Proposal for an automated greenhouse to optimize the growth of hydroponic vegetables with high nutritional content in the context of smart cities

Abstract

Hydroponics is a cultivation method that has been gaining ground for a long time worldwide, due to its high nutritional content, low water consumption, scalability and zero use of pesticides, in addition to the versatility that this technique has to be implemented in almost any space. This is why the Antonio José de Sucre University Corporation, taking advantage of the characteristics of this cultivation technique, proposed the construction of an automated hydroponic greenhouse that serves as a model in the sustainable generation of food from the cities, following the example of smart cities; Within the construction of this proposal, it was necessary to study the requirements for planting the vegetables under hydroponic conditions in order to establish the technology that should have been used in their automation, for which the basic chemical and climatological needs in production were identified. of plant organisms, selecting those critical factors that intervene in productivity, in order to establish the appropriate types of sensors and an action protocol that maintain the values of these variables in optimum, tending to obtain healthy fruits and vegetables and superior in taste and nutrition. As a result, the design of a metallic hydroponic farm was obtained, for the location of the vegetables, recyclable materials such as PVC pipes were used and for the automation of the farm a raspberry pi electronic card was used complemented with PH, conductivity, temperature and humidity sensors. and lighting with the aim of obtaining quality products.