European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences 2022; www.european-science.

com
Vol.11, No 4 (s) Special Issue on Hybridity in the New Reality
ISSN 1805-3602

Design and Automation of a Solar Powered Soil Moisture Monitoring System

(SPSMMS)
Eligio C. Borres, Jr1*, Jin Fae M. Jang2, Miguel Adrian B. Mejia3
1
Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology
(DEBESMSCAT), Cabitan, Mandaon, Masbate, Philippines
2, 3
Cavite State University (CvSU), Indang, Cavite, Philippines
*
Email: [email protected]

Abstract
A solar powered soil moisture monitoring system (SPSMMS) was developed and evaluated
at Cavite State University (CvSU) Main Campus, Cavite. The study evaluated the operating per-
formance of the fabricated SPSMMS in terms of sensitivity of sensors, accuracy of reading, and
transmission system efficiency. The device was fabricated using locally available materials. Its
overall dimension in terms of length, width and height is 0.36m x 0.31m x 2m, respectively. The
device is composed of the main frames, automation system, power system. The automation system
is composed of main parts such as Arduino Mega2560, resistor type sensors, GSM module, data
logger, and RTC. The system reads the moisture level every one (1) hour and thirty (30) minutes and
send SMS every three (3) hours of operation. The study has two (2) installations placed in the crop
production area of CvSU. The soil moisture was at the highest in the first installation compared from
the second installation due to different environmental conditions. Installation 1 was placed in a fully
irrigated area, slightly shaded, and vegetated. While, installation 2 was placed in a fully open, not
vegetated, and not well irrigated. The total fabrication cost of two (2) devices is PhP 31,866.00. The
total operating cost per year of the SPSMMS was compared to the standard soil moisture meter (Ex-
tech Meter Model) which is PhP 11,520 .00 and PhP 87,600.00, respectively.
Keywords: Soil moisture, Solar powered, Monitoring system, Automation

Introduction
Agriculture is a major player in the human appropriation of water resources (Green et al.,
2015). About 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are used for irrigation to sustain global crop
production (Rockström et al., 2017). In fact, irrigated areas account for 18% of global croplands but
contribute to about 40% of global food production (Chartzoulakis and Bertaki, 2015; Food Agricul-
ture Organization, 2019). At the same time 40% of global irrigation practices are unsustainable be-
cause they deplete environmental flows and/or groundwater stocks (Wada and Bierkens, 2014; Rosa
et al., 2018).
Automation through an IoT system could be an effective approach to improve a conventional
surface irrigation system operation. An automated surface irrigation system refers to its operation
with timers, sensors or computers or mechanical appliances with minimal manual involvement.
Many researchers have reported that automation in irrigation projects using an intelligent irrigation
controller and wireless sensor network could save water up to 38% (Al-Ghobari et al., 2017,
Bowlekar et al., 2019). Automation is a smart technique to deal with the problem of high labor re-
quirements and low water application efficiency of surface irrigation systems. There are many soil
moisture sensors such as gypsum block, tensiometer, time-domain reflectometer, granular matrix
sensor, dielectric probe is available commercially for soil moisture measurement and they could
usually be used for manual or integrated with automatic irrigation control systems through an IoT
system (Pramanik et al., 2021, Hardie, 2020, Vera et al., 2021).

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Special Issue on Hybridity in the New Reality

Internet of Thins is the network of physical objects or "things" electronics, sensors, software
and network connectivity where embedded with which enables the objects to gather information and
exchange data. It empowers the farming system to use modern technology to address problems in
monitoring and labor requirements. New innovations and cost efficient IoT applications are serving
the agriculture sector to advance the standard, amount, sustain the ability and cost effectiveness of
agricultural production. The IoT based automation system sensing, processing, communicating and
activating the computer devices which make the task of closing and opening of valves/gates of irri-
gation and drainage system as per required or shift (Sales, et al., 2015).
Water scarcity makes the management one of the most critical challenges faced in arid and
semi-arid regions. Water management and increased water use productivity are among the most ef-
fective management decisions for preserving water resources, particularly in irrigated agricultural
lands. Agriculture sector is the largest freshwater consumer (Dhawan, 2017., FAO, 2017). Enhanc-
ing the irrigation efficiency may perhaps save a large amount of water which be used to carry an ex-
tra area under irrigation. Surface irrigation remains the most commonly used method in for irrigating
the crops and pastures areas in Asian countries and the world due to its low cost and low energy re-
quirement (Bjorneberg, 2013). Surface irrigation plays an important role in providing the food, feeds
and fiber in many countries. Nevertheless, these systems are frequently accompanying with low irri-
gation efficiency and high labor cost.
Efficient and effective irrigation systems have the possibility to deliver high rate of applica-
tion efficiencies (Sivanappan, 2008). Notwithstanding that, mostly of the surface irrigation systems
have been functioning with significantly lower and highly variable requirement efficiencies. The
surface irrigation remains a leading method used in many countries (Raine, 2006). It is expected that
the research for improving the application effectiveness of surface irrigation will endure. The pa-
rameters and variables that greatly affect the performance of irrigation was grouped in three catego-
ries: first is the field geometry (length, width, slope, furrow cross-section, etc.), second is the field
conditions (infiltration and roughness relations), and the third is the management variables (soil
moisture deficit, time of irrigation, flow rate and the cut-off time) (Clemmens, 1992). Increasing the
application efficiency more would come around by handling each irrigation system through variable
inflow rates and irrigation time cut-off in actual to deliver the optimum requirement of the prevail-
ing farm conditions.
Water management comprises understanding of water release patterns and storing of water in
the soil. This information on storing and releasing also requires considerations about physical, bio-
logical and chemical properties of soils in the farms (Zwartendijk et al., 2017). The soil properties
strongly affected the processes, which take place among others, soil remains with high temperature
or cool, dry or saturated, aerobic or anaerobic, crumbly or rigid, high in porosity or compacted,
gathered or distributed, impervious or permeable, eroded or conserved, saline or unsalted and rich in
nutrient or percolated. The last controls whether the soil moisture content enough or high for several
crop varieties as well as in different production system and whether it can suitably help as an effec-
tive converter for environmental pollutants, rather than as a spreader. The moisture content of soil
similarly referred to as water content and it is an indicator of the amount of water present in soil.
Moisture content in the soils is the relationship of water quantity in a portion to the quantity of soil
particles (Lin et al., 2005).
In the absence of rainfall, water is supplied to farmland by artificial means for plant growth
and to increase crop productivity is irrigation. Irrigation has been pressured to produce more with
lower supplies of water. Several innovative practices in irrigation were tested and can gain economic
advantages while reducing environmental burdens such as water abstraction, energy utilization and

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 Eligio C. Borres, Jr, Jin Fae M. Jang, Miguel Adrian B. Mejia

contaminants. Human has been using water for the irrigation since ancient times. The important
civilizations of the world have developed based on irrigation management. Usually, groundwater
and surface water were used for the irrigation and when water is available in these sources, it is
taken away artificially by flowing it for supplying water in required quantity to crops is an action of
irrigation. Most of the time, the source of irrigation is not being used efficiently and counts as waste.
These wastes will represent a large sum of money, since in every crop there is only a substantial
amount of water needed for its optimal growth. And in determining the growth of crops and their
health, measuring the soil moisture or the amount of water that is held in spaces between soil parti-
cles will be needed. On the other hand, for approximately the last one hundred years, people lived
without any conveniences like a speck of technology. The society has been dramatically changed
with the evolution of technology, since immense opportunities are being provided by technologies
which play an important role in human life. The access to education, medicine, industry, transporta-
tion has been simplified due to modern day technology, and in today’s generation, even in agricul-
ture the presence of technology has been efficiently utilized. Therefore, looking beyond to the im-
portance of knowing the exact soil moisture with the support of the advanced technology so that no
more water will be wasted and will lead to an increased and intensified production which will ulti-
mately improve agricultural productivity.
The study evaluated the designed and automated a solar powered soil moisture monitoring
system. Specifically, it aimed to design a solar powered soil moisture monitoring system
(SPSMMS), evaluate the performance of the device in terms of sensitivity, efficiency and accuracy;
and determine the fabrication cost of the device.

Materials and Methods

Design Considerations and Materials
Design Considerations
The soil moisture monitoring system was designed and fabricated in consideration from the
following factor: ease of monitoring through GSM and possibility of cloud integration; reliability
and stability of fully monitored system; could stand and tolerate harsh environment condition; less
labor using the system; could be operated by one person; and the lower cost of fabrication.
System Components and Materials
The materials used in the study were Arduino Mega, Liquid Crystal Display interface, SD
card interface, GSM module interface, Real Time Clock, Soil Moisture Sensor. DC-DC Mod
180KH179, solar panels and storage batteries.
SPSMMS Design Requirements
The SPSMMS shall be able to measure the soil moisture content in terms of percentage,
store that data gathered and transmit the data via GSM module, and shall improve the proper moni-
toring and application of irrigation water. The solar power system shall be able to supply the re-
quired power for the device to run or operate in 24 hours.
Total Power Requirement (TPR). The total power required was calculated based on the elec-
trical load of all the components installed. The total power required per day in watts will be calcu-
lated by multiplying the number of hours of operation per day.
TPR = total power load, Watts x no. of Hrs.-operation/day
Battery Capacity (BC). The battery capacity was determined by multiplying the total electri-
cal power required by allowable discharge level in percentage. Take note that battery would be al-
lowed to discharge up to 50% level of its charge.
BC = (Total Electrical Power requirement, W) / (battery allowable discharge level, %)

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Battery Bank Size (Bbs). The ratio of the battery capacity and battery voltage rating that was
used by the system.
Bbs = Battery capacity / (battery voltage rating)
Battery Requirement (BR). The number of batteries required (piece) to power the SPSMMS
and was determined by the ratio battery bank size (watt-hour) and bank size (ampere-hour/ piece).
BR = Bbs / Battery size
Number of Solar Panels (NSP). Number of solar panels can be determined by dividing the to-
tal electric power requirement (watt-hr) by solar power rating (watts) and effective sunshine dura-
tion (hr/day).
NSP = (total electric power requirement) / (solar power rating x effective sunshine duration)
Principle of Operation
The SPSMMS has four (4) sensors attached 20 cm apart from each other starting with Sensor
1 which is 10 cm below the ground level; Sensor 2 at 30 cm below the ground level; Sensor 3 at 40
cm below the ground level. Every sensor was programmed with Arduino to do its function which is
to read the moisture content in the soil. Attached in the Arduino was an RTC (real time clock), card
reader, and a GSM module. The GSM module is connected to a 5.1-V buck converter that is directly
connected to the battery. The card reader saves the data gathered every 1 hour and 30 minutes, while
the GSM module sends a text message containing the data, time and soil moisture content in per-
cent, every 3 hours for the span of 7 days during the test. A 12-volt solar panel served as the main
power source of the system in order to charge the battery so that it can still power the system even in
night time. While in the day time, the solar radiation from the sun will be received by the solar panel
in order to power the system. Attached in the solar panel is a solar charger that will regulate the
voltage flow in the system and a 12V-50AH battery size.
Acquisition of Materials and Fabrication
The different components and materials of SPSMMS were purchased from local supplier in
the Philippines meeting the design specifications. On the other hand, materials used for frames were
provided by the fabricator. The 2-meter steel tube with 4 holes with 0.5-inch embedded every 20cm
from the bottom. A box having a dimension of 0.2m x 0.1m x 0.09m was attached in the steel tube
for storage of automated components. Lastly, a 0.36m x 0.31m x .05m frame for solar panel was
placed above the steel tube.
Calibration
The SPSMMS was calibrated before installation in the field. Nine soil samples were col-
lected from the installation area with different soil moisture conditions ranging from very dry to wet
concurrently with soil moisture sensor reading. The soil moisture was determined using the gravim-
etric method. After weighing the fresh weight, samples were oven-dried at 105 ºC for 24h. The de-
vice was also calibrated with the use of standard soil moisture meter. Same soil sample with the
same volume of soil with different moisture level was also measured at the same time with sensor
and soil moisture meter in order to solve for the equation needed for the calibration. The linear equa-
tion gathered through sensor-soil moisture meter graph was then inserted in the program to finally
calibrate the sensors.
Preparation of the Site and Installation
A one (1) cubic meter of soil was dug in two separate locations for the installation of device.
After digging the 2-meter steel tube frame of 2 device were installed. The figure 1 shows the instal-
lation or set-up of first and second SPSMMS devices. The dug opening must be necessary for a sin-
gle person to go down for the set-up of sensors and every verification made during the testing. De-
vice 1 was installed in a vegetated area specifically in the vegetable gardens planted with lettuce that

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 Eligio C. Borres, Jr, Jin Fae M. Jang, Miguel Adrian B. Mejia

cropping season. The area has a clay loam type of soil, wherein irrigation was maintained daily.
While, Device 2 was installed in a non-vegetated and partially shaded area near the coffee plantation
with sandy clay type soil, wherein irrigation was limited and not well maintained.

Installation of de-
vice 2

Installation of device
1
Figure 1. Site Location of SPSMMS installations

Preliminary Testing
A preliminary testing of the device was conducted at CvSU-crop production area (14.1920°
N, 120.8729° E) to determine the conditions of all installed components. All the components were
carefully checked and tested before the devices permitted to operate for a day. Adjustments and
modification were done after the preliminary testing until the desired functionality of the device was
attained.
Final Testing
The final testing of the SPSMMS was conducted at CvSU-crop production, Indang, Cavite.
The SPSMMS was designed to automatically monitor the soil moisture level in a specific area and
sending it through SMS via GSM, all the data gathered was stored through a data logger. The 2 de-
vices were tested separately with two (2) different soil types mainly clay and sandy loam.
Performance Parameters
Sensitivity of the Sensors. The time of recording of standard soil moisture meter was com-
pared with time of recording of the calibrated soil sensors to determine the sensitivity of the system.
The criteria for the evaluation of sensitivity of process control system was based on the timeliness of
response (Borres et al., 2019), as presented in table 1. The accuracy of reading in this study were
then compared to the reading of sensors on the system to the actual reading of the standard soil
moisture meter. These were done to determine the accuracy of the calibrated sensors.
Accuracy of Reading. In this study, comparison of reading of sensors on the system to the ac-
tual reading of the standard soil moisture meter were also done to determine the accuracy of the
calibrated sensors.

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Table 1. Sensitivity evaluation of automation components of the system

SPSMMS Components LEVELS OF SENSITIVITY
Sensor Highly Sensitive (HS) the response time of the sensor is within 5 secs.
Data logging Highly Sensitive (HS) can be adjusted in the program
Data transmission Moderately Sensitive (MS) depending on the signal of telecommuni-
cation services on the area
Highly Sensitive (HS): when the system responds within 5 seconds; Moderately Sensitive (MS):
when the system responds within 5-10 seconds; Less Sensitive (LS): when the system responds
within 10-30 seconds

Transmission System Efficiency. The real time record of data by the SD card logger was
compared with the data received through GSM in order to identify the data transmission systems
efficiency and this expressed in percentage (%).
Transmission efficiency (%) = (number of SMS received) / (number of data logged)
Data Gathering
The following parameters were observed and gathered in the study: one week rainfall data
was gathered in meteorological station; time of precipitation to compare the actual time to the real-
time-clock of the system; moisture content to monitor the water in the soil as well as to compared it
in the moisture content observed using standard soil moisture meter for verification; data sent from
GSM was also gathered to be compared to the information in the data logger and soil texture in the
area of installation.
Data Analysis
The regression analysis was used describe the corelation between the SPSMMS device and
the standard soil moisture meter. The characteristics of moisture content using four (4) sensors in-
stalled in different depth ranges were also compared and analyzed.
Cost Analysis
Cost Benefit Analysis is used for systematic approach in estimating the strengths and weak-
nesses of alternatives. It is use to determine options which provide the best approach in achieving
benefits while preserving savings. The operational cost of SPSMMS was compared to the opera-
tional cost of commercially available soil moisture meter used in this study.

Results and Discussions

Design of the SPSMMS
The SPSMMS is a device that was designed specifically for automation and instrumentation
to be used in controlled irrigation purposes. The monitoring system enables the user to keep the
moisture content in the soil under observation through data logger and GSM module that send SMS
to the user as presented in figure 2. It is a stand-alone monitoring system that is able to run 24 hours
7 times a week. The device was also designed specifically to withstand the heavy rain as well as
sunny temperature given that insulators are installed inside the automation box. The design was pro-
vided with solar panel holder, metal sheet box to store and protect the battery and other electronic
parts. The design component specifications were presented in table 2 and the table 3 for the specifi-
cations and description of automation system.
Main Frame
This part used to support and carry all the components of the automation device, storage bat-
tery and solar panel. It is made up of steel tubing with 2-in diameter. It has 2m effective height with
four holes on the lower portion for sensor installations. The first hole is 0.10m below from the

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 Eligio C. Borres, Jr, Jin Fae M. Jang, Miguel Adrian B. Mejia

ground level where the first sensor was installed; second hole was made 0.30m depth from the level;
third hole was in 0.50m depth; and last hole was made at 0.70m depth from the ground level.
Solar Power and Electronic Box Frame
This was composed of the solar panel frame, automation parts box, and stand. The solar
panel frame was made up of angle bars with 0.36 m x 0.31m x 0.06m in length, width, and thick-
ness, respectively. The power requirement was provided by the design photovoltaic system. The
automation box was made up of iron sheet with 0.20m x 0.09m x 0.20m, respectively. For stability
purposes, a stand was designed to have four (4) angle bar legs with 0.60m in length and is foldable.
The design was specifically for the ease of transportation and transfer of installation.
Power Source
Based on the design requirement, the device was powered by a 12V-10W solar panel, 12V-
50AH battery, and 12V solar charger for continuous power supply, storage, and voltage regulator.
The system can be used for continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Automation System
The automation system performs mainly on the moisture content detection and real monitor-
ing, transmission and data logging. The system performs can also perform different tasks by auto-
matically linking or adding different tools such as water pump, solenoid valve for automated irriga-
tion, and other application for real time monitoring and decision making. It requires lower electricity
and telecommunication connection. The system may integrate other sensors to monitor environment
factors and collect data such as air temperature and humidity.
Resistor Type Sensor. A resistor type sensor that measures the volumetric water content in
soil. Four (4) sensors were installed in the system specifically at depths 10cm, 30cm, 50cm, and
70cm below the ground level, respectively. A resistor type sensor delivers information in the form of
the electrical resistivity of a material or electrical resistance of a device. The resistivity makes an
opposition of a specific material to the flow of a current once the electrical field is applied; this may
also depend on the properties of the material. The change in physical/chemical conditions of the re-
sistive sensor, caused by the physical quantity of concentration, results in differences in its resistiv-
ity (Depari, 2018).
Arduino mega 2560. A low-cost microcontroller based on Arduino. It is the heart of the sys-
tem where all inputs and outputs are processed. The board can operate on an external supply ranging
from 6 to 20 volts. If the board is supplied with less than 7V, the 5V pin may supply less than five
volts and the board may perform unstable functions. If the power supply is more than 12V, the volt-
age regulator may overheat and may cause damage to the board. The recommended range is 7 to 12
volts for Mega2560.
LCD IC2. A device attached to Arduino mega 2560 that is used to display the readings from
the serial monitor. This device make display easier. Using it can reduce the difficulties of
monitoring of data. The development of Arduino library for I2C LCD, the user just only needs a few
lines of the code to achieve complex graphics and text display features in the project.
SD Card Module. A Secure Digital Memory Card that designed to provide high-capacity
memory in a small size. The data displayed in LCD was saved through data logger (SD Card) every
one and a half (1 ½) hour. The SD card module allows the device to communicate with the memory
card and write or read the information store on them. The module interfaces in the (serial peripheral
interface) SPI protocol. To use the module with Arduino the make needs the SD library. The library
is installed on the Arduino application by default.
SIM800L GSM module. A global system for mobile communication electronic device which
is used for offline alert sending through SMS. This module was installed in order to convert the data

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logged to an SMS received every three (3) hours. This module is a miniature (global system for mo-
bile) GSM modem that can be integrated into a large number of IoT projects. This module can be
used to accomplish almost anything that a normal cell phone can do such as sending SMS messages,
making a phone calls and connection to the internet via GPRS.
DS1307 RTC module. A real time clock system which maintains the accurate recording of
time with the data recorded. The system was attached with an RTC in order to maintain the accurate
reading of time of the device. The module is built with high capability DS1307 RTC chip and the
AT24C32 EEPROM, both of which have been around for a while and have good library support.
The heart of this module is a low-cost, very precise RTC chip from Maxim. This module handles all
the timekeeping functions of device and communicates with the microcontroller over I2C.The
DS1307 module track the seconds, minutes, hours, days, dates, months, and even years. It operates
in whichever a 12-hour or 24-hour format and has an AM or PM indicator.
DC-DC Buck Converter. This is connected to the GSM module and battery in order to lower
the voltage input into the GSM module. A DC-to-DC power converter steps down the voltage while
stepping up current from its power supply (input) to its load (output). It is a class of switched-mode
power supply (SMPS) naturally holding at least two semiconductors and at least one energy storing
element, a capacitor, inductor, or the combination of two. In reducing voltage ripple, filters made of
capacitors are usually integrated to such a converter's output and input.

Table 2. Specifications and description of SPSMMS components

PARTS SPECIFICATION
Solar Panels Maximum Power: 10 W
Dimension: 335 mm x 280 mm x 25 mm
Weight: 1.3 kg; Open Circuit Voltage (VOC) 21.6 V
Short Circuit Current 0.66 A; Power Allowance Range 5%
Max Power Voltage 16.96 V; Max System Current 0.5 A
Max System Voltage 300VDC; Number of Cells 36
Year Efficiency 25 years
Charge Controller Dimension 18.25 x 12.25 x 6.5 in
Rated Voltage 12V 24V Auto
Application Solar System Controller
Rated Current 60A; Max. PV Voltage 50V
Stand-by power consumption <12.5mA
Battery Model/Brand: CJ3 GP Series; Voltage Per Unit: 12 V
Capacity: 50 Ah @ 20hr-rate to 1.75V per cell @ 25°C (77°F)
Weight (kg): Approx. 2.40kg. (5.29 lbs.)
Maximum Discharge current (A): 100A/130A (5sec.)
Float charging voltage: 13.5 to 13.8 VDC/unit,
Average at 25°C (77°F)
Recommended Maximum Charging current limit: 2.16A

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 Eligio C. Borres, Jr, Jin Fae M. Jang, Miguel Adrian B. Mejia

Figure 2. Diagram and flow chart of SPSMMS

Table 3. Specification and description of components installed of automation system

PARTS SPECIFICATION
Arduino Mega Microcontroller: ATmega2560
Operating Voltage: 5 V; Input Voltage: 7-12 V
Input Voltage (limits): 6-20 V; Digital I/O Pins: 54
Analog Input Pins: 16
DC Current per I/O Pin: 40 mA
GSM/GPRS Module Chip: sim800L
Supports Real Time Clock
Supply voltage range 3.4V ~ 4.4V
Low power consumption, 1mA in sleep mode
Compact size 23mm x 35mm x 5.6mm
Micro SIM Card
SD Card Module Brand Name: WeMos
Install Style: Plug-in; Input Voltage: 3.3V/5V
With all SD SPI Pins out: MOSI, SCK, MISO and CS
Real Time Clock (RTC) DS1307

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PARTS SPECIFICATION
Power Input: 5 V
Battery: LIR2303 Rechargeable Lithium Battery
PCB Dimension: 25x28x8.4mm
Serial Monitor LCD, 12C, 16 x 2 display
Supply Voltage: 5 V; Interface: I2C /TWI x 1
Adjustable Contrast
DC-DC Buck Converter Measure range: 0~40V; Voltmeter error: ±0.05V
Input voltage: DC 4.0 ~ 38V; Output current: max 5A
Output voltage: DC 1.25V ~ 36V continuously adjustable.
Output power: up to 75W, more than 50W
Conversion efficiency: up to 96%
Operating frequency: 180KHZ
Load regulation: S (I) ≤0.8%; Voltage regulation: S (u) ≤0.8%
Soil Moisture Sensor VCC: 3.3V-5V
GND: GND
DO: digital output interface (0 and 1)
AO: A N A L O G output interface
Panel PCB Dimension: 3 x 1.5 cm
Soil Probe Dimension: 6 x 2 cm

Performance Evaluation of SPSMMS

Accuracy
The Comparison of measurement results between the soil moisture meter and the SPSMMS
1 is shown in Figure 3. The R2 between the value measured by the soil moisture meter and soil
moisture content from SPSMMS were 0.9827, at 10 cm soil depth; 0.84264, at 30 cm soil depth;
0.95866, at 50 cm soil depth; and 0.9534, at 70 cm soil depth. The results indicated that the meas-
urement of accuracy of the installed sensors were comparable with the standard soil moisture meter
and met the requirements for the application. The second device, comparison of measurement results
between the soil moisture meter and the SPSMMS 2 was shown in Figure 4. The R2 between the
value measured by the soil moisture meter and soil moisture content from SPSMMS were 0.97271,
at 10 cm soil depth; 0.94013, at 30 cm soil depth; 0.9766 and, at 50 cm soil depth; and 0.96683, at
70 cm soil depth. This indicated that the measurement accuracy of the installed sensors was compa-
rable with standard soil moisture meter and met the requirements for application.
Monitoring of crops is one the most important stage in the farms where the farmers must be
careful about since it is the initial stage where the crops can simply be experience soil moisture de-
pletion, affected by pest and diseases. If that happen the whole crops may die at the early stage. Ad-
dressing such problems, the farmer should accurately track and analyse the status of soil moisture,
crop health and the environmental condition. The best way to solution this challenge is to get accu-
rate data in the field and apply precision agriculture and automation.

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 Eligio C. Borres, Jr, Jin Fae M. Jang, Miguel Adrian B. Mejia

Figure 3. Accuracy of integrated sensors in the first set-up

Figure 4. Accuracy of integrated sensors in the first set-up

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Automation Sensitivity
The sensitivity of the micro-controller and the moisture determination of the system was
evaluated based on the timeliness on how the sensors change from its previous state to a final settled
value within a tolerance band of the correct new value. There are four sensors in each device. The
values on the LCD were observed if it had changed the moment the sensors are placed in a different
environment. The range of time duration for sensitivity was shown in table 2.

Table 2. Performance of SPSMMS process sensitivity

Parameters Sensor 1 Sensor 2 Sensor 3 Sensor 4
Response in 5 sec, HS    
Response in > 5 10 sec, MS
Response in > 10 30 sec, S
Response in > 30 sec,
Note: HS- highly sensitive, MS- moderately sensitive, S- sensitive

Figure 5. Comparison of data logged and data received (Installation 1)

Note: 1- 10cm form ground level; 2- 30cm form ground level 3- 50cm form ground level;
1- 70cm form ground level

Data Logging and Transmission System Efficiency

The total number of data received by the cellular phone (09057338645) from the first device
was 54 text messages out of 56 messages it has supposed to received. The missing messages were
data from 02:00.00 PM and 05.00.00 PM of April 8,2019. For the second device the total number of
data received by the cellular phone (09161805966) from the second device was 53 text messages out
of 56 messages it has supposed to receive. The missing messages were data at 08:00.00 AM,
11.00.00 AM and 02.00.00 PM of April 8,2019. Based from the result, the device 1 is more efficient
than device 2 having efficiency of 96.43% and 94.64%, respectively. The major factors such as in-
terference, air traffic, and location of the device was the causes of unsent messages through SMS.
The results of analysis on data transmission were shown in the figures 5 and 6, there were no signif-

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 Eligio C. Borres, Jr, Jin Fae M. Jang, Miguel Adrian B. Mejia

icant changes in the data when the time sent, and data logged was with the same time. However,
there are times that when the delay in SMS is too long, the data transmitted became higher or lower
by almost +0.1%. It can be stated that the delay was caused not only by the signal in the area but as
well as the looping of the system in the micro-controller for both set-ups. In this process, the sensor
readings observed were sent to the network platform through a medium (Arduino). The network
layer performs all the required activities and gives desirable response.

Figure 6. Comparison of data logged and data received (installation 2)

*Note: 1- 10cm form ground level; 2- 30cm form ground level 3- 50cm form ground level; 1- 70cm
form ground level

Battery Performance
This graph shows the usage of power of the battery by the device. The decrease of voltage
with the contrast with time was shown in figure 7. This is important for the researcher would under-
stand the behaviour of the battery without recharging to the solar panel. This showed that the 10-
Watt 12 Volt 50 AH battery lasted until 21 hours without the help of solar power. The test was done
until the battery was at 50% power. For the first hour the battery reading was 11.81 volts (95.24% of
the battery). On the tenth hour, the battery reading was at 6.23 volts (49.76%) of the battery.
Cost Analysis
The total direct expenses for the fabrication and installation of SPSMMS cost amounted to
PhP 31,886.00. The amount includes the controller unit, construction of setup, and consultation to a
programmer. One of the latest and available soil moisture sensors in the market is the Soil Moisture
Meter Model MO750, which costs PhP 8,000 while the SPSMMS costs PhP 15,930.00 per unit. The
total daily operational costs of are PhP 269.02 and PhP 59.93, respectively. The main difference that
caused the Soil Moisture Meter Model MO750 to cost higher is the labor cost per year which is PhP
87,600 compared to PhP 11,520 from the SPSMMS.

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Special Issue on Hybridity in the New Reality

Figure 7. Battery Discharge Rate

Conclusion
The general objective of the study was evaluated the designed and automated a solar po-
wered soil moisture monitoring system. Specifically, it aimed to design a solar powered soil mois-
ture monitoring system (SPSMMS), evaluate the performance of the device in terms of sensitivity,
efficiency and accuracy; and determine the fabrication cost of the device. Based on the result of the
study, the following conclusions were drawn: the SPSMMS was design according to the structural
specifications and field requirement; the design able to stand heavy rains with strong wind as well as
sunny days; photovoltaic system specifications were able to stand the total required power to enable
the automation of the system’s components; the SPSMMS was programmed according to the design
specifications with high accuracy, highly sensitivity, and high efficiency in terms of transmitting
data via GSM for ease of monitoring; the efficiency of transmitting data was dependent upon the
time of looping of the micro-controller; sensitivity of the device in terms of reading the data was
way faster in average than the standard soil moisture meter; and the SPSMMS cost only PhP
31,866.00 for two (2) devices with locally available parts cheaper compared to commercially availa-
ble handheld soil moisture meter. The SPSMMS was verified reliable and efficiency in real-time
monitoring of soil moisture up to 1 meter depth with high endurance and accuracy, thus this device
is recommended to farms and research.
In smart farming wireless sensors act as main supports. The data provided by the sensors de-
cides the important steps and results in good farming practices. In this system the dominant part of
the architecture is the network layer. This layer allows the integration of IoT that enables the smart
devices in the farm in a convenient manner. The SPSMMS is recommended to be a part of this sys-
tem and the integration of cloud in the device for the storage of information.

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