Implementación de un sistema de lisímetros para macetas en la Estación de Investigación e Innovación de Ciencias de la Vida y Desarrollo Sostenible

Abstract

Nowadays, proper water resource management has become an increasingly important challenge, mainly due to the high water consumption associated with traditional irrigation systems and the limited availability of water in many productive areas. In many cases, irrigation is carried out without accurate information about the actual water needs of the crop, which results in inefficient use of this resource. In response to this issue, this project aimed to implement an experimental system to measure water consumption using lysimeters in pots. The system was developed to be installed at the Research and Innovation Station of Life Sciences and Sustainable Development, with the purpose of monitoring water use under controlled conditions. The implemented system consists of a mechanical structure that serves as support for the crop pots. In addition, several sensors and electronic devices were integrated to carry out the measurements, ensuring that the acquired signals are reliable. For system management and control, a Siemens LOGO! PLC was used, which processes both analog and digital signals coming from the load cells, the soil moisture sensor, and other auxiliary sensors of the hydraulic system. Due to the use of non-industrial sensors whose voltage levels did not match the nominal PLC input ranges, a mathematical scaling model and signal conditioning using instrumentation amplifiers were implemented. Communication between the PLC and the monitoring system was established through the TCP/IP protocol using a wired Ethernet connection, allowing continuous data transmission to a visualization platform developed in Node-RED. Experimental tests were conducted using real pots to validate system performance. The results showed that, although the sensors presented an approximate error of 24%, the implemented scaling and conditioning techniques improved measurement stability and repeatability. In conclusion, the developed system represented a functional and scalable solution for water monitoring in agricultural research applications.