Farmers often decide when to irrigate by following a fixed schedule or checking the soil by hand. A new generation of sensor-based systems offers another approach. The technology measures soil moisture in real time and can help farmers decide when crops actually need water.
ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region in Patna established an indigenous IoT-enabled soil monitoring system in May 2026. The system was developed with Birla Institute of Technology Mesra to address erratic rainfall, declining groundwater levels, rising irrigation energy costs and inefficient water application.
The technology is being developed for smart irrigation, where field data can guide watering decisions instead of relying only on a calendar. ICAR says the current system is undergoing calibration and field evaluation to assess its accuracy, reliability and suitability for wider farmer use.
How does a soil moisture sensor work?
A soil moisture sensor measures the amount of water present in soil. Depending on the sensor design, it can detect changes in electrical properties or other physical characteristics of the soil and convert those measurements into moisture readings.
The information can then be sent through an IoT connection to a display, mobile device or online dashboard. A farmer can use the reading to decide whether irrigation is needed instead of watering simply because a certain number of days has passed.
ICAR’s Patna system is designed for real-time soil moisture monitoring. The institute says smart irrigation can allow farmers to irrigate crops only when required, improving water-use efficiency and reducing unnecessary water application.
Researchers from SKUAST-K, Shalimar, have also developed and tested a low-cost IoT-enabled resistive soil moisture sensor. The 2026 study used an Arduino-based system with a soil probe, GPS and LoRaWAN communication, with preliminary field measurements showing deviations within about 1.2% from gravimetric measurements.
That research is important because the cost of precision technology can determine whether small farmers can use it. A system designed around relatively low-cost components could make field-level moisture monitoring more accessible than expensive commercial equipment.
Can sensors reduce irrigation water?
Sensor-based irrigation does not create water savings automatically. The benefit comes when farmers use moisture information to change how much and when they irrigate. The sensor provides data, while the farmer or automated system uses that information to make the irrigation decision.
An ICAR study on automated tomato irrigation found that an automated drip system saved 39.61% water compared with manually operated check-basin irrigation in the tested conditions. The study also examined water productivity under different irrigation methods.
These results should not be treated as a fixed saving for every farm. Water requirements vary with crop, soil, weather, irrigation method and farm management. A sensor that works well in one field may need calibration before it can provide reliable readings elsewhere.
Farmers can get more value when soil moisture information is combined with drip or sprinkler irrigation. Instead of applying the same amount of water across the field, irrigation can be adjusted according to crop requirements and soil conditions.
Why does this matter as the climate changes?
Erratic rainfall is already one of the problems identified by ICAR in its development of the Patna soil-monitoring system. The institute says the technology is intended to support climate-resilient farming by improving water management and water productivity.
Climate change can make irrigation decisions harder because rainfall timing and temperature conditions can vary. A fixed irrigation calendar may not reflect what is happening in the soil on a particular day.
Sensors cannot predict every weather event. They can provide information about the field’s current moisture condition. Farmers can then combine that information with rainfall forecasts, crop stage and local advice before deciding how much water to apply.
ICAR’s National Programme on Precision Agriculture includes sensor and IoT-based irrigation and fertigation among the technologies being developed and validated for Indian farming systems. The programme also covers remote sensing, AI and other tools for crop and soil management.
This places soil moisture monitoring within a wider shift towards precision farming. The goal is not simply to add electronic devices to farms. It is to use field information to make input decisions more closely matched to actual crop conditions.
What should farmers check before buying one?
Farmers should first check whether the sensor has been tested for their soil type and crop. Soil texture can affect readings, so a sensor calibrated for one soil may not give equally reliable results in another field.
The installation depth also matters. Crop roots occupy different soil layers, and moisture can vary sharply between the surface and deeper soil. A sensor placed at the wrong depth may provide information that does not represent the crop’s main root zone.
Farmers should also ask how the device sends data. Some systems use mobile networks, while others can use technologies such as LoRaWAN. Remote farms may require a system designed to work where mobile connectivity is weak.
Cost is another factor. A farmer should compare the price of the sensor, installation, connectivity, maintenance and possible replacement with the expected saving in water, electricity or diesel.
Can small farmers use smart irrigation?
The technology does not necessarily require a completely automated farm. Farmers can start with a moisture sensor that provides readings and then manually decide when to irrigate.
More advanced systems can connect sensors with controllers, pumps and drip irrigation. When soil moisture falls below a defined level, the system can trigger irrigation automatically, subject to the crop’s requirements and the farmer’s chosen settings.
ICAR says it is working towards affordable, scalable and farmer-friendly technologies. Its Patna system is still undergoing field evaluation, so wider adoption should follow demonstrated performance and local suitability rather than assuming every sensor will work equally well.
A separate ICAR technology, the Dweep Microclimate Monitor, also shows how field-level data can support climate-resilient agriculture. The solar-powered IoT device records temperature and humidity and can help generate more localised information for farm-level decisions.
For farmers, the main value of soil moisture sensors is simple: they can replace some guesswork with field measurements. The technology is most useful when the readings are reliable, the irrigation system can respond to them and farmers use the information alongside crop, soil and weather conditions.
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