A review on Automation in Hydroponics

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A review on Automation in Hydroponics
Naveen Bilagi¹, Nandana M Hegde², Ketan Karande³, Dinesh K Naik 4, Hemanth Suvarna5,
Alva's Institute of Engineering and Technology, Moodbidri – 574225,
Mangalore, Karnataka India.
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Abstract - Space has always been the big problem for those
who live in urban areas. “HYDROPONICS” is the growing of
plants in a liquid nutrient solution with or without the use of
artificial media. The objective is to identify hydroponic system
for those who are living in an apartment in an urban area.
Livings in apartments have limited space to do farming
activities. to help people so that they can farm in a small area
and have limited space in the urban areas. Apart from that
continuous use of traditional farming practices with
conventional tillage and burning off the crop residues has
reduced the soil resource base and intensifiedsoildegradation
with decrease in crop production capacity. also, escalating
fuel, fertilizers and other input costs; necessitates the effective
use of resources in agriculture. In Hydroponics, there is a
challenge of precision agriculture, especiallyforsomesensitive
plants, e.g., Coriander and lettuce. These kindsofplantsneeda
precise amount of nutrient and water every time to grow
ideally. Internet-of-Things (IoT) is a technology that enables
regular monitoring of every aspect of human life. By the use of
these technologies, we can easily control the nutrients
required for the plants to grow.
Key Words: Internet-of-things, Hydroponics, Nutrients.
1. INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is the most critical sector in India. With the
increasing population every year, the food availability is a
necessity that must always be achieved by the agricultural
industry. However, with the increasing development,a lotof
agricultural lands is converted for uses such as the
construction of housing complexes, industrial estates, trade
zones and public facilities which will undoubtedly have a
negative economic, social and environmental impact. This
agricultural land reduction will certainlyalsocausea decline
in agricultural production capacity, thus making the
government have to import agricultural products to meet
domestic food needs. Agricultural technologyisproliferating
in urban areas now. One solution that can be done by the
community is to develop an agricultural system that can be
done with limited landavailabilityorcommonlycalledurban
farming or urban agriculture. Urban farming or urban
agriculture is one of the practical solutions to overcome the
reduction of agricultural land. Urban agriculture uses land
that is not used in urban areas, such as roofs, balconies,
patios, even on walls of buildings. One of the agricultural
techniques used in urban farming is hydroponics. Methods
using hydroponics is one of the possible ways to be able to
do agriculture even without agricultural land. Hydroponics
comes from Greece, hydro means water, and ponies means
work. Based on the problems above, one of the researchers
tried to solve this by combining hydroponic methods, and
IoT technology, and ‘fuzzy’ logic to make a smart controlling
that can automatically control plants nutrition’s and water
needs. By utilizing internet of things (IOT) technology, the
sensor device can communicate and send data to a cloud
server to be processed and monitored in real time scenario.
Each sensor is connected to Arduino board to control plant
needs automatically by using fuzzy logic technology so that
the control system will automatically add nutrients to the
plant. The results of processing data from
2. History
The Greek words "hydro" (which means water) and"ponos,"
which meanslabor, are the origin of thename"hydroponics."
This phrase was first used in1929 by Dr. Gericke,aprofessor
from California who was developing what had previously
been a lab technique into a practical way to cultivate plants.
During World War II, the U.S. Army used hydroponic culture
to grow fresh food for troops stationed on barren Pacific
islands. Commercially successful farms existed in America,
Europe, Africa, and Asia by the 1950s.
3. Benefits of hydroponics include:
(1) Crops grown hydroponically have a high yield and are
free from disease, weed infestation, and soil-borne insects
and pests.
(2) Food grown in soilless cultures is organic, and no
dangerous toxics or pesticides are used.
(3) Gardening requires less room since plants with short
roots can be cultivated near to one another.
(4) Crops grown in hydroponic systems grow twice as
quickly and produce twice as much, allowing for increased
productivity in the same amount of space.
(5) There is no water waste because theprocessonlyapplies
1/20th as much water to the crops as conventional farming
does.
(6) Demands less work.
(7) Crops can be cultivated without concern for the varying
seasons.
International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 05 | May 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

4. Limitations:
While hydroponics offers many advantages, it also has some
drawbacks. Setting up a large-scale application requires
technical expertise. Additional setup costs are expensiveand
necessitateongoingoversight.Duetoimpropermanagement,
water-based infections can readily be introduced via
hydroponics procedures.Notall cropscanbeproducedusing
these techniques, which is another significant constraint.
Carrot and potatoes are a couple of examples. pH, humidity,
and temperature are additional restrictions.
5. Problems:
Since the price of a hydroponics systemisconsiderable,poor
Indian farmers cannot afford them.Growingcropsneedvery
profound abilities and practical knowledge. Less awareness
leads to an unfocused agriculture sector in India. It is not
simple to impart knowledge and training to farmers of all
income levels, from the poor to the average. Another motive
is to help the farmer generate interest and ensure better
outcomes and high harvests. The farmers need to hire a
horticulture or skilled staff if they are willing to work in this
field but lack knowledge of the system. And a major issue is
really finding employees at reasonable salaries.
6. Hydroponic system in total:
6.1 open system
• Rockwool Culture: The hydroponics industry's most
popularmedia.Rockwoolismadeofheated,ground-upbasalt
rock that is spun into threads to create wool. It is frequently
supplied in cube form and is quite light. Rockwool has the
capacity to store water and maintain an adequate amount of
air (at least 18 percent) to support healthy root growth.
6.2 Closed system
• NFT and Rockwool: Plants are established on small
rockwool slabs positioned in channels containing recycled
nutrient solution.
These systems are additionally divided into:
1. passive devices
2. active systems
A wick and growing medium with a high capillary action are
used in passive systems. This enables water to be drawn to
the roots of the plant. By far, the most straightforward
hydroponic system is the Wick System. Active systems
functionbycontinuouslytransferringanutritionalsolutionto
the roots of plants.
Fig -1: The above figure shows the wick system
7.Techniques for Managing Nutrients
The difficulty of managing nutrientsisaclosedsystem'smain
drawback. There are four basic methods that are frequently
used.
7.1 Technique 1
Automatic control of electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and
water addition. While the EC provides an estimate of the
nutrient content, the pH measures thesubstrate'sacidityand
regulates the availability of mineral nutrients. Because
overall nutrient availability is optimized at a slightly acidic
pH, a hydroponic culture should have a pH between 5.0 and
6.0, and the EC level should be between 1.5 and 3 ds m-1.
7.2 Technique 2
The holding tank's watermakeupisautomaticallycontrolled,
typically by a float valve, so the tank level is maintained.
Water and nutrients are present here.
8. Review
B.A. Kratky Et.al in his research he found methods to grow
plants in suspended net pot method which used a model
growing system consisting of a tank which is filled with 4 to
8 liters of nutrient solution for a plant before planting.
Lettuce can be seeded or transplanted into containers
containing growing medium. The pot is supported by the
tank cover such that their lowerportionisinitiallyimmersed
in nutrient solution. Figure shows the setup model used for
the research.

Moist air
space
Tank
Cover
Time
Nutrient
Solution
Air or Oxygen
roots
(Imai, 1987)
Water and
nutrient
roots
Fig -2: B.A Kratky research
It completes the research concept of non-circulating
hydroponics, which can grow plants using water and
nutrient solutions without the need for both electricity and
pumps. Elongated roots absorb nutrients to form a nutrient
solution, and roots hanging inmoistspacesprovideaeration.
The plant grows, expands airspace and lowers nutrient
solution, and spreads its roots [1].
Except this Mohd. Hafiz Talib et.al conducted a study on
improvising hydroponics systems in Malaysia,wherepeople
live in small condominiums and apartments with littlespace
to grow plants to solve the problem. I studied the general
layout and based it on him... start looking into the problem.
Using the existing shelving system and considering the
shortcomings we discussed with local farmersand breeders,
we came up with a new design that uses water circulation
technology to save space and is easy to use [2].
In addition, Khairul Aidil Azlin Abd Rahman et al. also
conducted some research in Malaysia and found that80% of
the food supply was imported and local plant products were
exported. And about 65% of a person's income goes to food
consumption. Existing hydroponic system designs are not
suitable for current lifestyle requirements.Thisallowsusers
to farm in tight spaces. A hydroponics system could cut him
40% of his living expenses.Hethenproposedanothertypeof
hydroponics method for shelvingsystemsand,inconclusion,
this study helped urbandwellersunderstandtheimportance
of home-grown food while reducing food costs[3].
Apart from these traditional methods, Herman et al.
conducted research using IOT (Internet of Things)
technology. IoT is a technology that monitorseveryaspectof
human life. This allows you to control the levels of nutrients
and aqueous solutions. He used fuzzy logic (fuzzy logic that
attempts to solve the open and imprecise data spectrum
problem) to control nutrient flow using sensors.
Fig -3: The above figure shows the IOT overview
The above figure shows the general idea of this method. The
use of IoT using an Arduino microcontroller to control and
analyze data from all connecteddevicesandsensors.TheIoT
device used here is useful for monitoring humidity, the
temperature of nutrient solution, air temperature, PH, and
EC using an android application.
Fig -4: The above figure shows the IOT Controller
Below figure shows the flowchart of the controller
programmed output system along with the implementation
methods used by the researcher.
Fig -5: The above figure shows the flow chart

After the experimentation for 4 weeks the research
concluded that this hybrid systemshowed betterprogressin
plant growth than in the traditional one by comparing the
data statistics and growth comparison as depicted below
Fig -5: Comparison of traditional and Smart control
So concluding that smart controlling is better than
traditional methods[4].
Subhrajit Saha Et.alfrom USA made a research by comparing
the methods of growing plants without soil i.e Hydroponics
and aquaphonics. As study tanks of 95 L (25 Gal) capacity
dark polyethylene containers (16.88" 18.75" 27cm3 -h" w"
d) were employed. Hydroponics and aquaponics were each
given four tanks. Tanks were stocked with 83 L (22 Gal) of
pH-neutral tap water. All tanks were equipped witha double
air pump (75-225 L capacity) and two air stones (30 mm
round).
Each aquaponic tank received the release of four mature
crayfish. Because crayfish are territorial,eachtank wasfilled
with various pieces of PVC pipe shelters to deter conflictand
enhance crayfish survivability. Gallardo-Coll et al. utilised
PVC shelters in a similar manner (2014). Each container lid
had a surface area of 506.25 cm2 (18.75 cm " 27 cm). Five
circular cuts, one in each, were made on the lids.Thenetpots
holding the seedlings should be inserted into each corner
and one in the centre.
Basil was planted at a density of 5 seedlings per 506.25 cm2
(100 plants per square metre). In this investigation, slotted
net pots with a diameter of 12.7 cm (5in)were employed. To
hold the basil seedlings, pots lined with coconut coir and
vermiculite (60:40) were constructed. On August 14, 2015,
seedlings that were three weeks old were sown in net pots
and transferred to tanks.
And after the experimentationcomparisonheconcludedthat
Basil may be grown in soilless hydroponic and aquaponic
systems with little water, whichhasthepotential tosolvethe
problems of land and water scarcity. Compared to
hydroponic basil, aquaponic basil producedplantswith14%
greater height and 56% greaterfresh weight.Wecometo the
conclusion that the extra nutrients provided by the crayfish
excreta and unconsumed feed are what are responsible for
the increased growth and yield in AqB. Therefore, aquatic
creatures like crayfish could be used to produce crops in
aquaponic systems.However, we found no distinctions
between the two soilless systems in terms of plant quality
(chlorophyll) or leaf nutrient levels. These two
characteristics were unaffected by the addition of extra
fertilisers to the aquaponic systems[5].
Martin P.N. Ghent et al. studied the metabolites of plants
affected by sunlight, such as diurnal altitude and water
content, and analyzed the tissue structure of lettuce and the
variety of hydroponically produced lettuce (Lactuca sativa
L.). We collected the sizes AM or PM. And their compositions
were measured. The range of insolationintegralswas4to14
mol mL2 day. In this study, plant sizes ranged from 2 to 260
g fresh weight (FW)/plant and photosynthetically active
irradiance. The increase in dry matter contentinnormalized
irradiance per unit area can be used to explain much of the
variation in tissue composition on a FW basis. Except for
nitrate, metabolite concentrations increased withFW-based
irradiation, and changes with irradiation were greaterin the
afternoon than in the morning harvest.
After considering the data collected, he concluded that the
leaf area index and light absorption per unit leaf area or
weight vary between plants of different sizes. Small plants
have widely spaced leaves that are exposed to all of the
sunlight that falls on the canopy. Since larger plants have
more leaf area and more leaf overlap, there is typically less
light intensity per unit leaf area. Small plants should be
predicted to have faster rates of photosynthesis and nitrate
reduction and, thus, bigger changes in sugars and nitrate
than large plants because of the higher light intensity per
unit leaf area [6].
PERFORMANCE OF VEGETABLES UNDER HYDROPONICS
SYSTEM [7]
Type of crops Name of the crops
Cereals Rice, Maize
Fruits Strawberry
Vegetables Tomato, Chilli etc
Leafy vegetables Lettuce, Spinach
Condiments Methi, Parsley
Aquaponics:
Aquaponics is a bio-integrated system that links
recirculating aquaculturewithhydroponic vegetable,flower,
and/or herb production. Recent advances by researchers
and growers alike have turned aquaponics into a working
model of sustainable food production. This publication
provides an introduction to aquaponics withbriefprofiles of
working units around the country. An extensive list of
resources points the reader to print and Web-based
educational materials for further technical assistance [8].

Recently, hydroponics techniques have been proposed as a
clean and relatively simple method, devoid of the possibility
of soil-borne diseases, insect or pest infections ofcrops,thus
reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides and reducing
the resulting toxicity. In addition, compared to field-grown
crops, the plant's growth time is reduced because the roots
are mechanically unhindered and all nutrients are readily
available to the plant. This technique is very useful in areas
where environmental stress(cold,hot,desert,etc.)isa major
problem (Polycarpou et al., 2005). Plants in hydroponic
systems are considered off-season and can grow all year
round as they are immune to climate change (Manzocco et
al., 2011) [9]. In addition, commercial hydroponic systems
are automated, expected to reduce labor and eliminate
traditional farming practices such as weeding, spraying,
watering and tillage (Jovicich et al., 2003). . Hydroponics
saves a lot of water because it doesn't require irrigation or
other types of spraying and doesn't hold water. Pest and
disease issues are easily controlled, while weeds are
virtually non-existent. Yields are higher due to the larger
number of plants per plant compared to conventional
farming. [10].
9. Fodder Production Under Hydroponics
Growing plants without soil in greenhouses (high-tech or
low-cost equipment) in water or nutrient solutionsforshort
periods of time (about 7-8 days) is hydroponic forage
production. In India, hydroponic forage production prefer
corn kernels over other grains. Hydroponic diets have other
health benefits due to their palatability, digestibility, and
nutritional value. Hydroponic feed can be produced to feed
dairy cows using inexpensive equipmentinsituationswhere
farmers cannot successfully grow conventional feed
(Ramteke et al., 2019). Land is 529.7 million, of which 187
million (19.89%) cattle, 108.7 million (19.89%) buffalo,
71.56 million (13.51%) sheep, 140.54 million (26
54%) goats and 11 million pigs.Overthepast56years(1951
to 2007), growth rates for cattle (28.19%), buffalo
(142.72%), sheep (83.02%) and goats (197.76%) show an
increasing trend, showing an overall The growth rate is
80.91. % (GOI, 2012). Domestic feed and fodder demand is
increasing due to the increase in livestock due to the
intensive breeding system.
10. Crops Grown on Soil-Less or Hydroponics
Culture
This technology makes it possible to grow practically any
kind of vegetables, fruits, fodder and crops. Flowers give
better flowering and color in hydroponics. Hydroponics
systems can be automated, so they are well controlled and
better suited for collecting the final product. Some crops
such as vegetables, fruits, flowers and medicinal plants can
be grown without soil or hydroponically (Sardare and
Shraddha, 2013) [13].
Significant differences in yield quality were observed
between hydroponic lettuce and conventionally grown
lettuce (Murphy et al., 2011). Tomato flavor and acidity,
carotenoids and vitamins were superior in the hydroponic
system (Gruda, 2009). A mixture of 80% pumice + 10%
perlite + 10% peat was found to produce 30% more tomato
yield compared to soil (Matouri et al., 2005). Hydroponic
tomatoes were thought to be softer and tastier than
conventionally grown tomatoes. [14].
11. Quality Improved by Hydroponics
Consumption of fruits and vegetables significantly reduces
the risk of many types of chronic diseases in humans
(Giovannucci et al., 2002; Dorais etal.,2008).Somebioactive
compounds and nutrients, such as beta-carotene and
antioxidants found in vegetables, have beneficial effects on
health. Therefore, eco-friendly techniques like hydroponics
can be used to increase health-promoting compounds and
improve the quality of fruits and vegetables. Itiswidelyused
for environmental control and protectedagriculture.used to
address uncertainties in soil moisture and nutrient status in
You can also change the nutritional value of fruits and
vegetables by controlling light and temperature [15].
12. Conclusion Indian hydroponics market
potential:
Some countries with dry and arid climates like Israel are
using hydroponics to great effect. It has great potential for
food production. With population growth and soil
degradation due to poor land management, people are
turning to innovative techniques such as hydroponics and
aeroponics to feed the country. Climate change and natural
disasters such as droughts and floods require a switchtothe
latest technologiesto ensure safefoodproduction.According
to research, the global hydroponics marketisprojectedto be
worth $17.9 billion by 2026. The technology is still in its
early stages in India, but there are signs it is on the rise. [16].
REFERENCES
[1] Kratky, B.A. 2009. Three non-circulating hydroponic
methods for growing lettuce. Proceedings of the
International Symposium on Soilless Culture and
Hydroponics. Acta. Hort. 843:65-72.
[2] Mohd Hafiz Talib ANALYZING HYDROPONIC RACK
SYSTEMFORAPARTMENTHOUSEUniversity Putra Malaysia
2018
[3] Khairul Aidil Azlin Abd Rahman Analysing hydroponic
rack design for apartment house Department of Industrial
Design, Faculty Design and Architecture, University Putra
MalaysiaInternational Journal of Engineering & Technology,
7 (2.14) (2018) 128-132

[4] Herman Intelligent Monitoring and Controlling
SystemforHydroponics Precision Agriculture by,Computer
Science Department, Binus Graduate Program –Master of
Computer Science Bina Nusantara University Jakarta,
Indonesia,11480.
[5] Subhrajit Saha.2016 Growth, yield, plant quality and
nutrition of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)under soilless
agricultural systems. Department of Biology, Georgia
Southern University, 4324 Old RegisterRoad,Statesboro, GA
30460, USA
[6] A carbohydrate supply and demand model of vegetative
growth: response to temperature and light [7]Mohd Hafiz
Talib ANALYZING HYDROPONIC RACK SYSTEM FOR
APARTMENT HOUSE University Putra Malaysia 2018
[7] NISHA SHARMA Hydroponics as an advanced technique
for vegetable production: An overview Journal of Soil and
Water Conservation 17(4): 364-371, October-December
2018
[8] Aquaponics—Integration of Hydroponics with
Aquaculture- National Sustainable Agriculture Information
Service a Publication of ATTRA.
[9] Effect of Daily Light Integral on Composition of
Hydroponic LettuceMartinP.N.GentDepartmentofForestry
and Horticulture, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment
Station, P.O. Box 1106, New Haven, CT 06504
[10] Hydroponics as an advanced technique for vegetable
production SOMEN ACHARYA*, KAUSHAL KUMAR 2018.
[11] Ms. Mamta D. Sardare,PLANT WITHOUT SOIL –
HYDROPONICS.
[12] Aggregation and C and N contents of soil organic
matterKelly Lichter & Bram Govaerts.
[13] Abdullah, A. 2001. Nutritive value of barley fodder
grown in a hydroponics system. Bakshi, M.P.S.,Wadhwa,M.,
and Makkar, H. 2017. Hydroponic fodder production, a
critical assessment. Broadening horizons
[14] Bhise V., Chavan, J., Kadam, S. 1988. Effects of malting
on proximate composition and in vitro protein and starch
digestibilities of grain sorghum. Journal of Food Science and
Technology,25: 327-329.
[15] Giovannucci, E., Rimm, E., Liu, Y., Stampfer, M. and
Willet, W.A. 2002. A Prospective Study of Tomato Products,
Lycopene, and Prostate Cancer Risk. Journal of the National
Cancer Institute, 94(5): 391-398.
[16] Gruda, N. 2009. Do Soil-less Culture Systems Have an
Influence on Product Quality of Vegetables. Journal of
Applied Botany and Food Quality, 82(2):141– 147.

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