Integrating scheduled hydroponic system

Abstract

Cultivation, adding up to an important aspect in GDP (Gross Domestic Produce), has been affected tremendously over the past few decades due to the use of chemicals. Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, arable land under cultivation is decreasing enormously. Organic farming, being the need of the hour, is opted as one of the widely chosen methodology to overcome the prevailing problem in cultivation. Advancements in agriculture have proven to serve the cultivators in a number of ways. Cultivation of crops is being done at home, which consumes limited amount of space and cost. To bring in another technological advancement by breaking all barriers, for organic farming is the Hydroponics where consumption of space and water are way too minimal. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants purely using water and nutrients, without soil. The proposed hydroponic system is built upon the concepts of embedded system. The system facilitates the growth of multiple crops under a single controller. Necessary supplements for the crops are provided based on the inputs obtained from the pH sensor and the water level sensor used. The water and nutrient supply to the different varieties of crop is controlled and monitored at regular time intervals. An efficient algorithm has been proposed for controlling all the functionalities. Automation of the hydroponic system improves the efficiency and reduces manual work.