Smart greenhouses using internet of things: case study on tomatoes

Abstract Many practices are available to apply to smart agricultural methods, defended as allowing monitoring and controlling the environment necessary for the growth of many crops. Due to the random conditions affecting crop growing and cultivation, the idea of greenhouse use is emerging, as a way of managing all variables affecting growth and production of crops. Photosynthesis is the most important process for plants, with three main inputs: water, light, and carbon dioxide. Atmospheric temperature and humidity, soil richness, and plant nutrition are also vital for crop production. This research is concerned with controlling the environment of plants and plant nutrition. The Internet of Things (IoT) is proposed in this research as a solution to control and to manage all of these variables. Most important was to find a method that provides perfect analysis and control of a suitable environment for crops in greenhouses. Smart management of variables to manage crops is becoming a necessity. With IoT we can keep an eye on and manage all variables to grow crops in the best conditions for crop production. This article will discuss the kinds of variables that play important roles in growing a good crop. The next issue is how to retrieve these variables as big data, using sensors; how to save them to the cloud for processing; and then how to create actions according to readings of variables and predefined interdependent relations, with the main aim of better production in smart greenhouses.