Author: Denis Sinković
Company/Institution: University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (FAMENA)
Country: Croatia
e-mail: ds240029@student.fsb.unizg.hr; sinkovicdenis@gmail.com
web: www.fsb.unizg.hr
Mentor: Prof. dr. sc. ZELJKO SITUM
e-mail: zeljko.situm@fsb.unizg.hr
An automated system for the hydroponic cultivation of vegetables was designed and built, which has the ability to mix and dose different nutrients during the preparation of a solution adapted to the cultivation of a certain type of vegetable. Hydroponic plant growing is a soilless growing technique, where the plants receive nutrients from a solution, thus allowing plants to be grown throughout the year. The quality and stability of the nutrient solution are crucial for successful plant growth. This prevents the consequences of growing plants on poor-quality soil. This innovative technique enables an efficient plant breeding process, reduces human labor and errors, and optimizes plant growth. Compared to traditional methods, hydroponic plant cultivation offers numerous advantages such as faster plant growth, higher annual yields, the ability to adapt the system to different types of plants and recipes for nutrient solutions, which makes it a universal and environmentally friendly solution for plant cultivation. The developed control program enables the monitoring of the key parameters of the solution (acidity, conductivity, temperature) using the PID controller, which enables the preparation and maintenance of the optimal nutrient solution necessary for growing vegetables.