1Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Technical and Vocational, Sultan Idris Education University, 35900, Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia
2Department of Engineering Technology, Faculty of Technical and Vocational, Sultan Idris Education University, 35900, Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia
3Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), UPM, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia
4Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, 43400, UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
5Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
*Corresponding Authors: Ridzwan Che Rus and Monsuru Adekunle Salisu, Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Technical and Vocational, Sultan Idris Education University, 35900, Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia, Email: ridzwan@ftv.upsi.edu.my
Online published on 9 May, 2023.
Coconut coir dust (CD) is commonly used for growing selected fruit and vegetables. It is a soilless medium with excellent drainage and high-water holding capacity; free from infestations of weeds and pathogens. However, plant growth is adversely affected due to its high salinity, potassium and low pH.
A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of different soilless media on rock melon's growth, nutrient and fruit quality. Five soilless media were prepared including CD as control. A customised portable IoT system was deployed to monitor and collect relevant real-time agronomic data.
Plant height, yield, leaf area, total fresh fruit weight and soluble solids content (sweetness) of rock melon were significantly affected by the growing medium. Among the five media used, the growth and quality characteristics were highest in M2 followed by M3. It was found that a combination of burnt rice husk (BRH) and perlite with CD remarkably improved the growth of fruit quality of rock melon.
Coconut coir dust, Fruit quality, IoT Sensor nodes, Rock melon, Soilless media
