Implementation of EC and PH Value Monitoring for NFT-Based Hydroponic System Applying Internet of Things (IoT)

Abstract

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) is introduced as an uplifted technique in conventional hydroponics system. This soil free farming method offers an option to solve the global soil salinity issue. This technique is using fertilized water known as nutrient solution which flows through the plant roots. The nutrient concentration is indicated by the value of electrical conductivity (EC) and pH. An optimum value of EC is very important in producing healthy growing plants. Using conventional method, the reading of these two parameters manually. Thus, this will yield to ineffective data records and consume more time since the person need to attend at the plant area to take the readings. Therefore, through this research, an EC and pH sensor are incorporated in the NFT system to detect the parameter values. These values can be monitored and recorded in continuous real-time (online) using internet of things (IoT) through an android application-Blynk app. With less than 10% of data irregularities recorded, the research resulted that this system is reliable in monitoring real time data monitoring and recording used in NFT.