CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Situation Analysis

Plants are the backbone of all life on Earth and essential resource for

human well-being. They are considered to be the first living organisms born on

the earth. Without plants, the environment and human life on this earth

cannot exist. We grow plants in our homes, gardens, farms, roadsides etc.

Their presence is inevitable for clean air, food and water in this world. Even

these plants contribute to our economy. People of many countries rely on plant

products for their livelihood and income. Relationship between plants and

people is so much interlinked that we need them to survive.

Everything we eat comes directly or indirectly from plants. Throughout

human history, approximately 7,000 different plant species have been used as

food by people. Oxygen is brought to you by plants, as a by-product of

photosynthesis. Plants regulate the water cycle: they help distribute and purify

the planet's water. They also help move water from the soil to the atmosphere

through a process called transpiration. Of course, aside from humans' myriad

uses, plants make up the backbone of all habitats. Other species of fish and

wildlife also depend on plants for food and shelter. Also one-quarter of all

prescription drugs come directly from or are derivatives of plants. Additionally,

four out of five people around the world today rely on plants for primary health.

Plants store carbon, and have helped keep much of the carbon dioxide

produced from the burning of fossil fuels out of the atmosphere

(http://www.rajaha.com/importance-plants-life-earth/). Just think about how

your everyday life depends on plants.

Like all life on earth, plants need water to survive and grow. Indeed, like

humans, water is the primary element that makes up the structure of plants.

Human bodies are comprised of around 70 percent water, but in plants this

proportion can be as much as 95 percent. Water is also essential to the way a

plant receives nutrients and provides energy for itself. Thus, water is arguably

the most essential substance required by plants.

(https://www.regenerative.com/magazine/four-ways-plants-use-water).

In present days, in the field of agriculture, farmers are facing major

problems in watering their crops, especially here in the Philippines where it is

an agriculture oriented country. Farmers mostly needed to pump water and

wait until the field is properly watered, which compels them to stop doing other

activities which are also important for them, and thus they loss their precious

time and efforts. Also when people go to vacation or just have a busy schedule

where watering the garden is not at the top of the list.

As concerned citizens the researchers are inspired to develop an

automatic plant watering system which they believe would be a great help to

our hardworking farmers and also to ordinary citizens. The watering system

senses the moisture content of the soil and automatically switches the pump

when the soil moisture is low and turns it off when the moisture of the soil is

already enough. For this reason, we use the “Automatic Plant Watering

System” as an aid in watering plants.

Framework of the Study

This study aims to develop a system which automatically waters the

plants with the use of Arduino IDE. The researchers are motivated to design a

device to reduce the time used in watering the plants.

The system is composed of certain components that have its own

functions incorporated to the other components for implementing the whole

system. The components have the input, controller and the output.

The researchers will use a programmable microcontroller in making the

automatic plant watering system. The microcontroller is a small computer on a

single integrated circuit. These are used in automatically controlled products

and devices, such as automobile engine control systems, implantable medical

devices, remote controls, office machines, appliances, power tools, toys and

other embedded systems. A typical microcontroller includes

a processor, memory, and peripherals. In order to program the microcontroller,

the researchers will use Arduino software.

Arduino is an open source, computer hardware and software company,

project, and user community that designs and

manufactures microcontroller kits for building digital devices and interactive

objects that can sense and control objects in the physical world. The project's

products are distributed as open-source hardware and software, which are

licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) or the GNU

General Public License (GPL), permitting the manufacture of Arduino boards

and software distribution by anyone. Arduino boards are available

commercially in preassembled form, or as do-it-yourself kits.

Arduino board designs use a variety of microprocessors and controllers.

The boards are equipped with sets of digital and analog input/output (I/O) pins

that may be interfaced to various expansion boards (shields) and other circuits.

The boards feature serial communications interfaces, including Universal Serial

Bus (USB) on some models, which are also used for loading programs from

personal computers. The microcontrollers are typically programmed using a

dialect of features from the programming languages C and C++. In addition to

using traditional compiler tool chains, the Arduino project provides

an integrated development environment (IDE) based on

the Processing language project.

The Arduino project started in 2003 as a program for students at

the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Ivrea, Italy, aiming to provide a low-

cost and easy way for novices and professionals to create devices that interact

with their environment using sensors and actuators. Common examples of

such devices intended for beginner hobbyists include

simple robots, thermostats, and motion detectors.

The main components of the Automatic Plant Watering System are

Atmega328 gizduino, comparator and a relay. When the arrangement of the

sensor senses the moisture of the soil, then it sends the command to the

microcontroller by using a comparator. The comparator acts as an interface

between the sensing arrangement and the microcontroller. Once the

microcontroller receives the signal, it generates the output that drives a relay

and reminds to pump water to the plants. The status of the water pump and

the soil is displayed on the LCD which is interfaced to the microcontroller.

The foregoing concepts will help the researchers to conceptualize the

study.
Statement of Objectives

This research study aims to develop an Automatic Plant Watering

System. The system senses the moisture content of the soil and automatically

switches the pump when the soil moisture is low and turns it off when the

moisture of the soil is already enough.

Specifically it seeks to accomplish the following objectives:

1. To design a system that will be used in watering plants automatically.

2. To develop and create a program to execute the sensed moisture.

3. To evaluate the Microcontroller System as to:

3.1. Level of Technical Performance in terms of:

3.1.1. Precision of Design,

3.1.2. Portability,

3.1.3. Safety of operation, and

3.1.4. Simplicity of mechanism,

3.2. Level of Functionality

3.2.1. Efficiency of the device,

3.2.2. Ease of operation,

3.2.3. Intelligence of the device, and

3.2.4. Competency of the device

3.3. Level of Acceptability in terms of:

3.3.1. Cost,

3.3.2. Reliability,

3.3.3. Maintainability, and

 3.3.4. Design

3. To determine the characteristics of the Automatic Plant Watering System

4. To provide a User’s Guide.

Time and Place of Study

This research will concentrate in the design of and development of an

Automatic Plant Watering System. The researchers will assemble and construct

the System at the College of Engineering of Don Mariano Marcos Memorial

State University Mid-La Union Campus, City of San Fernando, La Union on the

First Semester of the School Year 2017-2018.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are hereby defined according to their use in the

study:

8051 Microcontroller an 8 bit family of microcontroller developed by Intel which

is one of the most popular family of microcontroller being used all across the

world

Circuit is a path in which electrons from a voltage or current source flow.

Level of Acceptability is the user’s degree of satisfaction based on the evaluation

criteria used in this study which was measured in terms of cost, reliability,

maintainability, and design of the Microcontroller System. The cost is about

how cheap the materials and the device are affordable. Reliability is the ability

of the device to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a
specified period of time. Maintainability is the ease with which the device can

be maintained. Design describes as the appearance of the Microcontroller

System.

Level of Functionality is the ability of the device to perform its purpose

well based on the efficiency, ease of operation, intelligence, and competence of

the device. Efficiency is the ability of the device to accomplish a work with a

minimum expenditure of time and effort. Ease of operation is how easy and

manageable to operate the device. Intelligence is the ability of the device to

perform its functions and operation according to the command. Competency

refers to the ability of the device to keep its features unique and exceptional

from the other devices.

Level of Technical Performance is the ability of the device that shows how

well it satisfies its operation. This measured in terms of precision of design,

portability, safety of operation, and simplicity of mechanism. Precision of

Design is the accuracy of the conceptual design of the device. Portability is how

the device designed to be light or compact enough to carry or move easily from

one place to another. Safety of operation is how safe the device being used and

keeps the load to its safe condition. Simplicity of mechanism is how easy to

understand the concept and how easy to operate the device.

Microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit

containing processor core, memory, and programmable input/output

peripheral.
 Program is a sequence of instructions, written to perform a specified task

with the microcontroller.

Watering System is a system of supplying land with water by means of

artificial canals, ditches, etc. especially to promote growth of food crops.