###### Abstract  
Proper irrigation management, especially for tomatoes that are sensitive to water, is the key to ensuring sustainable tomato production. Using a low-cost sensor coupled with IoT technology could help to achieve precise control of the moisture content in the plant root-zone soil and apply water on demand with minimum human intervention. An IoT-based precision irrigation system was developed for growing Momotaro tomato seedlings inside a dark chamber. Four irrigation thresholds, 5%, 8%, 12%, and 15%, and two irrigation systems, surface and subsurface drip irrigation, were compared to assess which threshold and irrigation system referred the ideal tomato seedling growth. As a result, the 12% soil moisture threshold applied through the subsurface drip irrigation system significantly (\(p<0.05\)) increased tomato seedling growth in soil composed of a main blend of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite. Furthermore, in two repeated experiments, a subsurface drip irrigation system with 0.86 distribution uniformity used 10% less water than the surface drip irrigation system. The produced tomato seedlings were transplanted to open fields for further assessment. A low-power wide area networking Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) protocol was developed with remote monitoring and controlling capability for irrigation management. Two irrigation systems, including surface and subsurface drip irrigations, were used to compare which system resulted in higher tomato yields. The results showed that the subsurface drip irrigation system with 0.74 distribution uniformity produced 1243 g/plant, while each plant produced 1061 g in the surface drip irrigation system treatment. The results also indicated that the LoRaWAN-based subsurface drip irrigation system was suitable under outdoor conditions with easy operation and robust controlling capability for tomato production. irrigation scheduling; surface and subsurface irrigation; soil-water balance; LoRaWAN; soil moisture sensor +
Footnote †: journal: Applied Sciences  
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M.H. ; [PERSON] Development of an IoT-Based Precision Irrigation System for Tomato Production from Indoor Seeding Germination to Outdoor Field Production  
M.H. ; [PERSON] Development of an IoT-Based Precision Irrigation System for Formation  
may increase from 1.75 to 2.5 \({}^{\circ}\)C [1]. The increase in temperature results in a higher evapotranspiration rate and plant water requirements. Higher evapotranspiration has a severe impact on vegetable production, such as tomato, which is a water-sensitive plant. Tomato is one of the most popular and water-demanding vegetables [2; 3] grown across the world and has the greatest area under cultivation [4]. Water is the key factor governing tomato plant growth and yield [5; 6]. Water deficit is the main factor affecting tomato crop production throughout the growing season in arid regions. The frequent watering needs for tomato crop, irrigation is the main source for meeting plant water requirements in arid regions where limited amounts of rainfall are prominent. This condition calls for adopting effective irrigation systems for tomato production by which water use efficiency is maximized while water loss is minimized. Different irrigation technologies have been practiced for growing tomatoes, including overhead irrigation systems [7; 8], which are highly associated with waste of water and nutrients [9], and sub-surface irrigation technologies, which have the potential to limit runoff of water and fertilizers, but there is a chance of water loss through evaporation [10]. Furthermore, microirrigation systems, which have been shown to be a promising technology since they reduce nitrate leaching and runoff by 40-50% compared to overhead irrigation technologies [11]. Microirrigation systems, including drip irrigation, are effective irrigation technologies for growing vegetables [12]. In this type of irrigation system, water losses are usually minimized due to the high-water application efficiency and effective water delivery [2; 13]. [PERSON] et al.