Smart Hydroponic System Using IOT

[a]
Gokul S, [b]Ismail Mulla*, [c]Nagaraja K, [d]Pramoth Sakthi, [e]Revathi GP
[a][b][c][d]
UG students, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
[e]
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
[a][b][c][d][e]
PES University, Bangalore, India
[a] [b] [c]
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[d] [e]
[email protected], [email protected]

Abstract—Hydroponic agriculture comes as an answer plants while not soil, victimization instead liquid
to restricted agricultural land that may cause a decline nutrient solution. Lettuce is employed in our project as
in agricultural production capacity. In hydroponic there a testing crop. And our style can monitor the growing
is a challenge of maintaining the pH values according to surroundings and monitor the nutrition level and
the plants, and to handle this challenge we have alternative environmental factors appreciate
introduced Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology that temperature, light, water level and humidity.
enables regular monitoring of every aspects, with the
help of IoT we are able to monitor and control the Main Objectives of our project.
hydroponic system easily and all the required values  Grow vegetables with minimal use of soil and
can be maintained properly. pH, temperature, humidity, water
water level, light intensity are applied by connecting  Compare and analyze the difference of growth in
sensors and actuators to the micro-controller (ESP32). Smart hydroponic and traditional farming.
The upkeep and automatic observation are done by the  Control environment for better growth of
intervention of the IoT that are accustomed transfer and vegetables
retrieve information to the net, a mobile app is used to  With the use of IOT control all the required
control the actuators and the sensors data will be stored actuators.
on ThingSpeak cloud.  Making smart hydroponic with budget friendly.
1. INTRODUCTION
The Agricultural Economic and Forecasting 1.1 Advantage of Smart hydroponic system:
Center, Mae Jo University, found that the shortage of
labor in agriculture resulted in high labor wage in the One advantages of hydroponics farm is
agricultural sector and resulted in higher production reduced labor value as a result of the farmer doesn't
costs. Another factor in farming is the natural have to be compelled to prepare the soil, and watering
environment which is an external factor such as soil, and fertilization are mechanically engineered into the
water, light, temperature, water temperature, soil hydroponic farm. Since hydroponics farm is typically
temperature, humidity in the air, relative humidity, partially automated, it's much easier to integrate
alkalinity of soil and water, and essential nutrient Internet of Things to induce higher and additional
required for plant growth. All of them are difficult to correct information and absolutely automate the farm.
control and affect the quality of crops. During this research, we have a tendency to decide to
evaluate the price effectiveness of good agriculture
Smart agriculture or smart farming is the farm victimization Internet of Things technology when
application of Internet of Things to growing crops with put next to an everyday hydroponic farm. Of course,
the potential of saving labor and resources, additional the good Farm ought to manufacture better crops,
fine-grained management in watering and fertilization, however we shall verify what proportion better, and
and more correct gathering of data regarding planting whether or not the advance benefit the usually high
environment. Farming may be a technique of growing cost of installation.
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Benefits of smart hydroponic: IoT which are used to examine the sensors facts and
1. No soils needed ship it to the ınternet. And later, the popularity of the
2. Make better use of space and location hydroponics device may be checked and managed with
3. Climate control the aid of using the cell utility via internet.
4. Hydroponics is water-saving
5. Effective use of nutrients In [3], they have grown the different plants in
6. pH control of the solution a single system. They have organized a setup to build a
7. Better growth rate system. The nutrient solution ıs given to the crops, by
8. No weeds mıxıng the nutrients wıth the requıred amount of
9. Fewer pests & diseases water. Varıous sensors are then connected such as, pH
10. Labour and time savers sensor for monıtorıng the pH value of the nutrıent
2. LITRATURE REVIEW solutıon. And water level sensor to monitor the water
Till date, various methodologies have been adopted level. They have used and efficient algorithm to do
by Engineers to increase crop yield and to automate the this. A specıfıc pH value must be maintained for the
process. In this modern era of technology, it has become plants to grow. The normal tap water does not have the
necessity to adopt newer and efficient system to carter required nutrients, so we add some amount of
the needs of the society. Some of the existing articles nutrients. The pH range will be constantly monitored
are studied below. daily. Wrong pH range may affect the photosynthesize
In [1], the writer has proposed a method and thus affect the growth of the plant. Similarly, the
wherein they have got mentioned the significance of temperature and the light also should be monitored
agriculture withinside the world. There are issues regularly.
persisting agricultural, this could be solved with the aid
of using the use of smart agriculture with the aid of In [4], they have got used 4 sensors: pH sensor,
modernizing the conventional manner of farming. So, water degree sensor, aır temperature and humıdıty
this could be conquer with the aid of using the use of sensor and lıght sensor. All these sensors are
the hydroponic device the use of iot. The foremost connected to ESP32 mıcrocontroller. They have used a
capabilities of thıs assignment are, they have got used relay to control the system. And some actuators such
water pushed Agriculture device. And hence removed as fan, a nutrıent pump, light and a water pump is
the want of soil. With the aid of using this computerized used. All these are connected to the relay. The system
device, the vegetation are supplıed wıth water and is controlled via mobile application.
nutrıents dependıng at the sensors values like
temperature and humidity (DHT 11), pH sensor and 3. SYSTEM AND DESIGN:
electrıc conductıvıty cırcuıt. 3.1 Proposed Methodology:
In the process of hydroponic farming initially
In [2], the writer has proven the significance of seeds are sown in the soil and they remain in the soil
agriculture. High yieldıng and hıgh grade of vegetation until the rots are grown. Now these baby plants are
are essentıal ın present day Agriculture; thıs can most placed in the hydroponic system, where pipes are filled
effective be completed with the aid of using clever with the nutrient solution. Here nutrient solution is
farming generation. Manual monıtorıng ıs now no that, whatever the plants require nutrient from soil, are
longer so true and now no longer advocated due to the well mixed in the water and they are filled in the pipes.
fact the flowers can also additionally die if there isn't We used ESP32 module as a microcontroller which
sufficient vitamins provided. The structure of thıs will connect to relays for controlling lights and fans
hydroponic device whıch ıs completely automatıc. The and the pumps.
automatıc monıtorıng and manage of all of the sensors
primarily based totally at the environmental We are using Relays for each switch. The input
modifications together with lıght, pH for vitamins, from these sensors is then displays on the LCD screen
electrıcal conductıvıty to degree the saline withinside as-well on the mobile application, so that the user can
the water , water temperature, and humıdıty ıs finished control the system from the android application. And
out with the aid of using lodgıng sensors and actuators we have also designed the system in such a way that
onto the device. The upkeep and automatic monıtorıng based on the sensors values and given threshold, the
are finished with the aid of using the ınterventıon of the actuators of the system must automatically function
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even without any end user involvement.
3.2 System Implementation:
There are many strategies accompanied in
hydroponic farming however NFT – Nutrient Film
Technique is the famous one this is practiced
extensively in hydroponic farming. And on this we've
got used NFT method to layout a system, in NFT the
nutrient answer is constantly flowing over the roots.
This is executed with the use of gravity.

Fig 2: Design Description

The hardware additives are linked to the 4 channeled
relay as an output. There is a LCD linked to the
ESP32. By the use of a router gateway, data will be
saved in a cloud server. By the use of a cell utility, the
Fig 1: NFT System
facts may be proven at the display and the proprietor
can manage the hardware additives with his/her cell
The develop tray is positioned at an attitude to phone. In addition, all of the sensors facts are saved
permit the water to go with the drift down in the withinside the ThingSpeak cloud.
direction of the drainpipe, and a brand new answer is
continuously being pumped into the excessive cease of
3.4 Flow chart:
the tube. The nutrient answer flows in a skinny movie
The flow states how hydroponics system works
over the roots, making sure that they're watered and fed
internally, and how the sensor and the actuators
but not completely soaked. The thin movie guarantees
actually work.
that the higher a part of the roots will continue to be dry
and get access to oxygen withinside the air.

What you need to build a NFT system:

1. A reservoir to contain the nutrient solution
2. Nutrient pump
3. Tubes to distribute water from the nutrient pump to
the NFT growing tubes.
4. Channel for the plants to grow in
5. Net pots to contain plants and growing media to
start seedlings in
6. Return system (tubing, channel) to guide the used
nutrient solution back to the reservoir.

3.3 Design Description:

In the sensor interface segment, there are six
sensors: pH sensor, water degree sensor, temperature
and humidity sensor, water temperature sensor and mild
sensor. These sensors are linked to ESP32
microcontroller. A 4 channeled relay is likewise linked
with the ESP32. Hardware segment includes a fan, a
nutrient pump, a lights device and a water pump. Fig 3: Flow Chart
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 The flow diagram shows the working of a
proposed methodology; here initially microcontroller of
the system will be connected to the cloud for storing
sensors data and then in the next step the hydroponic
system will be turned ON and checks for the sensors
threshold such as for pH sensor if the pH value of water
goes below then the system will turn on the nutrient
pump (in automatic mode) or we need to turn ON the
nutrient pump in order to maintain pH value using
mobile application (in manual mode), and also the
temperature and humidity will be monitored if the
temperature goes above threshold fan can be turned ON,
and for maintaining the light LED sensor is used to
maintain the proper light to grow plants if the light
sensor detects that it is below threshold value then LED
will be turned ON, also the water level will be
monitored to supply proper water to the plants and if the
value goes below threshold the water pump will be
turned ON. And all sensors data will be displayed on
lcd. Fig 5: Hardware structure of working model
3.5 System setup: An environmental tracking device has designed which
The hydroponic desk includes 1 rail placed on accumulate records approximately the developing
a mild slope in order that nutrient answer can go with atmosphere and send it to the server. A DHT11
the drift from one cease to other. Nutrient answer turned capacitive virtual sensor turned into used to degree air
into constantly introduced up with the aid of using a humidity and temperature, even as a LDR sensor is
water pump from a tank to the pinnacle of the rail and used to signify levels of light and light intensity. A pH
flowed down the rail returned into the tank. Lettuce sensor turned into applied to assess the acidic situation
plant was put into a pot and each pot put into a hole in of nutrient answer. A water degree sensor is used to
the rail. Roots of the lettuce plant had been immersed measure the water degree withinside the rail.
withinside the nutrient answer. On the Internet Things
side, we used an ESP32 as the principle command and Table I. Criteria for keeping ideal environment to grow
manage module. The ESP32 communicated with a plants
ThingSpeak server for uploading the sensors data that
connected to the Wi-Fi network. Criterion Work
Temperature >50 Turn ON FAN
Humidity >45 Turn ON FAN
Light intensity low Turn ON LED
pH < 6 Turn ON Nutrient pump

Finally an android application was developed

using MIT app inventor, the app was responsible for
controlling all the actuators for maintaining ideal
environment for growing lettuce plants.

Fig 4: Working model of proposed hydroponic system

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 Here we can see that drastically decrease in the
pH value, now the ideal condition of pH is maintained
by supplying nutrients into the water. And here we
have maintained the ideal temperature and humidity
for growing the plants by functioning the appropriate
actuators.
Fig. 8 shows the instable condition of the system
through values of pH, Temperature and humidity of
the plant.

Fig 6: Android application interface.

4. Experimentation Results and Discussion:

Fig. 8 Condition of instability in growth parameters for
lettuce plant
In the proposed hydroponics device, the
preliminary situations are measured after transporting
In this system we are using the ESP32 module,
the lettuce sapling to the developing rail. The
relays, 5v adaptor and usb charger. We integrated all
preliminary situations are recorded via the sensors to be
the components on top of the system. We are able to
had withinside the device and facts generated are used
control the lights, fans and the motors through the
to devise varies graph with appreciate to the sensors.
mobile application, using auto and manual switches.
The study of graph enables to restoration the situations
as perfect situations for boom of lettuce plant. The Fig.
Table II. Sensor parameter with various growing
7 suggests the perfect values of pH, temperature,
condition
humidity of the plant.
Sensor Ideal Instable Stable
Parameters Growing Growing Growing
Conditions conditions conditions
pH 6.5 >6.5 & <6 6
Temperature 30 >40 & <25 24
Humidity 50 – 70% <50 & >70% 60

Comparative analysis:
In order to compare and evaluate the benefits
of Smart hydroponic system over a traditional farming,
lettuce plants were grown in hydroponic rail and as
well as in soil for evaluating the difference rate of
growth of the plants. The smart hydroponic were
introduced with a automatic nutrient supply and all the
Fig. 7 Ideal growing condition for lettuce plant environmental ecosystem were managed by the IoT
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devices and in the traditional farming watering was plants to grow. The normal tap water does not have the
done manually. And after two months of planting we required nutrients, so we add some amount of nutrients
came to conclude that Smart hydroponic plants were into the water. The pH range will be constantly
grown with higher yield and water consumption was monitored daily. Wrong pH range may affect the
also less in compare to the traditional farming. And we photosynthesize and thus affect the growth of the
were not able to control the environment in traditional plant. Similarly, the temperature, humidity, water level
farming that resulted in low growth rate. In and the light also should be monitored regularly.
conventional farming the use of chemical fertilizer and Maintaining proper temperature and humidity is must
pesticides affect the human health whereas in smart to grow plants properly so we have added fan to
hydroponics there is no use of fertilizers. maintain the humidity and temperature. Gıvıng lıghts
to the plants ıs also essential thing. Each plant would
require different amount of light. We have
implemented android application to control the
hydroponic system from anywhere and we are able to
store sensor data in ThingSpeak cloud. Hydroponics
plants yields is better than the traditional planting.

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