Abstract:Facility agriculture in the development of smart agriculture is a labor-intensive agricultural production method that integrates cloud computing, sensor networks, the Internet of Things, engineering, and information technology. It relies on sensing nodes (environmental temperature and humidity, soil moisture, CO2, images, etc.) and wireless communication networks to achieve intelligent management of facility agricultural production. This paper analyzes the advantages and technical applications of IoT technology in facility agriculture to improve the unit output rate of facility agriculture and further enhance the standardization, facility-based, intensive, and intelligent level of agricultural production.
Keywords: Smart; IoT; Technology; Facility Agriculture; Application
Traditional agriculture mainly relies on human labor, animal power, machinery, and other methods for collaborative work, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, making it impossible to form scale production. Facility agriculture is the foundation of smart agriculture development in China. The application of IoT in facility agriculture allows for rapid, accurate, and real-time acquisition of agricultural production data. After analysis by a backend processing center, it utilizes information perception and hardware equipment to automatically adjust indoor light and temperature conditions, optimizing the crop growth environment.
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Advantages of IoT Technology Application
1.1 Labor Savings
In facility agricultural production, IoT and GPRS technology are used to identify, collect data, transmit, and manage equipment such as curtain machines, drip irrigation pipes, ventilation fans, electric irrigation systems, and warm air stoves through sensors measuring air temperature and humidity, light intensity, rainfall, soil temperature and humidity, and soil pH. Remote control can be achieved by logging into a mobile phone or PC client. For example, when the CO2 concentration in the greenhouse exceeds the safety value, the sensors at the top window, side window, and curtain door can automatically identify the safety threshold and open automatically. Once the concentration returns to a safe range, the curtain door closes automatically. Additionally, indoor shading systems, heating and lighting systems, insulation systems, heating systems, wet curtain fans, drip irrigation systems, or mobile seedbeds can all be automatically opened and closed, effectively saving labor and improving production efficiency.
1.2 Real-Time Monitoring
In safe production of facility agriculture, soil monitoring, cultivation management, environmental monitoring, and quality safety traceability of agricultural products are essential. Setting upper and lower limits for growth parameters of crops under different growth stages and environmental factors, using IoT and sensors, real-time monitoring of growth information, water and fertilizer integrated irrigation, pesticide application, and growth conditions can be achieved, with online analysis processing of relevant data to adjust and optimize factors affecting soil (or substrate) temperature and humidity, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium content, pH value, as well as air temperature and humidity, and CO2 concentration, thereby improving crop yield and quality.
1.3 Scalable Production Management
Only with industry scale can profit be increased. Facility agriculture combines local environment and land resources, adapting to local conditions, rational layout, integrating IoT information technology and mechanization, transforming traditional agricultural cultivation and management models, simplifying field management, and achieving basic mechanization or semi-mechanization in tillage, pesticide application (variable, targeted, electrostatic spraying), fertilization, etc., while environmental monitoring systems become automated and intelligent, solving seasonal labor shortages.
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Application of IoT Technology in Facility Agriculture under Smart Agriculture
2.1 Safety Traceability Function
With the support of IoT technology, the RFID system consists of electronic tags, readers, and antennas (Figure 1), which is a non-contact automatic identification technology. Electronic tags are attached to the surface or inside of the identified object. Through radio signals, the target is monitored, and data is accurately recorded and collected, achieving automatic collection of object information data to ensure traceability of quality throughout the supply chain. At the same time, the agricultural product traceability system is an information management system that ensures full traceability from “farm to table,” and serves as a platform for the release and inquiry of regional agricultural product quality safety information. It follows the principle of “one product, one code,” allowing users to scan QR codes or barcodes to accurately understand the full information of agricultural products from production, processing, logistics, storage, to sales.
2.2 Crop Breeding Management
Establish a breeding management and digital service platform to achieve information management of the entire breeding process, set data collection standards for crop breeding traits, and provide data support for the construction of breeding big data resources through data analysis. For example, using RFID technology for breeding electronic tags can achieve data integration and improve collection rates, enabling scalable breeding models and providing a one-stop environment for card making and labeling, achieving accurate and efficient breeding.
2.3 Sensor Network Technology
Smart agriculture utilizes sensors and software to reasonably control the environment, crops, water and fertilizer, pest and weed information in agricultural production through mobile platforms, making traditional agriculture more “intelligent.” Sensor network technology is the foundational support for achieving agricultural informatization. In smart agriculture, modern information technology is fully applied, connecting numerous micro sensor nodes wirelessly with IoT, audio and video, 3S, computers, and wireless communication to enable information perception, data resource interconnection, and intelligent control, achieving visual remote diagnosis, remote control, and disaster warning in agriculture.
2.4 Agricultural Intelligent Management
The agricultural IoT management system monitors environmental changes in real time. Facility agriculture uses IoT technology to achieve monitoring of environmental control equipment, climate, crop growth information, growth factors, irrigation control, and greenhouse climate variable frequency synchronous irrigation machines (video and images), collecting, recording, storing, analyzing, and displaying monitoring information in real time. Relevant parameters are uploaded to the server through wireless transmission, and after setting reasonable system parameter values, automatic control and adjustment of various agricultural facility equipment can be achieved to create suitable growth conditions.
2.5 Online Expert Support
Through the online agricultural expert system, experts can diagnose common pests and diseases of crops remotely, providing full technical guidance and services to farmers’ cooperatives and large-scale growers. Growers can also consult online via video, providing timely feedback on issues. Additionally, this system can interface with smart agricultural clients, pushing agricultural technical knowledge to growers via smartphones or smart terminals.
2.6 Automated Drip Irrigation Technology
Automated drip irrigation, compared to traditional irrigation methods, features simple layout, lightweight pipes, time and labor savings, high precision, and the integration of fertilizer and water to avoid fertilizer waste. When integrated with IoT technology, a scientific irrigation plan can be developed, building an efficient, low-consumption, multifunctional, and scientifically managed agricultural irrigation water-saving platform. Based on soil moisture sensors, it monitors soil moisture content and plant water usage. The sensor transmits the read data to the controller, which issues commands to automatically adjust watering times, achieving programmed operational control and automated irrigation. For example, when outdoor temperatures rise or rainfall decreases, the automated drip irrigation equipment will adjust watering times and amounts automatically, achieving full operational control (Figure 2).
2.7 WIFI Technology
With the popularization of networks, WIFI technology and IoT technology are applied in facility agriculture for smart agricultural management. Various data affecting crop production are collected, forming a complete sensor transmission network, configuring sensors, spray irrigation, fans, and PLC control devices to collect data on air temperature and humidity, soil temperature and humidity, light intensity, and CO2 concentration. Data collection and transmission are achieved, and commands are issued to devices through the WIFI network, providing precise planting and visual management for facility agricultural production, promoting the deep integration of IoT technology with the agricultural field. Based on wireless network transmission, data transmission between the network end and the user end is achieved (with an indoor coverage distance of 100 m and an outdoor coverage distance of approximately 200 m), enabling real-time data transmission.
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Conclusion
Facility agriculture breaks through the limitations of natural conditions, characterized by high technology content, high investment, high output, and high efficiency. It is a modern agricultural production method without seasonal and regional restrictions. Through quality safety traceability using RFID technology, automated drip irrigation technology, sensor network technology, and WIFI technology, remote and intelligent control is achieved, maximizing monitoring functions, enhancing crop yields, optimizing crop quality, and realizing production scalability. This addresses the supply-demand contradiction in multiple dimensions, achieving precise, large-scale, and automated agricultural management, thereby increasing agricultural planting yields and improving the output efficiency of facility cultivation, filling the gaps in agricultural development.
Source: Agricultural Informatization