DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF AUTOMATED DATA ACQUISITION NFT HYDROPONICS SYSTEM

Abstract

A study was conducted to develop an automated data acquisition NFT hydroponics system, to evaluate the performance of the developed system for different flow rates and to study the microclimate and nutrient solution status. Three independent units of NFT hydroponics systems were installed in the naturally ventilated polyhouse, ARS Chalakudy during the period December 2022- March 2023. An automated data acquisition system was developed by interfacing various sensors, actuators and IoT cloud platform to a microcontroller. The performance of the developed automated data acquisition NFT hydroponics system was evaluated for different flow rates (60 l/h, 120 l/h and 180 l/h) by cultivating the crop spinach. The developed automation system continuously measured the real-time nutrient solution and microclimatic parameters. These data were uploaded to an IoT cloud platform called ThingSpeak every 15 minutes and displayed on a laptop and mobile phone. The automated system also controlled the operation of the fans and foggers in the polyhouse. The result indicated that the developed automated data acquisition system reduced the air temperature and increased RH inside the polyhouse than outside during peak hours. The evaluation of NFT hydroponics system for different flow rates resulted that 60 and 120 l/h provided a better yield, higher water savings and nutrient savings for spinach cultivation. The study of different nutrient solution and microclimatic parameters showed that EC, pH and depth of nutrient solution in tank were maintained at its respective range and depth of nutrient solution in the channel was found to vary as the crop grows. Hourly average nutrient solution temperature, air temperature, RH and light intensity were varying from time to time during the crop period. Hence it can be concluded that the developed automated data acquisition NFT hydroponics system makes it simple and quick to observe these parameters and manage the system accordingly. Such an automated data monitoring system will be highly beneficial for the commercial cultivation of hydroponics.