In the heart of Romania, at the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, a groundbreaking study is reshaping the future of agriculture. Cosmina-Mihaela Rosca, a researcher from the Department of Automatic Control, Computers, and Electronics, has been delving into the world of hydroponics, a soil-less farming method that could revolutionize how we grow crops. Her latest research, published in Applied Sciences, compares cloud-based and local infrastructures for automatic IoT-driven hydroponic systems, offering insights that could significantly impact the agricultural sector.
Hydroponics, a method of growing plants in nutrient-rich water rather than soil, is gaining traction in urban areas and regions with limited arable land. It promises higher yields, reduced water usage, and year-round crop production. However, managing these systems efficiently requires advanced technology. This is where Rosca’s research comes in.
Rosca and her team have been exploring the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to monitor and control hydroponic systems. They set up two types of infrastructures: one fully cloud-based using Microsoft Azure technologies, and the other fully local using custom-made scripts and locally installed services. Both setups used identical hardware, including an M5Stack module with sensors for monitoring temperature, humidity, electrical conductivity, and liquid level.
The results were enlightening. The local infrastructure offered a shorter response time (200 ms compared to 300 ms for the cloud infrastructure) and lower operational costs, making it more suitable for autonomous hydroponic systems. However, the cloud infrastructure provided greater data accessibility and advanced security measures. “The cloud infrastructure has greater data accessibility than local infrastructure, and the security measures are advanced,” Rosca explained. “These advantages of cloud infrastructure involve recurring costs of USD 82.57/month.”
The study also highlighted the importance of considering long-term costs and the specific needs of the hydroponic system when choosing between cloud and local infrastructures. For instance, cloud-based solutions might be more suitable for monitoring multiple facilities located in different places, while local solutions could be more cost-effective for small-scale, autonomous systems.
So, what does this mean for the future of agriculture? As Rosca puts it, “The research provides applicable recommendations for farmers who wish to adopt modern and intelligent solutions to improve decision-making processes and achieve agricultural digitalization.” This research could pave the way for more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable farming practices, not just in hydroponics but in traditional agriculture as well.
Moreover, the insights gained from this study could have broader implications for the energy sector. As the world moves towards more sustainable and efficient energy use, the lessons learned from optimizing hydroponic systems could be applied to other areas, such as smart grids and renewable energy management.
The study also opens up avenues for future research. Rosca and her team plan to explore the real fluctuations of long-term costs and study different plant species and hydroponic farms. They also aim to include human errors and cybernetics simulations in their analysis to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the two infrastructures.
As we stand on the cusp of a new agricultural revolution, Rosca’s research serves as a beacon, guiding us towards a future where technology and agriculture intersect to create sustainable, efficient, and profitable farming practices. This research, published in Applied Sciences, is a significant step forward in this journey, offering valuable insights that could shape the future of agriculture and beyond.
