An IoT-Based Soil Properties Monitoring System for Crop Growth and Production

Agriculture is very important for the economic growth of a country. Soil properties such as soil type, nutrients, pH level, temperature, and soil moisture play active role in the field of agriculture for the proper growth of any crop. The common primitive methods for soil testing involve collection of soil samples and testing these samples in the lab to provide real-time information of the soil. For continuous monitoring of these factors and to get accurate results, there is a need to modernize the traditional methods by using smart technologies such as IoT and WSN. With sensors, all the mentioned soil properties can be detected continuously, making it easier for any farmer to know the status of the soil and to further act upon accordingly. The highlighting feature of this chapter is the detection of pH level to monitor the system for better crop and yield as well as to minimize the use of water and fertilizers in IoT environment. Protecting the pH level is the biggest concern. In view of this, a note on securing the system with various suggestions is given in this chapter.