Enhancing greenhouse strawberry irrigation: integrating IoT technologies and low-cost moisture sensors in substrate

The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, particularly sensor-based systems, is revolutionizing agriculture, including strawberry cultivation in greenhouses. Furthermore, the use of wireless communication technologies, alongside efficient data storage and visualization platforms, can enhance monitoring and decision-making capabilities. This study aimed to calibrate and verify the real-time operation of the low-cost SKU SEN0193 V2.0 sensor and the SHT20 in strawberry cultivation substrate, evaluating IoT technologies for data transmission, including LoRa, InfluxDB for storage, and Grafana for visualization and monitoring. The adaptability and accuracy of the SHT20 and SKU SEN0193 V2.0 sensors were tested in laboratory and greenhouse strawberry crops. Water retention curves in the substrate were determined using the Haines Funnel, while recording sensor measurements simultaneously for calibration. For real-time monitoring, sensors were placed in two slabs with strawberry plants in a greenhouse. InfluxDB stored the data, and Grafana visualized it. While the SHT20 sensor showed limited suitability for substrates due to its lack of response to moisture variations, SKU SEN0193 V2.0 produced excellent results, detecting changes in moisture content in both laboratory and greenhouse tests. Sensor-specific calibration for greenhouse slabs is crucial. The utilization of data storage and visualization tools like InfluxDB and Grafana facilitated real-time data manipulation, demonstrating their potential for enhancing irrigation management in greenhouse strawberry production.