Design And Evaluation of an IoT-Controlled Microclimate System for Mushroom Cultivation

The mushroom industry in Malaysia remains relatively small and underdeveloped compared to other sectors of agriculture. Most mushroom farms operate on a small scale and often face limitations in production due to the absence of proper environmental control systems and insufficient financial means to invest in upgrades. Successful mushroom cultivation requires a precisely controlled environment, where key factors such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, and light intensity must be maintained within optimal ranges to support healthy growth and maximize yield. This project focuses on the design and implementation of a cost-effective and reliable IoT-based environmental control system for mushroom cultivation. By integrating sensors to monitor critical parameters and actuators to regulate ventilation, temperature, and humidity, the system ensures consistent growing conditions. The setup is designed to enhance yield quality while minimizing crop loss caused by environmental fluctuations. To evaluate the system’s performance, four different environmental conditions were tested: fully controlled, manual spraying, dark, and natural conditions. The controlled environment delivered the highest mushroom yield, confirming the benefits of stable microclimate management. In contrast, the manual and natural conditions produced inconsistent results, and the dark condition resulted in no yield due to poor environmental regulation. These outcomes highlight the potential of IoT technology to significantly improve the productivity and reliability of small-scale mushroom farming.