Preventing Agricultural Water Waste with AI-Powered Irrigation

Turkey is facing a serious drought threat. While agriculture uses approximately 70% of our country's water resources, a significant portion of this water is wasted due to traditional methods. The figures are striking: the annual loss in agricultural irrigation reaches 25 billion cubic meters. This means almost half of Turkey's total annual water consumption. As the effects of climate change increase, managing this precious resource based on "guesses" or "habits" is no longer an option.

Fortunately, the digital agriculture era offers a concrete solution to this major problem: AI-powered (Artificial Intelligence) smart irrigation. Artificial intelligence reduces risks and enables data-driven decisions by transforming irrigation management from a guess into a science. As Esular, the wireless agricultural technologies we develop are at the center of this transformation.

Risks of Non-Data-Driven Irrigation

Traditional irrigation is generally based on the logic of "irrigate when the soil is dry." However, this simple approach cannot manage the complex risks of modern agriculture:

• Plant Stress: A visible sign of drought means the plant is already under stress. This situation leads to irreversible yield loss.
• Disease Risk: Irrigating more than necessary creates an ideal environment for root rot and fungal diseases by causing the soil to remain constantly wet.
• Fertilizer Waste: Excessive irrigation washes away precious fertilizer in the soil and carries it outside the root zone. This is both a cost loss and environmental pollution.
• Climate Risks: Sudden frost events or unexpected heatwaves can lead to disaster when combined with irrigation at the wrong time.

As a result, non-data-driven decisions cause waste of water, energy, fertilizer, and most importantly, labor.

How Does Artificial Intelligence Make Irrigation Smart?

Esular's AI-powered irrigation platform works with the principle of "Monitor, Learn, Manage." This cycle forms the basis of preventing agricultural water waste.

1. Monitor: Real-Time Data Collection

Artificial intelligence needs data to make decisions. The Esular ecosystem collects this data wirelessly from every corner of your field:

• Wireless Soil Moisture Sensors: Esular soil moisture sensors placed in your field measure the moisture in the plant's root zone at different depths (e.g., 30-60-90 cm) instantly.
• Agricultural Weather Stations: The Esular Weather Station measures the amount of precipitation, air temperature, humidity, and wind speed, including local weather conditions in the report.

2. Learn: Data-Driven Analysis and Forecasting

Collected data is transferred to Esular's cloud-based AI platform. Here, not only the current situation but also future needs are calculated:

• Plant Water Consumption (ETo): The system calculates how much water the plant will consume (Evapotranspiration) using climate data (temperature, humidity, solar radiation).
• Weather Integration: Artificial intelligence analyzes the precipitation forecasts for the next 48 hours. If rain is expected, it automatically postpones the irrigation plan.
• Risk Analysis: Risks such as frost risk or extreme temperature waves are detected in advance.

3. Manage: Automatic and Precise Application

As a result of all these analyses, artificial intelligence makes the most accurate decision and manages the irrigation system automatically:

• Smart Valve Control: When soil moisture reaches the "Irrigation Point" threshold, the system sends a command to wireless valve control units and irrigation starts.
• Automatic Stop: When the moisture level reaches the "Field Capacity" threshold, irrigation is automatically stopped. Thus, not even a single drop of water is wasted.
• Remote Control: The farmer can monitor this entire process from the mobile application (iOS & Android) and can intervene manually when necessary.

The decisions made by the AI platform are implemented on the field by wireless control devices such as Esular Smart Valve. These devices operate on solar energy and have a wireless range of up to 10 km.

AI Manages Not Only Water, But Also Risk

Preventing agricultural water waste is not just about stopping watering, but also about managing risks. Artificial intelligence does what traditional automation cannot: it predicts.

Frost Risk and Incorrect Irrigation

Traditional Error: The farmer irrigates in the evening hours thinking the soil is dry. However, if frost is expected at night, this wetness makes the frost damage much more severe.

AI Solution: When the Esular Weather Station and AI platform detect frost risk, it automatically stops the irrigation program and sends a "Frost Risk: Irrigation Stopped" notification to the farmer.

Risk of Salinity and Fertilizer Leaching

Traditional Error: Constantly irrigating the same amount without knowing the salinity (EC) level of the soil causes fertilizers to be washed away from the root zone or salt to accumulate in the soil.

AI Solution: The system, using soil moisture sensors with EC meters, monitors nutrient density in the soil. When fertilizer is washed away or salinity increases, it changes the irrigation strategy and informs the automatic fertilization (fertigation) system.

Conclusion: It is Possible to Prevent 25 Billion Cubic Meters of Loss

Agricultural water waste is one of Turkey's biggest economic and ecological problems. However, this is not destiny. AI-powered smart irrigation systems are our most powerful tool to prevent this waste.

As Esular, the technologies we have developed with our R&D power supported by TÜBİTAK and European Union HORIZON projects are ending irrigation based on guesses. We achieve field-proven results with more than 300 customers and more than 3000 active IoT devices:

• Up to 50% Water Savings
• Up to 30% Energy Savings
• Up to 30% Yield Increase

Meet Esular's AI-powered solutions to build the agriculture of the future today, protect our water resources, and increase your productivity.

Take the First Step to Stop Agricultural Waste

Contact our expert team for a free field discovery and AI-powered irrigation project planning for your land.

📞 Central: 0850 303 49 91
📱 WhatsApp: 0541 247 45 05
✉️ E-mail: info@esular.com
🌐 Web: www.esular.com

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