Advance an Automated Indoor Hydroponic Unit for Plant Growth Detection with Compatible for Two Different Plant Varieties

R.M.U.I. Rathnayake; D.N. Liyanage; H.C. Ganege; E.U.U. Rathnathunga

doi:10.47540/ijias.v3i2.807

Authors

R.M.U.I. Rathnayake Department of Engineering Technology, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
D.N. Liyanage Department of Engineering Technology, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
H.C. Ganege Department of Engineering Technology, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
E.U.U. Rathnathunga Department of Urban Bioresources, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47540/ijias.v3i2.807

Keywords:

Arduino, Automated, Hydroponic, Plant Growth, Sensors

Abstract

The study aimed to design and fabricate an automated indoor hydroponic plant growth chamber, by comparing the manual system to determine plant growth and development and the sub-objective was to send data to the IoT platform. The sensor-based automated system incorporated pH, TDS, temperature, and humidity sensors, controlled by solenoid valves using Arduino. Tomato and lettuce plants were grown in both systems and growth parameters were measured. The results showed that the automated system maintained consistent temperature, humidity, pH, and EC levels similar to the outdoor system (vary in 30-32, 52-79, 5.5-6.5, and 1.5-2.5 dS/m ranges respectively). Furthermore, the automated indoor system significantly enhanced the plant growth of tomato and lettuce plants compared to the manual system. Significantly higher plant heights of 27.9±1.9 cm and 27.4±4.9 cm, the leaf lengths of 3.2±0.1 cm and 3.9±0.1 cm were observed for the tomatoes and the lettuces respectively in the automated indoor system. A significant difference was observed between the SPAD reading of the automated indoor tomato of 30±0.9 and the outdoor tomato of 26±0.4. Similarly, SPAD readings for the automated indoor lettuce of 23±0.3 and outdoor lettuce of 17±0.5 were significantly different (Pr=<0.0001, Pr≤0.05). These findings highlight the effectiveness of the automated hydroponic system in accommodating plant preferences and its potential for improving agricultural practices. By integrating IoT platforms for data analysis, this technology can optimize plant growth, enhance yields, and facilitate informed decision-making in hydroponic farming.

References

Aberathne, B. M. P. P. (2018). Automated Hydroponic Gardening System. Doctoral Dissertation. Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology.

Adam, A. H. M., Abdalla, I. M. F., Abdelkreim, M., & Ibrahim, G. A. (2015). Analysis of soil NPK, pH and electrical conductivity at Adham area-renk, upper Nile state. Inter J Sci Tech Res, 4, 341-347.

Adaptation and development pathways for different types of farmers. Environmental Science & Policy, 104, 174-189.

Ahmed, H. A., Yu-Xin, T., & Qi-Chang, Y. (2020). Optimal control of environmental conditions affecting lettuce plant growth in a controlled environment with artificial lighting: A review. South African Journal of Botany, 130, 75-89.

Alexander, T. (2000). Best of Growing Edge: Popular Hydroponics and Gardening for Small Commercial Growers (Vol. 2). New Moon Publishing, Inc.

Aznar-Sánchez, J. A., Velasco-Muñoz, J. F., López-Felices, B., & Román-Sánchez, I. M. (2020). An analysis of global research trends on greenhouse technology: Towards a sustainable agriculture. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(2), 664.

Balmford, A., Green, R., & Phalan, B. (2012). What conservationists need to know about farming. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1739), 2714–2724.

Ban, B., Lee, J., Ryu, D., Lee, M., & Eom, T. D. (2020, October). Nutrient solution management system for smart farms and plant factory. In 2020 International Conference on Information and Communication Technology Convergence (ICTC) (pp. 1537-1542). IEEE.

Bandara, J. M. R. S. (2007). Nature Farming-Integration of traditional knowledge systems with modern farming in rice. Leusden, ETC/ Compas.

Cho, W. J., Kim, H. J., Jung, D. H., Kang, C. I., Choi, G. L., & Son, J. E. (2017). An embedded system for automated hydroponic nutrient solution management. Transactions of the ASABE, 60(4), 1083-1096.

Contreras, J. A. V., Maldonado, A. I. L., Reyes, J. M. M., Breceda, H. F., Rodriguez-Fuentes, H., & Maldonado, U. L. (2020). Automation and Robotics Used in Hydroponic System. Chapters.

Dholwani, S. J., Marwadi, S. G., Patel, V. P., & Desai, V. P. (2018). Introduction of Hydroponic system and it’s Methods. International Journal of Recent Technology Engineering, 3(3), 69-73

Erabadupitiya, H. R. U. T., Weerakkody, W. A. P., & Nandasena, K. A. (2021). Potassium application rates for tomato grown in soilless culture under hot and humid greenhouse conditions. Trop. Agric. Res, 32, 462-470.

Fraile-Robayo, R. D., Álvarez-Herrera, J. G., Reyes M, A. J., Álvarez-Herrera, O. F., & Fraile-Robayo, A. L. (2017). Evaluation of the growth and quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in a closed recirculating hydroponic system. Agronomía Colombiana, 35(2), 216-222.

Fussy, A., & Papenbrock, J. (2022). An overview of soil and soilless cultivation techniques—chances, challenges and the neglected question of sustainability. Plants, 11(9), 1153.

Gashgari, R., Alharbi, K., Mughrbil, K., Jan, A., Glolam, A. (2018). Comparison between Growing Plants in Hydroponic System and Soil Based System. Proceedings of the 4th World Congress on Mechanical, Chemical, and Material Engineering. Madrid, Spain – August 16 – 18, 2018.

Ghorbel, R., Chakchak, J., Malayoglu, H., Çetin, N. (2021). Hydroponics “Soilless Farming”: The Future of Food and Agriculture – A Review. 5Th International Students Science Congress Proceedings.

Ginigaddara, G. A. S. (2020). Corona Pandemic, Food Security, and Agricultural Research. Sri Lankan Journal of Agriculture and Ecosystems, 2(1), 1-3.

Hosseinzadeh, S., Verheust, Y., Bonarrigo, G., & Van Hulle, S. (2017). Closed hydroponic systems: operational parameters, root exudates occurrence and related water treatment. Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/ Technology, 16, 59-79.

Iqram, A. M., & Seran, T. H. (2016). Effect of foliar application of Albert solution on growth and yield of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum mill.). Journal of Advance Research in Food, Agriculture and Environmental Science, 3(4), 17-32.

Kaplan, L., Tlustoš, P., Szakova, J., Najmanova, J., & Brendova, K. (2016). The effect of NPK fertilizer with different nitrogen solubility on growth, nutrient uptake and use by chrysanthemum. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 39(7), 993-1000.

Kim, H. J., Kim, W. K., Roh, M. Y., Kang, C. I., Park, J. M., & Sudduth, K. A. (2013). Automated sensing of hydroponic macronutrients using a computer-controlled system with an array of ion-selective electrodes. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 93, 46-54.

Kulathunga, S., Pererab, U., & Udawatthab, C. (2022). Integration of urban farming into the residential architecture and built environment in Sri Lanka. International Conference on Innovation and Emerging Technologies 2021.

Kuncoro, C. B. D., Asyikin, M. B. Z., & Amaris, A. (2021, November). Development of an Automation System for Nutrient Film Technique Hydroponic Environment. In 2nd International Seminar of Science and Applied Technology (ISSAT 2021) (pp. 437-443). Atlantis Press.

Layne, J. (2021, March 08). 30 Important Pros and Cons of Agriculture. Retrieved from Ablison Energy: https://www.ablison.com/important-pros-and-cons-of-agriculture/

Mazoyer, M. & Roudart, L. (2006). A History of World Agriculture: From the Neolithic Age to the Current Crisis. Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine.

Modu, F., Adam, A., Aliyu, F., Mabu, A., & Musa, M. (2020). A survey of smart hydroponic systems. Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems Journal, 5(1), 233-248.

Pant, T., Agarwal, A., Bhoj, A. S., Prakash, O., & Dwivedi, S. K. (2018). Vegetable cultivation under hydroponics in Himalayas: Challenges and opportunities. Defence Life Science Journal, 3(2), 111-119.

Rexford, E. E., & Rexford, E. E. (1910). Indoor gardening. Philadelphia, J.B. Lipincott Company.

Rusydi, A. F. (2018). Correlation between conductivity and total dissolved solid in various type of water: A Review. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 118, 012019.

Sace, C. F., & Estigoy, J. H. (2015). Lettuce production in a recirculating hydroponic system. American Journal of Agricultural Science, 2(5), 196-202.

SAS. (n.d.). Welcome to SAS OnlineDoc, V. 9.4. Retrieved from https://welcome.oda.sas.com/

Sharma, N., Acharya, S., Kumar, K., Singh, N., & Chaurasia, O. P. (2018). Hydroponics as an advanced technique for vegetable production: An overview. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 17(4), 364-371.

Son, J. E., Kim, H. J., & Ahn, T. I. (2020). Hydroponic systems. In Plant factory (pp. 273-283). Academic Press.

Stringer, L. C., Fraser, E. D., Harris, D., Lyon, C., Pereira, L., Ward, C. F., & Simelton, E. (2020). Adaptation and development pathways for different types of farmers. Environmental Science & Policy, (104),174–189.

Velazquez, L. A., Hernandez, M. A., Leon, M., Domínguez, R. B., & Gutierrez, J. M. (2013, September). First advances on the development of a hydroponic system for cherry tomato culture. In 2013 10th International Conference on Electrical Engineering, Computing Science and Automatic Control (CCE) (pp. 155-159). IEEE.

Weerasekara, S., Wilson, C., Lee, B., Hoang, V. N., Managi, S., & Rajapaksa, D. (2021). The impacts of climate induced disasters on the economy: Winners and losers in Sri Lanka. Ecological Economics, 185, 107043.

Woodard, J. (2019, September 06). What Are Hydroponic Systems and How Do They Work? Retrieved from Fresh Water Systems: https://www.freshwatersystems.com/blogs/blog/what-are-hydroponic-systems