Hydroponic production in tropical environments requires precise irrigation control due to the high variability of temperature, humidity, and solar radiation. In warm and humid regions, conventional time-based irrigation systems often lead to over-irrigation, water waste, and unstable root-zone conditions. This study proposes and validates an adaptive automated irrigation system for hydroponic greenhouses in tropical climates, with specific applicability to Manabí, Ecuador. The system integrates multisensor monitoring of substrate moisture, ambient temperature, and luminosity, governed by microcontroller-based logic that dynamically activates pumps and solenoid valves according to real environmental thresholds. An applied engineering methodology based on iterative design and electronic simulation in Proteus Design Suite was adopted. Functional performance, robustness, and reliability were evaluated under multiple operational and fault scenarios. Results demonstrate that the system responds in near real time to critical moisture levels, stabilizes substrate conditions, and prevents prolonged water stress. Redundancy mechanisms, flow verification, watchdog recovery, and energy backup transform the controller into a self-supervised and resilient platform. Compared with commercial solutions, the proposed configuration achieves comparable functionality at a substantially lower cost and reduced energy demand, making it suitable for resource-constrained producers. These findings confirm that low-cost adaptive control significantly enhances water-use efficiency and operational stability in tropical hydroponic systems.
Patricio Giler-Medina (Thu,) studied this question.