Jayathilaka SNA1*, Adikaram KKLB2, Kumarasinghe HKMS1
1Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka
2Computer Unit, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka.
Abstract
Protected house cultivation is one of the best solutions to address food security and overcome the scarcity
of land and other resources in the future. An automation system with the Internet of Things (IoT) will be the most effective way
to maintain a protected house with minimum labours. This research was mainly focused to determine the effectiveness of IoT based
automation system for protected house cultivation of salad cucumber in Sri Lanka and validation of temperature and relative humidity
sensors used in this system. The study was carried out in two protected houses with the same crop management practices. An IoT-based
automation system was designed to control temperature and relative humidity inside the protected house. Fertigation was done several
times a day by an automation system for the automated protected house to control electrical conductivity in grow bags. Temperature,
RH, EC, and light intensity were recorded by using sensors and standard methods in different periods. Temperature and RH values
measured from sensors and standard methods were not significantly different during the experimental period. Therefore, used
temperature and RH sensors were valid for this system. Temperature, RH, and EC values were significantly different in two protected
houses and the automated protected house was maintaining those conditions near to the desired levels for salad cucumber. There
was a 40% yield increment in the automated protected house than the conventional protected house. Based on the findings, IoT based
automation system is effective to use with protected house cultivation of salad cucumber in the southern province of Sri Lanka.
Keywords:
Automation, Cucumis sativus, Internet of Things, Protected house, Sensors
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