Design of an IoT-Based Automatic Irrigation System for Chili Plants

Abstract

Manual watering of chili plants makes it difficult for farmers to monitor soil moisture levels and ensure consistent, periodic watering. This study aims to design an Internet of Things (IoT)-based automatic irrigation system capable of real-time soil moisture monitoring and automated watering based on soil conditions. The prototyping method was employed, comprising the stages of communication, quick planning, quick design modeling, prototype construction, and deployment and feedback. The system was built using a soil moisture sensor, ESP32, relay, water pump, Firebase Realtime Database, and an Android application. Black Box Testing was conducted to verify that the system functions according to requirements. The results demonstrate that the system can read soil moisture levels, automatically control the water pump based on predefined thresholds, and transmit and display data in real-time via Firebase and the Android application. Testing also confirmed that all core system functions—including sensor readings, pump control, data transmission, and monitoring—operated correctly as designed. Thus, the developed IoT-based automatic irrigation system can assist in monitoring soil conditions and watering chili plants.