Development of a smart watering system for controlling humidity inside mangosteen canopy in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Southern Thailand

Abstract

In Thailand, mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) production is essential for domestic consumption and export. Mangosteen without scars on their surface is considered high-quality fruit. Scars reduce their market demand. The common cause of scars is thrips infestation. Humidity is an important climatic factor that affects the thrips populations. Lower humidity inside the mangosteen canopy increases the thrips numbers. Thus, increasing humidity can control the thrips population. This study developed a smart watering system to increase the humidity inside the mangosteen canopy in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand. This system provided water automatically and increased humidity inside the mangosteen canopy.

Using a smart watering system for controlling thrips inside mangosteen canopy in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Southern Thailand

“…In this study, a smart watering system was developed and used for controlling humidity and thrips inside the mangosteen canopy. Previously, smart watering systems were created and employed in several fruit orchards (i.e., chestnut tree gardens, durian gardens, and mangosteen gardens) for controlling irrigation processes and various climatic factors (Mota et al, 2018;Musik, 2020;Malee et al, 2022). It was observed that our system increased humidity as well as reduced thrips numbers effectively inside mangosteen canopy.…”

“…It was observed that our system increased humidity as well as reduced thrips numbers effectively inside mangosteen canopy. In a previous study (Malee et al, 2022), it was observed that a smart watering system was able to control humidity inside fruit orchards. However, it was not tested whether the system could control thrips numbers or not.…”

“…In Thailand and India, several fruit and vegetable orchards have better irrigation process due to the use of smart watering systems (Sikka et al, 2016;Musik, 2020). In Thailand, smart watering system is used to control the humidity in mangosteen orchard (Malee et al, 2022). Smart sensing systems were created in New Zealand and Australia for monitoring nitrate levels in ground and surfacewater used in agricultural purposes (Alahi et al, 2017a(Alahi et al, , 2017b(Alahi et al, , 2018a(Alahi et al, , 2018b(Alahi et al, , 2018c(Alahi et al, , 2022.…”

“…4 and 5). In this area, humidity (%) falls below 80% from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Malee et al, 2022), and low humidity increases the number of thrips inside the mangosteen canopy (Akram et al, 2013). That is why we controlled the smart watering system to provide water inside the mangosteen canopy every hour (from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm) for 15 min.…”

IoT-Based HydroM8 Self-Watering Plant: A Design Thinking Approach and Business Model Analysis

“…In rural areas, the farming and cultivation of crops such as rice, wheat, and vegetables predominantly occur without access to advanced technology capable of automating large-scale production. Consequently, farmers dedicate a significant portion of their time to manual tasks in the fields, primarily focused on irrigating their crops, often at the expense of other responsibilities [7] [8]. The concept of self-watering plant systems revolves around automating the irrigation process to ensure that plants receive just the right amount of water they need, minimizing wastage while promoting healthy growth.…”