A Passive Drip Irrigation Controller for Efficient Water Use

用于高效用水的被动滴灌控制器

• 批准号: 571265-2022
• 负责人: Bilton, Amy
• 金额: $ 1.46万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Idea to Innovation
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=729118
• 关键词: Passive; Drip; Irrigation; Controller; Efficient

Globally, irrigation control for agriculture is typically done using rough estimations of a crop's water needs, a farmer's intuition, or on a schedule using a timer-based controller. This often leads to over- or underwatering, resulting in decreased plant growth and a loss of personal income, particularly for small farmers in regions experiencing water scarcity. Soil moisture sensors exist, but they are not widely adopted, and they still require the farmer to physically visit each crop to control the irrigation. Also, the general lack of electrical infrastructure in rural areas makes the use of electrically powered irrigation equipment (timers, actuation valves, pumping equipment) difficult to implement. The passive irrigation controller (PIC) being developed here automatically regulates the flow of water to an irrigation network without the need of electricity or an external control signal. It senses the crop's need for water by mechanically measuring the soil water potential, a measure of how dry a soil is, and directly uses this mechanical measurement to open or close the water control valve. The development of the PIC is in late-stage prototyping. Previously, we have validated in a laboratory setting that the PIC can open reliably, and consistently, at pre-determined soil water potential setpoints. We have made several iterations on the design and are currently comparing the irrigation performance of the PIC against a timer-based controller for growing tomatoes in a greenhouse. There is strong interest in implementation from technology developers at both ICARDA and the University of Guelph. This Lab2Market program will enable us to position the technology for maximum impact.

在全球范围内，农业灌溉控制通常是根据作物需水量的粗略估计、农民的直觉或使用基于计时器的控制器按计划来完成的。这通常会导致过度或水下，导致植物生长减少和个人收入损失，特别是对于缺水地区的小农来说。土壤湿度传感器是存在的，但并未被广泛采用，而且仍然需要农民亲自访问每种作物来控制灌溉。此外，农村地区普遍缺乏电力基础设施，使得电动灌溉设备（定时器、致动阀、抽水设备）的使用难以实施。 这里开发的被动灌溉控制器（PIC）可以自动调节灌溉网络的水流量，无需电力或外部控制信号。它通过机械测量土壤水势（土壤干燥程度的衡量标准）来感知作物对水的需求，并直接使用这种机械测量来打开或关闭水控制阀。 PIC 的开发处于后期原型设计阶段。此前，我们在实验室环境中验证了 PIC 可以在预先确定的土壤水势设定点可靠且一致地打开。我们对设计进行了多次迭代，目前正在将 PIC 的灌溉性能与在温室中种植西红柿的基于计时器的控制器进行比较。 ICARDA 和圭尔夫大学的技术开发人员都对实施抱有浓厚的兴趣。 Lab2Market 计划将使我们能够将该技术定位为产生最大影响。