A new IoT-based melon cultivation system has been developed by Brawijaya University (UB) which is currently being implemented at the Agro Techno Park in Malang, East Java.
The drip irrigation system is based on the amount of water in the planting medium, according to Eka Maulana, a lecturer with the university’s Faculty of Engineering.
“Logically when the soil is dry, the ‘drip irrigation system’ is active. How much water content is in the medium when the drip system is active, as well as data and information related to the mechanism, are sent via an IoT connection. In principle, water has been applied with additional nutrients,” Eka said.
According to Eka, drip irrigation systems can be used for a variety of purposes, including determining nutritional requirements, lighting, temperature, and humidity in the greenhouse.
“In the process, the ‘drip irrigation system’ works according to the nutritional needs of each plant. So it is not just how much it irrigates the plants, but according to the age of the plants. Control of this system is monitored in terms of time and data variables that have been recorded before,” Eka stated.
Agro Techno Park’s Agricultural and Development Manager Suyadi said that water flow into the media of the media allows nutrients to be provided to plants periodically based on their needs.
“In a day, it can be done 5 to 10 times, so with this technology, we do not need to manually provide nutrients. It can be left to do other work, because it will automatically turn on the ‘drip irrigation system’ and flow nutrients to the planting media according to the needs of the plant,” he noted.
Suyadi pointed out that the use of IoT has made work easier because the machine turns on automatically whenever the planting media needs nutrients. “So that there is no shortage of nutrients. Because if we are doing it manually, then we still use our instincts when plants need nutrients,” he stated.
A drip irrigation system has proven to be the most effective method for growing melon plants, he explained. “The fruit yields can be better and ideal because the availability of nutrients is stable. If the nutrition is not stable, then the development of melons is not optimal; the fruit can break or the sweetness level will be low,” he explained.
Compared to conventional melons, drip-irrigated melons have a superior taste, are netted and are neatly arranged, and have the perfect weight, according to him. “The market is exclusive, so the taste is definitely different from what is sold in the conventional market. In Jatikerto (Malang), there are several varieties of melon including rock, golden, and honey,” Suyadi explained.
It is also being used as a laboratory for electrical engineering students in Jatikerto’s technology-based agricultural cultivation process. “If melon plants are cultivated using a hydroponic system, then what the student does is aeroponic cultivation of vegetables,” he said.
He explained that in addition to nutrients being more easily absorbed, aeroponic cultivation uses more consistent LED lighting than sunlight, which leads to faster growth. “We can use LED light to trigger the generative phase and the vegetative phase in plants, resulting in increased nutrition, faster growth, and obtaining the desired leaf texture and taste,” he said.
Muhammad Romadhani Prabowo, one of the team members who is also a student of electrical engineering, said plants would be protected from pests and fungi with drip irrigation systems. As a result, he said, vegetables won’t even need to be washed before eating. He added that the harvest quality will be better than that from hydroponic plants.
He explained that aeroponics is currently used to grow hydroponic lettuce, mustard greens, bok choy (a type of Chinese cabbage), basil, and spinach. “Currently, we are also exploring (the drip irrigation system to be implemented for) herbal plants for treatment or plants with high economic value, such as mint and lemon balm,” Prabowo added.
