Jakarta: The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) presents superior products at the Higher Education Partnerships Conference (HEPCON) 2024. Through the Directorate of Partnerships and Alignment of the Business World and Industry World (Mitras DUDI), this exhibition will be held at the Balai Kartini Convention Center Jakarta on 29-31 August 2024.
One of the innovations presented is the use of hydroponic monitoring carried out by the Semarang State Polytechnic (Polines). The hydroponic monitoring tool, often called monik, uses Internet of Things (IoT) technology.
"We created a system to monitor hydroponics, so the needs of hydroponics include the acidity or alkalinity of a solution or Ph. Then, the concentration of the nutrient solution (TDS), humidity, and temperature needed by our plants are monitored and controlled to be appropriate," said the Head of Technology Development and Superior Products of the Polines Academic Support Unit, M Denny Suriandra to RRI, this week.
According to him, the innovation was sparked because of the rapid changes in extreme weather in Indonesia. So that hydroponic plants cannot produce every day.
"Like the extreme weather that has happened in Indonesia, we can control it all. So we can still produce," he explained.
He said, the team from Polines conducted research for up to 6 months. Meanwhile, the manufacture began from assembling the sensors, then testing the system in the laboratory and workshop until implementation in the field.
"For the actual manufacturing if the components are available, we can do it in one day. Well, in the future if it is available we can just plug and play," he said.
This innovation made by final semester Polines students has established relationships with five partners. Both from Vocational High Schools (SMK) or UMKM farmers.
"This is a final assignment for students based on lecturer research. So, there are already 5 partners who have collaborated with Polines," he said.
In fact, he continued, the application of hydroponics is also enjoyed by koi fish enthusiasts. This is because koi fish also need a certain temperature.
"At the same time, it requires water conditions, nutrients, and water temperature including water PH that should not change suddenly or be extreme. This can cause the growth of koi fish to be disturbed or even die," he said.
By pricing Rp6 million per application, Denny ensures that the application makes it easier for farmers and UMKM actors engaged in hydroponic plants. "This application can be downloaded, for example, our hydroponics in Semarang can be monitored from here (Jakarta)," he said.
Source: rri.co.id