ACHPA: A sensor based system for automatic environmental control in hydroponics

Abstract The trend towards tunnel farming and hydroponic systems is increasing owing to the climatic changes as well as the need to increase crop yield. Hydroponic is a technique of growing plants without soil. Tunnel farming and hydroponic system requires controlled environmental parameters like temperature, humidity and soil moisture for better production of crops. This paper presents an effective method, named, ACHPA (Automatically Controlled Hydro-Ponic Agriculture) scheme that monitor and controls environmental parameters using sensors and controller. ACHPA provides better environmental control over traditional manual monitoring and controlling, thus yield high-quality crops. Sensor based monitoring and control system regulates the temperature and humidity of the tunnel to yield better. For the sake of saving water, an efficient method of drip irrigation is implemented which delivers water directly to the plants rather than being sprayed on as in conventional farming method. The proposed system here is tested for controlled environment and observations recorded for crop analysis purpose. This makes an effective solution to growing highly efficient, good quality and disease free crop production.

摘要 受气候变化与提升作物产量的需求驱动，设施隧道栽培与水培种植的发展态势日益凸显。水培种植（hydroponic）是一种无需土壤即可培育植物的栽培技术。隧道栽培与水培种植系统需对温度、湿度、土壤湿度等环境参数进行精准调控，以实现作物的优质高产。本文提出一种名为ACHPA（自动控制水培农业，Automatically Controlled Hydro-Ponic Agriculture）的高效方案，该方案借助传感器与控制器实现环境参数的监测与调控。相较于传统人工监测调控模式，ACHPA可实现更优异的环境管控效果，进而培育出高品质作物。该基于传感器的监测调控系统可对隧道内的温湿度进行调节，进一步提升作物产量。为达成节水目标，本方案采用高效滴灌技术，直接向植物根系输送水分，而非如传统农耕方式那般大面积喷洒灌溉。本文所提出的系统已在可控环境中开展测试，并记录相关观测数据以供作物分析使用。该方案可为实现高效、优质且无病害的作物生产提供切实可行的解决方案。