ICE-4307:FARM AUTOMATION

DR . CYR I L JOS E PH
DE PA RTMENT OF I N STRUMENTATION AN D CON T ROL E N G INEERING
M A N I PAL I N STITU TE OF T ECHN OLOGY
Water conveyance systems
Water conveyance systems
WCS Components
➢ Open Channels/Canals

➢Pipelines

➢Conveyance structures
➢ Diversion and Pumps

➢ Headgates, Division boxes , Turnouts

➢ Water Measurement Devices

➢ Check and Grade Control Structures

➢ Flumes Siphons and Culverts

Canal Water Supply
➢ Depends of the crops cultivated in the area

➢Designed for maximum demand

➢Layout is important, should ensure smooth

channel flow by gravity

➢Headwork regulates the flow

➢Main canal intake is from river

➢Main canal is feeder channel to branches

➢Branches are feeders to major distributaries.

Lining of irrigation canal
➢ 70% water is lost due to seepage.

➢Lining minimizes seepage

➢Low resistance and thus reduces frictional loss

➢Maintains the energy and water surface slopes as low as possible.

Canal Lining
➢ Concrete Lining.

➢Best suited for main canals

➢High capital

➢Long life and minimum maintenance

➢5 to 12 cm thickness

➢Side slop b/w 1.5H:1V or 1.25H:1V

Canal Lining
➢ Shortcrete Lining.

➢Cement mortar ratio of 1:4.

➢Thickness of 3.5 cm

➢Wire mesh reinforcement.

➢Convenient for small areas, curves,

repair of old lining.

Canal Lining
➢ Brick or burnt clay tile/precast concrete tile lining.

➢Top layer cement mortar ration of 1:3.

➢Plaster thickness of 15 mm

➢Skill labour not required.

➢Labour intensive
Canal Lining
➢ Boulder lining.

➢Suitable where stones of required specification

Is available in abundance.

➢Used for lining earthen canal cross-section

➢Cement plaster is provided as finishing surface

Canal Lining
➢ Earth lining.
Canal Lining
➢ Plastic lining.
➢ PVC, HDPE, LLPE, LDE

➢ Light weight, impermeable to liquids and gases

➢ Chemically inert

➢ Ease of transportation and installation

➢ Rodents issue.
Water conveyance structures
➢ Drop Structures.
Water conveyance structures
➢ Chutes.
Water conveyance structures
➢ Channel Crossing
Diversion structures
➢Check Gate

➢Portable Check Dams

➢Turnouts

➢Spiles
Diversion structures
➢Check Gate
Diversion structures
➢Check Gate
Diversion structures
➢Portable Check Dams
Diversion structures
➢Turnouts
Diversion structures
➢Spiles
Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting
➢Broadly there are two ways of harvesting rainwater

➢Surface runoff harvesting

➢Roof top rainwater harvesting

➢Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rainwater for reuse on-site, rather than
allowing it to run off. These stored waters are used for various purposes such as gardening,
irrigation etc.
Rainwater harvesting
➢Surface runoff harvesting

➢In urban area rainwater flows away as surface runoff. This runoff could be caught and used for
recharging aquifers by adopting appropriate methods.
Rainwater harvesting
➢Roof top rainwater harvesting

It is a system of catching rainwater where it falls.

In rooftop harvesting, the roof becomes the catchments, and the rainwater is collected from the
roof of the house/building.
It can either be stored in a tank or diverted to artificial recharge system.
This method is less expensive and very effective and if implemented properly helps in
augmenting the groundwater level of the area.
 Roof top Rainwater harvesting
➢ The system mainly constitutes of following sub-components:

➢ Catchments

➢ Transportation

➢ First flush

➢ Filter
 Aquifer
➢ Aquifer, in hydrology, rock layer that contains water and releases it in appreciable amounts.

➢ The rock contains water-filled pore spaces, and, when the spaces are connected, the water is able to flow
through the matrix of the rock.

➢ An aquifer also may be called a water-bearing stratum, lens, or zone.

➢ Aquifers are categorized as confined or unconfined, but there are many types of aquifers that are classified by
where they are in the earth and the material of which they are comprised.
Aquifer
Aquifer
Aquifer
Irrigation Scheduling
What Are the Different Methods of Scheduling Irrigation?
To get the most efficient use from any irrigation system, it’s critical to schedule irrigation to
occur when water is needed the most, not when it’s needed the least.

Scheduling can be managed in a variety of ways depending on the crop, local weather, and
chosen irrigation system design.

Before purchasing systems and turning them on, farmers should discuss their needs and how to
appropriately irrigate without wastage with their irrigation system service that can advise on the
many systems available.
Irrigation Scheduling
Soil Moisture Level Technique
Monitoring soil moisture levels to determine irrigation scheduling is the technique that has been
used since the first days of irrigation systems, both primitive and modern.

Soil moisture must be monitored using various methods that include the “hand feel” method,
electronic sensors, electrical resistance meters, and other electronic soil monitoring tools, many
of which are built into today’s advanced irrigation system designs.

Irrigation is scheduled for when the amount of moisture in the soil goes below a specific limit set
based on the plant, soil type, and how long that moisture is available to the plants.
Irrigation Scheduling
Water Balance Technique
The water balance technique of irrigation scheduling involves monitoring meteorological data in
addition to soil type and moisture content, plant type, and other variables.

It establishes a measure of water taken into the soil via rainfall and irrigation against water taken
out of the soil via absorption and evaporation to develop a careful balance to keep plants
properly irrigated.

Though a more complicated calculation, the water balance method makes it easier to predict
irrigation needs based on natural rainfall and high evaporation, not just how much moisture can
be detected in the soil on a particular day.
Irrigation Scheduling
Plant Monitoring Technique
Another effective way to predict the need to schedule irrigation systems is by monitoring the
plants themselves.
Plants go through many changes all day long based on their conditions, from the amount of
sunlight to the moisture in the soil to plant temperature.
Using devices such as turgor pressure sensors, pressure bomb monitors, dendrometers, and
infrared thermometers, advanced system design allows farmers to track needs directly from the
plant.
These methods remove guesswork due to weather and soil makeup so irrigation can be
scheduled whenever the plants reach certain low limits indicating more water is needed.
Irrigation Scheduling
Irrigation Scheduling
Irrigation Scheduling
Irrigation Scheduling
Computer Model Technique
As irrigation becomes more technical, many irrigation system designs now work with computer
models developed to determine when moisture is required.
These models are designed to calculate schedules based on known, built-in plant data and input
values for variables like weather conditions, soil makeup, and more.
Irrigation services now offer advanced systems that can be used to manage everything from
watering schedules to fertilization and pesticide needs via either manual input or system-
detected data depending on the capabilities of the system.
Used correctly, computer model scheduling can eliminate guesswork when managing many
acreages and plant varieties, each of which may have different needs.
Irrigation Scheduling
Choose The Right Scheduling Method for Economical Irrigation
Achieving the highest plant yield with minimal wastage of water and other resources demands
the careful assessment of moisture needs and knowing when irrigation systems should be used.
Though the easiest and commonly used scheduling method is soil moisture monitoring, water
conservation experts suggest that advanced irrigation system designs can make it even more
efficient.
Fortunately, today’s irrigation system services are knowledgeable in these and other scheduling
techniques and have the necessary equipment, so all farmers can determine when the right
time is to irrigate regardless of weather, soil type, plant type, and other variables!