Design And Implementation Of Smart Iot Based Plant Irrigation System Using Nodemcu Esp8266 Microcontroller And Blynk Interface Technology

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a Smart IoT-based Plant Irrigation System utilizing the NodeMCU (ESP8266) microcontroller, aimed at automating irrigation based on real-time soil moisture data. The proposed system integrates a soil moisture sensor, water pump, and Wi-Fi-enabled NodeMCU to monitor and manage irrigation processes efficiently. When the soil moisture level drops below a defined threshold, the system automatically activates the water pump, ensuring that plants receive adequate water without human intervention. The NodeMCU sends data, monitor soil moisture levels and irrigation activity through a web dashboard. The system include low-cost components, ease of deployment, and real-time remote monitoring capabilities. The use of sensor enhances the functionality by sending mobile notifications to users and enabling remote control of the pump. The system is powered via a 5V power source and is designed to be scalable and energy-efficient, making it suitable for both home gardens and small-scale agricultural applications. The methodology involves setting up the hardware with NodeMCU, DHT11 (for temperature and humidity), soil moisture sensor, relay module, and a submersible water pump. The firmware is programmed using the Arduino IDE. Moisture data is sampled at regular intervals and used to make decisions about irrigation timing and duration. The system also logs environmental parameters to support data-driven analysis of plant growth conditions. The implemented system was tested over a period of two weeks in a controlled garden environment. It successfully maintained optimal soil moisture levels by activating the water pump automatically whenever moisture fell below the 30% threshold. Data was reliably transmitted to the dashboard as expected. Notifications were received in real-time through the system. The system reduced water usage by approximately 40% compared to manual irrigation.