Automated Irrigation for Agriculture
Our Competences in this Project
OPC UA
OpenPLC
LoRa
Control cabinet construction
IT Integration
SCADA
Automated irrigation for solidarity-based agriculture
Description of the use case
Solawi Ackervielfalt eG at the BRINKMANN organic farm in Lage produces high-quality organic vegetables according to the principle of “Shaping agriculture together – community-supported, regional, diverse.”
In order to meet the increasing demands for resource efficiency, the cooperative relies on intelligent irrigation and nutrient management. Together with SALZ Automation, a solution was developed that combines the scientifically based Geisenheim irrigation model with modern industrial automation.
Challenges such as variable weather conditions in East Westphalia-Lippe, different water requirements of various crops, and limited water resources require highly precise water use. Until now, this has required a considerable amount of manual control.
The aim of the collaboration is to implement a fully automated, data-based irrigation control system, supplemented by integrated nutrient management (fertigation). Via an IT/OT-compliant OPC UA connection, the system is transparently visualized, historicized, and prepared for future cloud integrations.
Customer Profile: Solidarische Landwirtschaft Ackervielfalt eG
Solidarische Landwirtschaft Ackervielfalt eG is a community-supported agricultural cooperative based at the Brinkmann organic farm in Lage-Hagen (North Rhine-Westphalia) that organizes regional, seasonal organic vegetable production according to ecological principles, promotes ecological diversity and climate-friendly cultivation methods, and enables its members to share responsibility for cultivation, harvesting, and supply. Cultivation is certified according to DE-ÖKO-022 and guarantees seasonal products from the region.
Performance Requirements for the Irrigation and Nutrient Management System
Data-driven irrigation control with high reliability, proven technology, and deterministic decision logic.
Requirement
A system architecture that ensures real-time, scalable, and fail-safe processing and distribution of sensor and control data - from LoRa-based field sensors to gateway and OpenPLC control levels with ICEORYX middleware to OPC UA-based IT integration.
Standardized communication setup for field integration that connects field devices and integrates actuators such as valves and pumps into the logic.
Requirement
Connection of field devices via Modbus RTU/TCP and LoRaWAN, as well as control of actuators via the controller with full integration into the control logic.
Process data must be provided deterministically in real time and a secure and scalable connection to higher-level systems must be ensured without changing the control logic.
Requirement
By linking OpenPLC, ICEORYX, and OPC-UA, the system must provide process data deterministically and in real time, map it in a structured manner in a standardized OPC-UA information model, and ensure a secure, robust, and scalable connection to higher-level farm management, visualization, and cloud systems—without adapting the control logic.
Technical solution: OpenPLC, ModBUS, LoRa, and ICEORYX/OPC-UA
System architecture from field to IT
The solution follows the principle of IT/OT convergence and consists of several layers:
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Field level: LoRa-connected soil moisture and temperature sensors at various depths, weather station, rain gauge, EC and pH sensors in the irrigation pipe, and flow measurement in the main pipe.
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Gateway level: The LoRa gateway and ModBUS gateway consolidate the sensor data and make it available for control via ModBUS TCP.
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Control level: OpenPLC Runtime according to IEC 61131-3 executes the Geisenheim algorithm in Structured Text (ST) and makes irrigation decisions based on daily and total deficits.
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Middleware: ICEORYX, as zero-copy publish-subscribe middleware, forms the interface to the IT world via OPC UA.
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IT integration: An OPC UA server maps cultivated areas, crops, sensors, and actuators in an information model and provides data for visualization, SCADA, or farm management systems.
The core of the application is the Geisenheim irrigation control model.
Communication and field integration
A standardized communication setup is used to connect the field devices:
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ModBUS RTU/TCP connects weather stations, rain gauges, flow meters, and gateways.
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LoRaWAN connects battery-powered soil moisture, temperature, EC, and pH sensors with ranges of up to 2 km in open fields.
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Valves, frequency-controlled feed water pumps, and dosing pumps are controlled via the control system and integrated into the logic.
In addition to irrigation, the system also controls the supply of nutrients via fertigation. This creates a closed, data-based water and nutrient management system that meets the requirements of organic vegetable cultivation.
OPC-UA/ICEORYX: Real-time data for transparency and scalability
Process data is provided in real time for higher-level systems via the connection between OpenPLC, ICEORYX, and OPC-UA:
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ICEORYX Publisher and Subscriber distribute measured values and target values deterministically via shared memory.
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The OPC-UA information model maps cultivated areas, crops, sensors, actuators, and key figures such as total deficit or next irrigation in a structured manner.
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Farm management software, visualization tools, or cloud platforms can be connected in a standardized manner without changing the control logic.
SALZ Automation contributes its extensive experience in OPC UA-based industrial applications, particularly in the areas of robust communication, IT security, and the seamless integration of heterogeneous systems.
Added value for Solawi: efficiency, transparency, and future security
- Automatic, demand-based irrigation based on a scientific model reduces water consumption and protects soil resources.
- The manual control effort is significantly reduced, as irrigation and fertilization decisions are made and documented automatically.
- OPC UA connectivity enables real-time monitoring, complete history, and transparent communication with members and certifiers.
- The modular architecture with OpenPLC, LoRa, ModBUS, and ICEORYX/OPC-UA is scalable for additional crops, additional areas, and future cloud services.
Result
The automation system at Solawi Ackervielfalt eG achieves the central objective of scientifically based, fully automated irrigation based on the Geisenheim model and crop-specific parameters. It precisely controls water and nutrient supply according to soil type, root depth, development stage, and real-time sensor data, thereby significantly reducing water consumption and manual labor.
The integration of fertigation, EC and pH control, and the OPC UA connection with ICEORYX provides comprehensive water and nutrient management that can be seamlessly integrated into IT systems. Irrigation and fertilization events are fully documented, creating transparency for members and certifiers and making the solution scalable for additional areas, crops, and future cloud services.
OPC UA I OpenPLC I LoRa I Control Cabinet Construction I IT Integration I SCADA
