LSTM-based model predictive control with discrete actuators for irrigation scheduling

The development of well-devised irrigation scheduling methods is desirable from the perspectives of plant quality and water conservation. In this article, a model predictive control (MPC) with discrete actuators is developed for irrigation scheduling, where a long short-term memory (LSTM) model of the soil-water-atmosphere system is used to evaluate the objective of ensuring optimal water uptake in crops while minimizing total water consumption and irrigation costs. A heuristic method involving a sigmoid function is used in this framework to enhance the computational efficiency of the scheduler. The scheduling scheme is applied to a homogeneous field and the results indicate that the LSTM-based MPC with discrete actuators is able to prescribe optimal or near-optimal irrigation schedules that are typical of irrigation practice.