Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1442841
5 / L ong ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322BC) proposed three hierarchies of life forms. Aristotle's lowest level life form was the vegetative or nutritive form. This life form takes in food and is said to have an appetite. The highest form of life was supposed to be humankind, who is a rational animal, meaning that humanity uses intelligence in order to conform its beliefs and actions in the process of reasoning and thinking. In Aristotle's sense, then, I guess I should like vegetables since I take in food and am at least sometimes characterized as rational. Technology is one component of culture. Technology is assisting humanity in the development of understanding how to cultivate our fields and gardens to produce the foods, plants, and materials that we need to survive and flourish. This cultivation is known as horticulture and agriculture, where horti- comes from the Greek word meaning garden and agri- derives from the word meaning "field." Microchip Technology is a leading provider of microcontroller, analog, FPGA, connectivity, and power management semiconductors. Microchip Technology provides technology that enables human cultivation. Climate change, soil degradation, electric and water shortages, pests, severe weather conditions, and excessive nitrogen (N) all play havoc with the cultivation of gardens and fields. Technology allows gardeners and farmers to measure, control, conserve, and cultivate in ways previously not possible. Advancements in sensor technology and associated embedded electronics has driven the costs down significantly. Now, even a part-time greenhouse gardener that possesses only a fraction of the "do-it-yourself" spirit can become empowered to remotely monitor their garden. This project will lay out a design for a device to do just that. The goal is to enable almost anyone with basic electronics and software skills to have the ability to build this monitoring system. Farmers can now see if their irrigation systems are working, measure soil moisture and temperature using wireless connectivity, and take weather forecasts through the internet into account. Irrigation systems can make critical decisions about where and when to water, fertilize, and use pesticides on the plant. The system includes electricity generation using solar power, running the water pump, interfacing with sensors, and wireless remote monitoring and control. Microchip Technology offers various Digital Signal Controllers (DSC) for solar power conversion and motor control. Let's examine some of the crucial variables that may be monitored to understand the cultivation environment and soil quality. Temperature Extremely high and low temperatures can have adverse effects on the health of plants. High temperatures can cause an imbalance in the photosynthesis and respiration processes, which can result in plant suffocation. Conversely, low temperatures can cause plant cells to freeze, which inhibits a plant from getting nutrients. Humidity High relative humidity levels prevent a plant from evaporating water as part of its transpiration process. It can also prevent the plant from drawing nutrients from the soil. If these conditions are permitted to continue, the plant could rot or suffer bacterial or mold infections. Moisture Content The amount of water in the soil must be maintained at optimal levels for ideal plant growth. Too much water can result in root rot, which prevents the plant from extracting oxygen from the soil. Too little moisture, and nutrients cannot circulate through the plant. pH Level In chemistry class, one learned the pH scale is a way to indicate the acidity or basicity of a substance. The scale ranges from 0.0 for acids such as battery acid up to 14.0 for bases such as lye. A pH level of 7.0 is considered neutral. While the ideal pH level can vary from plant to plant, optimum pH levels for soil is between 5.5 and 7.0. CO2 Level Plants of all types absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) as part of the photosynthesis process to synthesize food from water (H2O) and CO2. Oxygen (O2) is given off as a byproduct. As with the other factors, too much or too little CO2 can have adverse effects on plant growth and health. As a reference, 250–350 parts per million (ppm) is considered an average concentration in an outdoor ambient environment. Indoor environments with decent air circulation should see a level from 350–1,000ppm.