Tag: Smart Green House

4 Main Features of IoT Application in Greenhouse

4 Main Features of IoT Application in Greenhouse

IoT in Green House "All Season Garden"

Greenhouse farming is “all season garden” method used to enhance the yield of fruits, vegetables, crops… etc, by controlling and optimizing environmental factors that affect crops like temperature, ventilation, light exposure, and more. These can be in different structures range of sizes from small sheds to industrial-sized buildings and from semi-automatic to fully automated. 

Applying Internet of things [IoT] in agriculture – like the other sectors – has a great impact in saving time, Money, labor …etc beside Managing & Monitoring the Crop Production, Livestock and Greenhouses!. By Using different IoT sensors in the greenhouses, farmers are able to get information and control climate, water and soil. In this article we will discuss how technology is capable to build the perfect climate for growing the plants and decreasing water waste. In addition to getting information about crop needs of water, fertigation …etc.

We can divide IoT – Internet of Things – System work in the smart greenhouse as below:

Sensors: Record Data

To start communication with someone, you both should find a common language to understand each other. It is simply the same done here, Installing sensors for measuring and recording data about The climate such as [Humidity, vapor pressure deficit (VPD),Temperature, light, Co2 …etc], Water Quality parameters control Through installing sensors for measuring ec, PH, ORP, DO and Temperature, measuring Soil temperature and soil moisture and installing sensor for measuring the water level.

These sensors will provide data about water quality, soil, water level, internal weather in the greenhouse and all data required to know what the plant exactly need of water, fertilizing, light, …etc .

Communication & Remote Management

All data recorded need to be transmitted to the farmer, it is the role of the communication network gateway to read the sensors data and transmit it to the cloud platform or web/mobile app where the farmer can log in and have real time data about the greenhouse components. Through a dashboard, The farmer have an access to real time data about water quality parameters, water level and if it needs irrigation or not, weather, light, energy tracking and every thing.

Automation - Equipment Control

Automating processes will save time and increase the ability to control in critical cases and decrease the need to labor dependency. For example in irrigation: sensor record data about water level, and accordingly valves take the action to turn motor ON and increasing water level based. Lightning system: when it needs to increase/decrease the light intensity. Also controlling in harvesting equipment, robots, security cameras and doors lock.

Data Analytics

Gathering all data coming from different sensors installed in the greenhouse will give a full view about all the smart greenhouse components. Analyzing these data by using machine learning or deep learning technologies will help in getting meaningful information and insights which make better decisions related to harvesting, predicting upcoming weather conditions.

Applying IoT in Agriculture semi or fully controlled helped the farmers to maintain the quality of crops – in less operational cost- and fertility of the land, save water consumed in irrigation, enhance the product volume and quality.

Need Consultation in Internet of Things and Agriculture! Contact Me

Ask about the New Agriculture Techniques such as Aquaponics & Hydroponics, IoT Application in Crop Production & Livestock, Bio Integrated Farming, Agriculture 4.0!
Fill This form [Click Here] or send an email to Me@helbanna.com

IoT in The Smart GreenHouse

IoT in The Smart GreenHouse

Agriculture 4.0| IoT in Monitoring & Managing Green House

Objective

Building a connected environment between all the smart greenhouse units with ability to real time monitoring and controlling remotely through the internet.

System Specs:

Helbanna.com| Design of IoT system used in farming

Logical Architecture of IOT [Internet of Things] system consists of 4 Units:

  1. Sensors [for measuring PH, ORP, Temperature, DO, EC, Ammonium NH4], Actuators [Solenoid, perialistic pump, piston pump, water flow meter ], tracking devices …etc. and these are considered “Lora Node”
  2. IOT – Internet of Things – Unit: It includes the MCU [Microcontroller Unit], Power, relay unit, sensor interface.
  3. LORA Wan Gateway: Gateway is responsible for sending data periodically from Nodes [sensors, actuators, …etc] to cloud based network server. LORA Wan is a great choice especially for long distances of tens of Kilometers and for its long battery life that reaches to ten years.
  4. Cloud Platform: It filters the duplicate packets from gateways, doing security check, storing data recorded in database and presented on dashboard [data visualization].

How does it work?

  • Practical Experiment about applying IoT in green house farming.
  • Practical Experiment about applying IoT in green house farming
  • Helbanna.com| Installing sensor of water management

By installing actuators and sensors in the system for measuring water quality parameters, water flow in the aquaponics unit. And measuring moisture of soil in the worm composting unit. The signals are transmitted from sensors to cloud base network server through LORAWan network.

LORAWan – “Long Range Wide Area Network” is a standard for wireless communication that allows IoT devices to communicate over large distances with minimal battery usage. It consists of LORA Nodes [sensors, actuators, devices, …etc] and LORA Gateway. LORA Gateway received signals from Lora Nodes and transfer the signals from MQTT protocol to internet protocol to be sent to the cloud platform where the data recorded are stored on database and presented on an end user cloud platform.

Helbanna.com| Dashboard of IoT data management sys

The end user sign in to a cloud platform where having a dashboard presents real time data records of all the system components with the ability to control remotely and taking an action that can be transmitted back through LORA Gateway to MCU.

Result of "Applying Internet of Things in Monitoring & Management Greenhouse"

  • Building a connected system of all the greenhouse items.
  • 24/7 Real time monitoring and remote controlling of the system and cultivation processes. 
  • Fully Water Management control through controlling the water flow and the water quality parameters.

Conclusion

It was a wonderful and successful experience for using IoT in agriculture and building a connected system of devices and tackling the challenges of communication network by using solutions like LORAWan model till data visualization of the parameters of water, soil, temperature, supplementary, …etc of all items of the greenhouse. The ability of real time monitoring 24/7 for the system and remotely control through cloud platform help in minimizing the quantity of water, fertilizers and supplementary and maximizing the quality & quantity of product [plant and fish]. 

And by applying advanced technologies for analyzing the data recorded from the system, it can be turned into useful insights to the business.

Need Consultation in Internet of Things and Agriculture! Contact Me

Ask about the New Agriculture Techniques such as Aquaponics & Hydroponics, IoT Application in Crop Production & Livestock, Bio Integrated Farming, Agriculture 4.0!
Fill This form [Click Here] or send an email to Me@helbanna.com

Aquaponics System in Smart GreenHouse

Aquaponics System in Smart GreenHouse

Agriculture 4.0| Bio Integrated farming

Objective

Building “Bio Integrated farm” where utilizing sustainable practices for plants, animals, Compost Piles, Aquaponics, Chicken, and More in a ZERO waste system.

Full System Components

In a smart greenhouse where building units of Aquaponics System, Compost unit, Biological Pesticides unit and Azolla Unit with Real Time Monitoring and Management by IoT System.

  • Building Smart Green House of Aquaponic system, Compost unit and azolla
  • Smart green house: Aquaponics unit output of Oreochromis variabilis fish
  • Aquaponics Output of Strawberry
  • Aquaponics output of Lettuce
  • Using Aquaponics system for growing both of lettuce and fish
  • Aquaponics Output of lettuce2
  • The fish in an aquaponics system
  • Aquaponics Output of lettuce.

1. Aquaponics System

System Specs:

In a greenhouse made of poly-carbonate with 35 m2 Area, there is aquaponics system that consists of:

    • Three grow beds where foam boards rafts is floating above, 1.2 m Length – 1 m Width each.
    • Fish [type: Oreochromis variabilis], – Crops seeds [Strawberry – Tomato – Lettuce]
    • DWC [Deep Water Culture] unit – according to FAO standards – consists of IBC [Intermediate bulk container] Tank of 1m3 of deep water. 
    • Rocket Filter: It is a customized, cheap and innovative filter that hesham built to accelerate the filtration of fish wastes except ammonia on one phase and clear them off. It is about [5$ – 10$] cost
    • Electric Power source.
    • Sensors for measuring and monitoring parameters of water quality & flow, Supplementary, fertigation. 

Implementation Method:

    • Building the aquaponics system by suspending the plant roots in a solution of nutrient-rich water by floating rafts to suspend plant roots into a pool of water about 1 foot in depth.
    • Building a Remotely controlled Tech unit that consists of:
      • Water Quality parameters control: Through installing sensors for measuring EC, PH, ORP, DO and Temperature.
      • Water Flow control Unit (Irrigation System): installing sensors for measuring the water level. And solenoid valve to control on the water flow.
      • Supplementary Automatic system for measuring Fe [iron], K [Potassium], Ca [calcium] in the water
      • Smart fertigation system: Controlling in the supplementary Automatic system with controlling in PH automatically.
    • Cloud Platform: All recorded data from the sensors are transmitted through wireless network LORAWan to be stored on a cloud platform. And a dashboard where real time records and insights of the data output are presented with the ability monitor and control remotely in Water quality & flow.

Aquaponics System Growth & Results:

Producing both of Fish and Organic crops in a sustainable and safe system and environment friendly. 

    • 40Kg of Fish [Oreochromis variabilis] – [300-400] gm for each in 5.5 months.
    • Growing crops of Strawberry in about 21 days – Tomato [3 months] – 5 types of Lettuce: [Oclaive, batavia, Romain, butterHead, Iceburg] after 45 days.

2. Compost Unit

Worm Composting

 Worm composting is using worms to recycle food scraps and other organic material into a valuable soil amendment called “vermicompost”. By feeding the fish solid waste to worms and get VermiCompost in liquid to be used as fertilizer to plants added to the water in the aquaponics system or produced in solid shape to be added to the plant soil.

EM [Effective Microorganisms] Bokashi Composting

Bokashi composting is an anaerobic process that relies on inoculated bran to ferment kitchen waste, including meat and dairy, into a safe soil builder and nutrient-rich tea for your plants.

3. AZOLLA Unit

A unit for cultivating Azolla and use it as a cheap supplemental for fish. Azolla has enormous potential as a livestock feed due to: Its high content in proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, Beta Carotene), growth promoter intermediaries and minerals.

How does the smart GreenHouse work?

The smart greenhouse is a sustainable system where all units serving each other. The fish waste provides nutrients to plants. And unused fish waste is feeding to worms in the composting unit to produce VermiCompost as fertilizer to plant. And cultivating Azolla to be used as protein rich source to feed fish. And Technology role is modifying and controlling in this system. The perfect model with the best result.

Smart GreenHouse Results

  • Zero Waste of water
  • 30% less in fish feed.
  • Double yield of organic crops and growing protein in the same unit and environment.
  • Sustainable system minimize the quantities and maximize quality of product in a safe and friendly environment.
  • 24/7 monitoring for the system with remotely control. 
  • Multiple sources of income of selling fish, VermiCompost, Compost Worms, Azolla.

Conclusion

Aquaponics systems work by using the waste from fish to naturally provide nutrients to plants Just like mother nature does in every aquatic ecosystem and the same in the other units of Compost unit, Biological Pesticides unit, Azolla Unit. And all units are serving each others in a closed loop of natural life and able to integrate with the natural system easily. And applying technology enables 24/7 monitoring & management for the system and remotely control.

Need Consultation in Internet of Things and Agriculture! Contact Me

Ask about the New Agriculture Techniques such as Aquaponics & Hydroponics, IoT Application in Crop Production & Livestock, Bio Integrated Farming, Agriculture 4.0!
Fill This form [Click Here] or send an email to Me@helbanna.com