Improving the efficiency of the agricultural irrigation systems substantially contributes to sustainable water management. This\nimprovement can be achieved through an automated irrigation system that includes a real-time control strategy based on the water,\nsoil, and crop relationship.This paper presents a model driven control strategy applied to an irrigation system, in order to make an\nefficient use of water for large crop fields, that is, applying the correct amount of water in the correct place at the right moment. The\nproposed model uses a predictive algorithm that senses soil moisture and weather variables, to determine optimal amount of water\nrequired by the crop. This proposed approach is evaluated against a traditional irrigation system based on the empirical definition\nof time periods and against a basic soil moisture control system. Results indicate that the use of a model predictive control in an\nirrigation system achieves a higher efficiency and significantly reduce the water consumption.
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