Indonesia’s agricultural sector is one of the leading sectors that contribute to the growth of the national economy. According to the website of Indonesia Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, in 2022 the agricultural sector contributed up to 12,98% for the national economy. To participate in helping the national economy growth in the agricultural sector, School of Electrical Engineering (FTE) Telkom University (Tel-U) aids citrus farmers who are parts of Makmur Sadulur Farmer Group in Parompong district, West Bandung regency.
Makmur Sadulur Farmer Group is a community formed for the agricultural business and marketing for citrus and lemons, tourist spots, and other derivative products in Cigugurgurang village, Parompong district, West Bandung regency. After further evaluation, the problem that is often faced by the farmers is the presence of planthopper pests which directly affects the citrus plants. Moreover, one of the major problems faced by the farmers is the soil content. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers has affected the soil health but the farmers themselves were uninformed about the condition of their cultivated land.
There are soil contents needed by plants to grow such as soil PH, hydrogen, HCl (affects the sweetness of the fruit), nitrogen (affects the health of the leaves), Psp (affects the health of the twigs), and others. Farmers of Makmur Sadulur Farmer Group were unaware of the soil content of their land.
For that reason, lecturer of School of Electrical Engineering in Tel-U, Dr. Ir. Sony Sumaryo, M.T. together with his team created a portable IoT-based monitoring product for the environmental conditions of citrus plants to monitor soil conditions with parameters that measure soil PH, moisture, hydrogen, NPK levels, and pest control.
“The monitoring product has six sensors installed, including soil temperature sensor, soil moisture sensor, soil temperature and moisture sensor, soil PH sensor, and soil NPK levels sensor. The light intensity uses a Light Dependent Resistor or LDR. Meanwhile, the actuator is a pest repellent device in the form of ultrasonic waves. The result of the sensors will be displayed on the two screens on the front of the product,” said Sony.
With the help of this device, the farmers of Markur Sadulur Farmer Group are expected to be more aware of the environmental conditions of their citrus farm, specifically in understanding the soil condition and pest control. This will automatically increase the productivity of the group’s citrus farm.
Author: Fauzul Adkhaf Azif | Editor: Daris Maulana | Photo: Narasumber