Triggers for irrigation decision-making in greenhouse horticulture using Internet of Things

In this paper, an electrical conductivity (EC) sensor is designed specifically to measure drainage from greenhouse horticulture. The EC measured value gives information about minerals content in the input and output (drainage) from different products. Furthermore, a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) with IoT capabilities is developed for analysis and linguistic decision making about fertigation (fertilizers + water) in a greenhouse. The result is a controller that embeds structural human knowledge about irrigation scheduling into an analytic FLC, in order to provide agricultural scientists with quick access to a particular crop's main production and growth related variables, and allowing for future data driven decisions on the spot. Final results support the continuing development of affordable yet efficient sensors and applications based on FLC and IoT, that provides effective production tools for horticulture producers in developing countries.