AN AUTOMATED GREENHOUSE CONTROL SYSTEM USING ARDUINO

Abstract

The world climate change has brought about unpredictable weather conditions that have resulted in the global food shortage being experienced. A possible solution to this problem will likely involve households growing a reasonable percentage of the vegetables and crops they need in a greenhouse which does not require too much land space. A greenhouse will normally produce more crops per square meter when compared to open field cultivation since the microclimatic parameters that determine crop yield are continuously monitored and controlled to ensure that an optimum environment is created. The automated greenhouse control system achieves monitoring and control of a greenhouse environment by using sensors and actuators which are under the control of a microcontroller running a computer program. The system is composed of two stations: Remote monitoring station and the Actuators/Sensors Station. The controller used in the actuators/ sensors station which ensures that the microclimatic parameters stay within pre-defined values as determined and set by the user is the Arduino prototyping platform.
The codes for the controller were written in the Arduino programming language, debugged, compiled, and burnt into the microcontroller using the Arduino integrated development environment (IDE). A scaled-down prototype of the system was built and tested. Automation of a greenhouse brings about efficient data acquisition and control of the microclimatic parameters. It also significantly reduces the labour involved in its maintenance thus making the system useful for rural farmers, small scale agriculturists, gardeners, and agricultural researchers.