. On the other hand, farmers in Kerala adopted the modern farming methods that includes the machines that provides crops enough water that too in a proper way without any wastage. There are certain regions where sowing of seeds is done through drones developed using machine learning and there are many examples that prove that the agricultural sector needs to get even more help from researchers and investment to meet the requirements of the global population.

Schematic illustration of a typical crop cycle.

Figure 6.1 Typical crop cycle.

6.4 Smart Farming

The management using techs to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural products is known as smart farming. In the 21st century, many of the farmers have access to GPS, soil and weed scanning, and other technologies. With the change in climatic conditions, it is now important to precisely measure the variations for the farmers to improve the effectiveness of pesticides, fertilizers, and use them more selectively. In the field of animal husbandry, smart farming will help farmers to know about the needs of animals and adjust their nutrients. In the past years, there are certain techs developed which can measure the fodder quality which is provided to animals. All these developments are leading to the third green revolution using the advancement of genetics and application of ICT solutions such as exactness tools, the IoT, sensors and actuators, geo positioning systems, big data, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, drones), and robotics. The experience proved that smart farming has huge possibility to carry a more productive and sustainable agricultural production. Smart farming provides key to save the resources from getting over exploited and ultimately leading to complete degradation. For example, if an excessive number of fertilizers are being added to soil, then it enhances the acidic content in it degrading its quality. Here comes the role of the new techs which calculates the number of fertilizers required over an area of land. Advancement in drone or aerial techs helps in sowing seeds too in a proper way by maintaining adequate distance among the plants which prevents clash of nutrients among them. It also provides a better geographical and territorial study of the land and helps farmers to decide the kind of crop and cropping pattern they should follow to maximize the yield. The farming industry will become more important than before in the upcoming years. The world needs to produce 70% more food in 2050 than we used to in 2006, to feed the growing population of Earth, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. To meet this demand, farmers and agricultural companies are moving to the IoT for analytics and greater production capabilities. Figures 6.2 and 6.3 graphically represent applications of IoT technologies in agriculture.

Graph depicts the growth in purchase of IoT devices.

Figure 6.2 Graph showing the growth in purchase of IoT devices [15].

Graph depicts the growth in data generation by IoT in agriculture.

Figure 6.3 Graph showing the growth in data generation by IoT in agriculture [15].

6.5 Image Analysis of Agricultural Products

The following are the summarized points of previous research work done by different authors with publication references in Green IoT.

  • • Author Rushen Arshed found an investigation on energy saving practice. Its advantage is that it was about recycling and reusability of hardware components in order to reduce the impact of greenhouse effect [21].
  • • Faisal Karim found an Enabling technology for green IoT. It was a survey of the green perspective of IoT. It also gives a clear picture regarding the Green IoT [22].
  • • Kamalesh Sharma’s smart system for universities. It gives an idea of controlling electrical devices from anywhere. In this, the sensor will sense if no one is present in the classroom so that the accountable person can switch the lights on and off from anywhere using a device [23].
  • • Prabhu Ramaswamy introduced an idea for smart parking IoT-based systems for reducing greenhouse gas emission. For that, the idea was to use a Raspberry Pi which will sense the free slot and send the details to the driver who has that application [24].
  • • Sheetal Valuri’s idea was for greenhouse using IoT and cloud computing. The technology will sense the atmosphere and farmers can cultivate crops according to it with the information [25].
  • • Afgen Syeda proposed IoT by energy harvesting and trends and techniques for Green IoT. It accumulates energy from the surroundings and uses it for charging rechargeable batteries [26].

Image analysis has provided computers the ability to look in this world even more effectively and learn to adapt to the changes with respect to the environment. Emerging from the facial recognition system on mobile phones to the agricultural data collection, identification of weeds, soil type, and image analysis proved to be very vital in the agricultural sector. Through the imaging methods with various spectra such as infrared, hyper spectral imaging, and X-ray helps in deciding the vegetation indices, canopy measurement, irrigated land mapping, etc., with more accurate figures. Weeds which are the unwanted plants are said to be the biggest threat for the crops, can be correctly classified with the image processing algorithms. The approach of image analysis helps to save the cost and environment, but its accuracy of classification varies from 85% to 96% depending on the algorithms and limitations of image acquisition. The image processing techniques and better communication methods are being adopted by the agriculture sector and the data generated by them has increased with passage of time. The availability of multidimensional imaging combined with modern algorithms and increased possibility to fuse multiple sources of information from satellite imagery and sensors planted in fields. The major points to be taken care in agriculture are water stress, quality of yields and the use of pesticides. The satellite imaging provides the data regarding the amount of irrigation being done in an area over time providing additional means to analyze and monitor irrigation which provides cost benefits to the farmers. Another point is to be noted that large amount of water is as deadly for the plant as a shortage of water. Weeds in farms can also be detected by combining image processing and machine learning techniques. With development of herbicide applications and green color recognition algorithms, data regarding the texture of plants are integrated to enhance identification accuracy and helps in setting up farm management strategy.

6.6 Land-Quality Check

Traditionally, farmers have difficulties in calculating the soil’s nitrogen level and dampness level of agricultural fields. These calculations will help them to evaluate and take necessary steps to get maximum productivities for their crops. Deep learning can be usable for measuring various parameters such as nitrogen and moisture status to convert the traditional farming techniques in smart farming methods with more accuracy and reliability.

6.6.1 Nitrogen Status

Nitrogen exists as a diatomic element in nature (78%). It is the most vital plant nutrient required by plants and mainly helps in the formation of chlorophyll, a pigment through which the plant produces food from sunlight and water by the process of photosynthesis. N2 is also a major component of amino acids, the building blocks of protein without which the existence of plants is not possible. Nitrogen is consumed by plants mainly from two sources: nitrogen from atmosphere and nitrogen from soil. Existence of nitrogen in soil is known in three general forms: organic nitrogen compounds, ammonium (NH4+) ions, and nitrate (NO3) ions. It is estimated that around 95%–99% of available nitrogen to the soil is in organic form, from animal and plant residues, organisms living inside the soil, and the microbes. Nitrogen exists in very inert form in the atmosphere and must be converted before it can be used by plants. Rhizobium is a genus negative soil bacterium that interacts with leguminous plants to form root nodules within which the conditions are made favorable for nitrogen fixation, this is known as the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis. When the amount of nitrogen exceeds more than what was required by Rhizobium bacteria, it is used by leguminous plants to produce food known as legumes. Hence, both bacteria and leguminous plants are dependent on each other for their survival. This provides the explanation why addition of extra nitrogen to legumes does not show much response as they are already receiving enough from bacteria in soil. Table 6.2 represents the list of multiple popular crops with their nitrogen level utilization. It clearly indicates the high nitrogen is usable by traditional India crops.

Table 6.2 Different crops utilizes different amount of nitrogen.

Utilization of nitrogen by various crops
Crops Yield per acre N
Alfalfa 80 tons 432
Corn 180 bu 180
Soybean 60 bu 294
Spring Wheat 80 bu 176
Winter Wheat 80 bu 152

Along with nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus are essential requirements of the plant. The fertilizers which fulfill the deficiency of such nutrients are termed to be NPK fertilizers. NPK content of the soil can be known using an optical transducer. Figures 6.1 and 6.2 show the block diagram and functional diagram, respectively. It is a device formed by integration of techniques such as light transmission system and light detection system. The light source in the transmission system is controlled by the Arduino microcontroller. In fact, it also acts as a data collector from the light detection system and provides display along with the feature to control it [11–13, 16, 17].

Three different LEDs of different wavelengths are used in an optical transducer. The color of the LED is chosen as per spectrum absorption wavelength by the NPK present in the soil. Here, in the light detector system a photodiode sensor module is applied which converts light into current. The reflected light from the soil is received by photodiode and is converted into current, and then, the data was further sent to the Arduino controller for displaying procedure and further analysis using concepts of machine learning.

6.6.2 Moisture Content

The quantity of water that exists in the soil mass is termed as moisture content or water content. It defines properties such as compatibility and permeability of soil. With the increase in the moisture content, the permeability of the soil decreases, making it difficult for root nodules to breathe inside soil. Shear strength is another factor that is dependable on moisture content that too in an inversely proportionate manner. If the shear strength of the soil is high, the plant gets firmly held to the soil and it becomes difficult for agents such as running water and fast wind to uproot them. The tolerating capacity of the soil, that is, the capacity of the soil to support load, is directly proportional to the moisture content of the soil and is very important for the crop growth. For developing irrigation-based scheduling programs the main objective should be continuous gathering of data. Plant size and accurate measure of moisture content are some of the data which are an integral mechanism in the process of developing an irrigation scheduling program that allows a better understanding of plant, soil, and water relations. Based on gathered data, an appropriate computer interface is developed that helps in managing and implementing proper irrigation methods and scheduling to crops in the field. Proper irrigation methods can easily control the soil status by drainage and maintaining optimum levels of soil water for maximum plant growth. In the modern era, there are different tools available for obtaining soil moisture content through various techniques. The choice of instrumentation will be determined by the form of information required by the operator, the soil type, relative cost, reliability, and ease of use in the field. There is a well-known technique to measure moisture content called NEUTRON PROBE. In this, the fast-moving neutrons are slowed thermally in the soil by series of elastic collisions with the hydrogen particles in the soil. Hydrogen ion is nucleus of the hydrogen atom separated from its electron and is present in the soil in three ways:

  1. 1. Soil organic matter
  2. 2. Soil clay minerals
  3. 3. Water

The recordings gathered by the NP changes with respect to depths down the profile (For example, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 100, and 120 cm) with a sixteen second count.

The aluminum tubes are inserted in the soil and the water is stopped for proper measurement of moisture content. These aluminum tubes are used to mark depth intervals. Then, the neutron source starts releasing fast moving neutrons which are deflected by the hydrogen ion available from the water present in the soil and gets slowed down. The number of deflections showcases the moisture content of the soil [14].

6.7 Arduino-Based Soil Moisture Reading Kit

Many people are fond of gardening and planting small plants and even have nurseries, but as we all know that nowadays, the weather keeps on changing rapidly, in the morning, it seems hot, in the afternoon, it is raining, and at night, we feel cold so we are not able to identify that what type of clothes should we wear similar is in the case of plants, people are not able to decide that whether they should water the plants or not or how much amount of water is required by a particular type of plant. So, to overcome this problem, we can use soil moisture sensor which will take the reading from the soil and whenever the water level will low it will send a message to the person that “The water level is getting low, please water the plant” or whenever the water level increases due to rain or overwatering it will give a message “water overflow please store our plant in a dry place or save your plant.” Whenever the user will water the plants when humidity is high and moisture in soil is already up to the required mark it will give the message that “Do not water the plants as the water level is already up to the required amount.” Here, we are proposing the Arduino-based soil moisture reading kit. The major idea is to create a product that can overcome the problems listed below in an easy and cheaper way. Figure 6.4 represents prototype of the proposed soil moisture reading kit.

Schematic illustration of connection of our prototype.

Figure 6.4 Connection of our prototype.

6.7.1 Wastage of Water

As we all know that the water level of earth is declining day by day. Ground water is continuously being exploited due to growth in population, increased industrialization, and irrigation because of which ground water levels in various parts of the country are declining. The latest groundwater monitoring data of Central Ground Water Board indicates that out of total wells analyzed, around 44% of the wells are showing decline in ground water level in various parts of the country so saving water in every way possible has become a necessity. Overwatering not only wastes water, a valuable but limited natural resource.

6.7.2 Plants Dying Due to Over Watering

Not only this but, even plants die due to overwatering. Most of us have at least killed one plant or tree by overwatering it. In fact, overwatering the plants when they do not even require small amount of water is probably the number one problem we see. The roots of the plants absorb many minerals and nutrients along with air and water to support their stems and leaves above the ground. Watering the plants in excess cuts off the air and then the roots does not stay healthy and begin to suffocate, rot, and eventually die. The amount of fungus and mold in the increases in soil, which causes trouble for the leftover healthy roots. Wilting leaves and a pot that feels heavy due to soggy soil are the most common symptoms of an unhealthy and over watered plant. Yellow leaves and mushy or loose bark on the plant stems and molds that appear on the top of the soil are also indicators of overwatering.

6.7.3 Expensive Product

The product we have created will overcome both the above-mentioned problems as it will first save the plants from dying in both the cases either from the shortage of water or in the case of overflow. On the other hand, it will also save the water in case it is being wasted from overwatering plants and this product will do all these takes in a very less cost, that is that our product is very cost efficient. As we all know that water is a very essential resource and there cannot be life without it, so we should try to utilize it as much as we can. Soil moisture is an important factor in precision agriculture for enabling flexible and smart irrigation strategies. Measuring soil moisture through devices connected to the internet provides a centralized view of the water level present in the soil. Nowadays, sensor networks are the most used technology in this field. Soil moisture sensors can be used to check the moisture level present in the soil. This project senses soil moisture and actuates a relay to turn on the motor pump when the soil gets too dry. For deeper soil agriculture where moisture distribution will vary with depth, it is possible to bury the sensor, but care should be taken not to scratch the capacitive part of the circuit board and to protect the circuitry from corrosion.

We will pair this sensor with the temperature and humidity sensor to get the best results.

Products used in this kit are as follows:

  • • Soil moisture sensor
  • • Relay
  • • Jumper wires
  • • Temperature and humidity sensor—DHT11
  • • Wi-Fi nodule ESP8266
  • • Arduino Uno board
  • • Solar panel
  • • Motor pump

We will connect soil moisture, temperature, and humidity sensors with the Arduino Uno. Along with these, we must also connect the Wi-Fi module and the relay with it. An AC power supply will be provided to relay which will control the motor pump. The power supply given to relay will come from the solar panel attached to it. The reading of the water, humidity, and temperature level will be taken by the sensors, and in case of less water level, it sends a message to user to water the plants, and in case there is no response to it within 10 min, it will turn the motor pump on by itself using relay, and once sufficient water level is met, it will turn the motor off. In case of water overflow, it will send a message to the user to save the plants from overwatering. We feel that this prescribed product is very relevant and suitable for adoption to current market requirements as consumers always want a product which is more durable, has a long life, is pocket- friendly, and does not consume many resources. A product which is easy to install and eco-friendly is a product chosen by the consumer. The design of this product is accomplishing all the factors and fulfilling all the requirements as desired by the user, and hence, it makes itself more desirable and product of choice.

6.8 Conclusion

The days of hardship and non-profitable farming will be remembered as past if the modern machineries are used with efficiency and made affordable even to small-scale farmers. All these innovations have been supported by machine learning which enhances their skills and accuracy every day. The basic aim is to enhance the number of products without compromising the quality. A facial recognition system was first introduced as a security technology, but with the period, its applications increased. In today’s digitalized world, it can be used to provide support to AI and machine learning to identify animals, to analyze their health and behavior analysis. It enhances the capabilities of the computer to create a proper database for a group of animals. Expanding such techs will completely change the scenario of agricultural and animal farms. An example related to such kind of technology can be seen in china. Companies like Alibaba manage pig farms using AI. Integrating all the requirements gathered by the various sensors, habits, and health of each pig is collected. They also use a voice-recognition system to trace diseases such as pig cough. Traditional methods of gathering data about the various crop healths are vivid and time-consuming. This led to the emergence of techs which are important to be intelligent enough to monitor, detect, and analyze the field of various data to study the status and feasibility of growing certain types of crops. The backbone of certain types of automated systems will be based on machine learning, hyperspectral images, and 3D laser scanning which will enhance the data collection and accurately provide the details about the crop disease if any found. This all will significantly minimize the use of pesticides and other insecticides which are harmful to the land as well as for consumers. Since the idea of robotics emerged several tech giants have invested in it. The evolution of robotics in each field has shown a positive sign that they have a vast capability to replace humans in each activity, including agriculture. Equipment such as drones, smart tractors loaded with sensors, radars, and GPS systems does not need human supervision. All this enhances the productivity and quality of living of a farmer.

6.9 Future Work

After having some research done, it is found that there are still many progresses needed in the machineries, and level of AI and machine learning still needs upgrades to work with even more precision and accuracy to eliminate the margin of errors while performing various functions such as, in image analysis, the embedded program or the AI sometimes gets confused among the crops and the weeds due to lack of proper skills that provides them the ability to differentiate between them. The main issue that stands in the center of all these inappropriate functions is the unavailability of a universal database that can be fed and updated in these devices with variance in the environment around them to make them work even more efficiently. A global database of farming can be created by taking the help of farmers from all around the globe and that will certainly make computers even smarter for farming related activities. This can also help gaining proper numbers of crop failures and other important data and providing a proper community for farmers to interact and exchange their ideas. Even in different regions, water cycle varies from place to place, and if the machine is connected to a proper global database, it knows how much it needs to dig up to achieve the desired water level preventing wastage of water and time and would be even more cost efficient for the farmers. A universal flu detector can be very useful for the farmers involved in animal farming as it can help them to exchange the ideas about the flu among them and help them to cure and take proper actions regarding them. As per the data, around 31.08% of the farmers directly or indirectly related with animal husbandry must suffer loss due to delay in detection of disease in their farm animals. As a result, it sometimes turns out to be a drastic pandemic not only among the animals but even to the humans consuming them and the products made of them. Having accurate data of various regions will help the computer to detect sudden rainfall or other calamities that can affect the crop quality adversely. It will help farmers to set up the action plans in case of emergency to reduce the crop damage. In India, various crops are destroyed due to Vermin, nuisance animals which get in the field and destroy crops, rather than pests. The farms in our country firstly require a good alarm system that makes the farmer aware if any vermin gets inside the farm. It must also contain a night vision camera to know about the animal as most of these animals are nocturnal. A proper and specialized team of people should be made to remove these animals to a safer place. Many of the small-scale farmers still have no idea about such advanced techs of agriculture and on the same side many of this machinery are electric or fuel driven which makes it cost effective for the farmers to afford them. To solve this issue, solar energy should be promoted which is cheap and even more reliable environment friendly.

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  1. *Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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