---
title: "Measuring Water Content and Irrigation Patterns in a Conventional, Bottom-Irrigated, Water-Retaining"
url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/matthew/projects/measuring-water-content-and-irrigation-patterns-in-a-conventional-bottom-irrigated-water-retaining/"
markdown_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/matthew/projects/measuring-water-content-and-irrigation-patterns-in-a-conventional-bottom-irrigated-water-retaining/md"
type: "UCC: User Created Content"
author: "Hideto Kurosaki"
author_url: "https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/air/32/4/32_88/_article/-char/en"
editor: "WIZnet"
editor_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/"
original_author: "Hideto Kurosaki"
original_url: "https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/air/32/4/32_88/_article/-char/en"
published: "2024-07-01"
language: "en"
hardware: ["WIZnet WIZ550io"]
likes: 0
views: 590
comments: 0
source: "WIZnet Makers (https://maker.wiznet.io/)"
---

# Measuring Water Content and Irrigation Patterns in a Conventional, Bottom-Irrigated, Water-Retaining

> This study automates irrigation in bottom-irrigated cabbage beds using WIZnet WIZ550io for real-time moisture monitoring and control.

Original author: Hideto Kurosaki (source: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/air/32/4/32_88/_article/-char/en)

## Components

- **WIZnet WIZ550io** x 1: LAN module ([docs](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/ioModule/wiz550io))

## Article

The need for automation in agriculture has become increasingly apparent, particularly in managing water content in seedling beds. This study investigates the automation of irrigation in conventional, bottom-irrigated cabbage seedling beds, aiming to maintain optimal moisture levels to ensure healthy plant growth while minimizing labor.

![](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/255394263%5F1719856245%2Epng)

Key components of the system included:

- **Volumetric Water Content Sensors**: Placed on water-absorbing mats to monitor soil moisture levels in real-time.

- **WIZnet WIZ550io Ethernet Module**: Enabled real-time data communication, ensuring timely and accurate irrigation based on soil moisture readings.

- **Arduino MEGA2560**: Served as the central controller, interfacing with sensors and the WIZ550io module to manage irrigation based on pre-set moisture thresholds.

The study recorded irrigation patterns during two summer crops. In the first crop, maintaining moisture content above 20% during germination resulted in a healthy seedling establishment rate of 91.3%. However, in the second crop, the moisture content dropped to 0% at night due to insufficient irrigation, leading to a lower establishment rate of 88.6%.

Results showed that standard irrigation practices, which involve watering from sunrise to 10:00 AM to reach about 35% moisture and allowing the soil to dry in the afternoon, were insufficient during high evaporation periods. The automated system adjusted irrigation frequency based on real-time data, mitigating the effects of temperature, humidity, and humidity deficit.

The findings emphasize the importance of dynamic irrigation schedules that adapt to environmental changes, using real-time monitoring and control systems like those enabled by WIZnet's Ethernet modules.

**Hashtags**: #Irrigation #Agriculture #Automation #Cabbage #SmartFarming #WIZnet #WIZ550io #Arduino #MoistureMonitoring **Categories**: Agriculture, Irrigation Systems, Smart Farming, Automation, Environmental Monitoring

**Publish Date**: December 19, 2023

---

Source: https://maker.wiznet.io/matthew/projects/measuring-water-content-and-irrigation-patterns-in-a-conventional-bottom-irrigated-water-retaining/