Nur Nadia Natasha Mohd Wahidi1, & Alias Masek2
1,2 Fakulti Pendidikan Teknikal dan Vokasional, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia,
86400 Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia
ABSTRACT
The cultivation of Grey Oyster Mushrooms is influenced by several factors such as ambient temperature, humidity, light and ventilation. The unpredictable Malaysian weather makes it difficult for this plant to get the optimum temperature to grow healthy and avoid bacteria. Hence, the development of an Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House serves to solve the problem related to temperature and humidity for the cultivation of Grey Oyster Mushrooms. The main objective of this study is to design the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Oyster Mushrooms House, to develop a system to control the temperature, humidity and water level tank in the house of grey oyster mushrooms and to test the functionality of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House. This study was developed by using the Waterfall Model which involves five phases. The five phases are Requirement Analysis Phase, Design Phase, Operation Phase, Testing Phase and Maintenance Phase. Besides, the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House successfully detects and control the temperature and humidity by using the DHT22 sensor and sends the data to the Blynk to run the system automatically when the temperature exceeds 30˚C or the humidity is less than 70%. This study involves the use of technology electronic components such as WiFi Module ModeMCU ESP8266, DHT22 sensor, Ultrasonic sensor and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The development of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House might help agropreneurs to control mushrooms house more systematically, efficiently and also reduces the rate of damage to the mushrooms due to excessive mattering process.
The findings of the study are evidenced by confirmation from experts.
Improvements can be made by using solar energy as power and placing indicators such as Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights and even alarms to indicate the system is operating.
Keywords: Grey Oyster Mushrooms, Waterfall Model, Wi-Fi Module NodeMCU ESP8266, DHT22 Sensor, Ultrasonic Sensor
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7.1 INTRODUCTION
Mushrooms are an edible fungal plant and have been widely grown in Asia since time immemorial. The mushroom industry began to grow rapidly in 1960. This industry was pioneered by countries in Asia. For example, China is the world’s largest producer of mushrooms but 95% id for domestic consumption (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2015). The world market demand for fresh mushrooms, dried and processed is increasing every year, driven by its high potential in the development of pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and other downstream industries (Rosmiza & Hussin, 2017).
One of the mushrooms that is gaining popularity among agropreneurs and consumers is the Grey Oyster Mushroom or its scientific name Pleurotus Sajor-caju (Rosmiza & Hussin, 2017). Grey Oyster Mushroom is one of the easiest mushrooms to manage (Hall, 2010). The basic requirements for mushroom growth are the ambient temperature is less than 30˚C, relative humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2), light and good air flow in the mushroom house (Muharam, 2018)
Through the use of the method to control the temperature and humidity in the mushroom house manually, several problems have been identified such as first the operators find it difficult to control the temperature in the mushroom shed so regular monitoring needs to be done to ensure the temperature is always at an appropriate level Next, if the temperature in the mushroom house exceeds the temperature suitable for mushroom cultivation, the method used by the operator to reduce the temperature is manually by doing the process of spraying water on the floor, walls and even blocks of wood. This will cause wastage of water in addition to the risk of disease and insect attacks due to mushroom houses in damp conditions Also, mushroom yields become of poor quality, small in size and the weight of mushrooms becomes light due to the negligence of the operator to manually control the temperature of the mushroom house.
7.1.1 Objective of Study
This system will be developed to fulfill a few objectives of the study that already set by the researcher at the beginning. There are three main objectives for the development of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House:
i. To design the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House.
ii. To develop a system to control the temperature, humidity and water level tank in the house of grey oyster mushrooms
iii. To test the functionality of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House
7.1.2 Project Goals
The goal of this project is to develop a system that can help new or long-term agropreneurs in the field of grey oyster mushroom cultivation. This system can help agropreneurs to control mushrooms house more systematically, efficiently and also
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reduces the rate of damage to the mushrooms due to excessive watering process.
Through the use of this system, agropreneurs can monitor and control the temperature, humidity and water tank level in the mushroom house more easily.
7.1.3 Scope of Study
The study conducted involved the agriculture sector, namely the grey oyster mushroom cultivation industry. The scope of this study focuses on aspects of mushroom house management. It aims to focus the construction of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House using the Internet of Thing (IoT) system. The IoT system is used to display temperature, humidity and water tank readings on the mushroom house and the user can activate the control mode either automatically or manually using this IoT system when the temperature inside the mushroom house exceeds 30˚C or the relative humidity in the mushroom house is less of 70%. The temperature reach for this system is determined to achieve the optimal temperature for gray oyster mushroom crops which is 25˚C to 30˚C.
7.2 METHODOLOGY
The methodology section describes all the necessary information that is required to obtain the results of the study. It consists of Block Diagram of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House, Flowchart of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House and also Expert Validation Instrument. The Waterfall Model was chosen as the methodological method for developing the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Oyster Mushrooms House.
7.2.1 Block Diagram
Block diagram of the system is important to understand clearly about the real function of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House.
Furthermore, it will also lead to understanding the real operation of each of the components in the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House.
Figure 1: Block Diagram of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House
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Figure 2: Microcontroller of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House
Based on the block diagram in Figure 1, the microcontroller Wi-Fi Module NodeMCU ESP8266 controls the whole operation of the system. Meanwhile, the DHT22 sensor is going to detect the temperature and humidity of the mushroom house, while Ultrasonic sensor is to detect water tank level. When the DHT22 sensor detected the temperature inside the mushroom house exceeds 30˚C or the relative humidity in the mushroom house is less of 70%, Wi-Fi Module NodeMCU ESP8266 and Blynk application going to process the input.
Then, Wi-Fi Module NodeMCU ESP8266 going to send the data to the Blynk application to display the reading of temperature, humidity and water tank level. Also the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) at the casing of the microcontroller will display the reading of the temperature and humidity of the mushroom house. When the DHT22 sensor detected the temperature inside the mushroom house exceeds 30˚C or the relative humidity in the mushroom house is less of 70%, the system will run automatically the watering process.
7.2.2 Flowchart of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House
The process of this study is illustrated in a flow chart. The flow chart will show the flow of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House to function in the correct order.
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Figure 3: Flowchart of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House
7.2.3 Expert Validation Instrument
The system evaluation checklist is an instrument developed by the researcher to evaluate the functionality of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House. Futhermore, this system evaluation checklist was distributed to those who are experts in the related field. The researcher distributed this checklist to five experts. The system evaluation checklist contains questions related to the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House which is about the design aspect, functionality aspect, commercial potential aspect, and suggestion for the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House. Besides, the researcher used thenominal scale for this evaluation checklist which is Yes and No.
Plus, there are also open questions in this evalution checklist.
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7.3 RESULTANDDISCUSSION
The results and discussion section presents data and analysis of the system evaluation checklist feedback. Moreover, the results are organized in the table form.
7.3.1. Design Aspect of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House.
Design aspects of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House were one of the aspects that had been evaluated by the experts. There are nine (9) items had been asked to the experts through the system evaluation checklist.
Table 1: Evaluation of the Design Aspect by the Experts NO ITEM YES NO
TOTAL % TOTAL % 1 Casing size appropriate to the circuit components
used.
ii. Using temperature, humidity and water tank level detectors
iii. Using LCD display
iv. Using IoT systems and monitoring via smartphones
v. Using DHT22, ultrasonic sensor and IoT system to automatically detect temperature, humidity and water tank level
5 100 0 0
4 Appropriate power source. 5 100 0 0
5 The casing used is suitable for the situation in the mushroom house.
5 100 0 0 6 The use of DHT22 temperature and humidity sensors
is suitable for use.
5 100 0 0
7 The use of ultrasonic sensors is suitable for use. 5 100 0 0 8 The mechanism of display of temperature reading,
humidity on Blynk application and LCD display is suitable for mushroom agropreneurs.
5 100 0 0
9 The water tank level display mechanism on the Blynk application is suitable for mushroom agropreneurs.
5 100 0 0
TOTAL 45 100 0 0
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Based on Table 1 shows the evaluation from experts regarding the Design of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House. The result from the system evaluation checklist shows all of them agreed with the all the items. The output mechanism has received full rating from experts but in this project, we also adapt ideas from Muharam (2018), in terms of types of the sensors.
7.3.2. Functionality Aspects of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House
Functionality aspects of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House were one of the aspects that had been evaluated by the experts.
There are seven (7) items had been asked to the experts through the system evaluation checklist.
Table 2: Evaluation of the Functionality Aspect by the Experts NO ITEM YES NO
TOTAL % TOTAL % 1 LCD displays temperature and humidity readings. 5 100 0 0
2 The Blynk app displays temperature readings 5 100 0 0 3 The Blynk app displays humidity readings 5 100 0 0 4 The Blynk app displays water tank level readings 5 100 0 0 5 The water pump works when the temperature exceeds
30˚C
5 100 0 0 6 Water pump works when humidity is less than 70% 5 100 0 0 7 Water from the tube drips onto the mushroom block
for five seconds when the temperature and humidity exceed the proper level.
5 100 0 0
TOTAL 35 100 0 0
Based on Table 2 shows the evaluation from experts regarding the Functionality of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House. The results from the system evaluation checklist show all of them agreed with all of the items. Similarly, the product from Muharam (2018), water pump was used to control the temperature of the mushrooms house by running water on the roof of the mushrooms house were affective as this product. So, for that reasons, experts has given full rating to this product as well.
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7.3.3. Commercial Potential Aspect of Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House
Commercial potential aspects of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House were one of the aspects that had been evaluated by the experts. There are six (6) items had been asked to the experts through the system evaluation checklist.
Table 3: Evaluation of the Commercial Potential Aspects by the Experts NO ITEM YES NO
TOTAL % TOTAL %
1 Facilitate the watering process during high temperatures to control the temperature of the mushroom house.
5 100 0 0
2 Avoid losses due to damage to mushroom blocks 5 100 0 0
3 Improve production quality 5 100 0 0
4 Low development costs 5 100 0 0
5 Low maintenance costs 5 100 0 0
6 Product handling is easy to do 5 100 0 0
TOTAL 30 100 0 0
Based on Table 3 shows the evaluation from experts regarding the commercial potential of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House.
The results from the system evaluation checklist shows all of them agreed with all of the six items. So all of the experts agreed taht this system has commercial potential. In the future, high demands are expected for the agricultural product with IoT system according to M. Lee (2013). Therefore, this product has a great potential to penetrate the market.
7.3.4. Suggestion and Improvement
In the suggestion and comments section, all the experts agreed this system can be marketed commercially. However, they also give constructive suggestions for the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House. Two of them suggests for using solar energy instead of electricity in order to save energy. This is because this system uses direct current (DC) voltage to on the microcontroller and also water pump. Futhermore, there is also an expert who suggested to insert indicator such as LED and also an alarm to alert the user that the system is in operation. Moreover, there is also an expert who suggested to make sure the electrical wiring of the system is neat in order to prevent short circuit and harm users.
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The Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House had been successfully developed according to the set duration and fulfilled the objective of the study stated at the beginning of the study. The development of this Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House might help agropreneurs to control mushrooms house more systematically, efficiently and also reduces the rate of damage to the mushrooms due to excessive watering process. The suggestions suggested by the experts might help the future researcher to produce an efficient and better version of the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House. Last but not least, the researcher hopes that with the cooperation of industry, the Automatic Environmental Control System of Grey Mushrooms House can be commercialized to the agropreneurs.
7.5 RUJUKAN
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Staff) OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook, 2.-2. O. (2015). OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook, 2015-2024. OECD.
Kassim, M. R. M. (2020, November). IoT Applications in Smart Agriculture: Issues and Challenges. In 2020 IEEE Conference on Open Systems (ICOS) (pp. 19-24). IEEE.
Khulidin, K. A., Badrun, A. F., Sahid, M. H., Yanan, H. A., Mohd Nizat, M., Hazemi, M. F., & Bujang, A. S. (Bil. 11 (2017)). Beg Medium Sebagai Asas Penanaman Cendawan Kukur . Buletin Teknologi Mardi, 19 - 26.
M. Lee, J. H. (2013). Agricultural Production System Based on IoT. IEEE 16th International Conferencen on Computational Science and Engineering, 833-837.
Muharam, N. A. (2018). Sistem Pengawal Suhu Rumah Cendawan Tiram Kelabu
Nayak, P., Kavitha, K., & Rao, C. M. (2020). IoT-Enabled Agricultural System Applications, Challenges and Security Issues. In IoT and analytics for agriculture (pp. 139-163). Springer, Singapore.
Rosmiza, M., & Hussin, J. M. (2017). Kecenderungan penglibatan agropreneur dalam industri tanaman cendawan di Johor. Malaysian Journal of Society and Space.
Rosmiza, M. Z. (2018). Kajian Permintaan Cendawan Menerusi Perspektif Agropreneur Cendawan di Selangor. . GEOGRAFI, 6(3), 76-85.
Sulaiman, N. (2013). Sistem Pengawalan Suhu dan Kelembapan Relatif Rumah Cendawan.
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