Implementación de un microprocesador basado en Arduino para el monitoreo de variables ambientales en invernaderos

Abstract

In Ecuador, small and medium-sized farmers usually do not invest in technologies to monitor the environment of greenhouses, which often increases the risk of production losses. To address this problem, a microprocessor based on Arduino was implemented for environmental variable monitoring. The platform is open source and relatively inexpensive, making it a viable solution for farmers. Therefore, a prototype was built that monitors light intensity, temperature, relative humidity, UV radiation, soil moisture, and CO2 inside greenhouses. The accuracy of the microprocessor was compared to commercial sensors in a greenhouse at the University of Cuenca and a calibration of the prototype was performed. Finally, field tests were carried out in three commercial greenhouses. The prototype proved to be capable of effectively monitoring environmental variables within the greenhouses of small and medium-sized farmers with an acceptable level of accuracy compared to commercial sensors, especially for temperature and relative humidity. Deficiencies in the energy economy of the prototype were identified, but overall, the prototype shows potential as a viable solution for farmers. Improved versions of the prototype can help address the lack of access to technology in registering environmental variables for small and medium-sized farmers, allowing them to make informed management decisions and potentially improve greenhouse productivity.