Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region II – Cagayan Valley
Schools Division of Quirino
Diffun National High School
Aurora East, Diffun, Quirino

RESEARCH PLAN
Initial Research Topic: WATER LEVEL- AUTOMATION SYSTEM AND CROP
PRODUCTION YIELD OF LETTUCE PLANT

I. Basic Information
a. Complete Name: Rueda, Arabela Gracy S.
b. Learner’s Reference Number: 104280100146
c. School and School Address: Diffun National High School Aurora East Diffun, Quirino
d. Track and Strand: Academic Track, Science Technology Engineering Mathematics
e. Complete Home Address: Aurora West, Diffun, Quirino

II. Background

Agriculture is a crucial sector that contributes significantly to the expansion and

advancement of a nation. It produces its own food in addition to other supplies, which
eliminates the need for the nation to engage in international trade and import goods from
other nations. In essence, agriculture makes it possible for a nation to become self-sufficient
in terms of its food supply as well as other agricultural products (Rutledge et al., 2012).
Within the boundaries of the Philippines, hydroponic systems are currently being put through
their paces through a combination of research and diligent application on the available land.
Hydroponic cultivation, also known as horticulture, that takes place in a controlled
environment, is becoming an increasingly popular method of food production all over the
world. Its many techniques integrate sustainability and growth efficiency by controlling
climatic and system variables (Zajkowski et al., 2021).

The relevant studies and literature presented in this study, as well as the rationale for their
significance in the development of this study, are discussed. Since hydroponics is the purest
method of crop cultivation due to its controlled environmental factors and lack of need for
pesticides and other non-essential chemicals to be sprayed on the plants, it is the most popular
method (Sardare, 2013). The use of hydroponic technology in lettuce cultivation has
advantages over conventional soil cultivation, including more hygienic lettuce plants, more
uniform plant growth, and the ability to plant at closer spacing (Hopkinson et al., 2019). In
addition to providing water and nutrients, a superior hydroponic system must also deliver
oxygen to the root zone. Furthermore, lettuce is one of the most hydroponically grown
vegetables. Likewise, numerous studies have demonstrated that lettuce grown in a soilless
system has a high yield and high quality (Qadeer et al., 2020). In such systems, plants are
grown in a nutrient solution (liquid culture) or with the assistance of an inert medium, and all
their nutritional needs are met by mineral-enriched irrigation water. In addition, the system
has the potential to recycle nutrients and water, mitigate climate change, increase yield, and
reduce the incidence of pests and soil diseases (Gasghari et al., 2018). The primary
differences between traditional soil cultivation and hydroponic growing systems are the
availability of water and nutrients. These variations can affect the physiological development
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region II – Cagayan Valley
Schools Division of Quirino
Diffun National High School
Aurora East, Diffun, Quirino

and biochemistry of plants (De Souza et al., 2019). Hydroponic systems are truly more
sustainable than soil-based systems because they can be more energy- and water-efficient
(Moncada et al., 2021). All in all, it appears that the water level automation system provides
greater safety and remote surveillance of the lettuce. In this instance, the study will
concentrate solely on the key drivers of hydroponics and their impacts on the agricultural
industry.

III. Objectives and Methods

Objectives
This research study is conducted to evaluate the effect of automation in the water level
production of lettuce plant.
Specifically, the research study aims to:

1. Determine if the lettuce will produce more leaves if the water is controlled.
2. Determine the efficiency of the use water.
Methods
a. Gathering of the materials

Hydroponically growing plants necessitate the use of plants, a container or huge PVC
pipes, water, a means of securing the plants, nutrients, and a light source. Hydroponically
grown vegetables can be cultivated both indoors and outdoors. When growing inside,
artificial illumination promotes faster development. Lettuce grows quickly; it must ingest
roots, so regular watering is required. It also has health benefits such as increased bone
strength, hydration, better vision, and better sleep.

b. Preparation of the hydroponics gardening

Many factors must be considered when preparing hydroponics. The first step is to
gather all the necessary materials, followed by the construction of a water reservoir. The
growing tray will be put up next. The tube can be angled to ensure that the nutritional
solution flows straight to the roots. Finally, with an indoor hydroponic system, configure the
lighting system so that the plant receives the proper quantity of light for faster and improved
growth.

Hydroponic cultivation can be done both indoors and outdoors. Plants require five to six
hours of light per day, access to energy, and a flat, wind-free area in any case. The optimal
temperature differs depending on the type and variety.

c. Installation of hydroponics system

 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region II – Cagayan Valley
Schools Division of Quirino
Diffun National High School
Aurora East, Diffun, Quirino

The garden will incorporate automation and program the water level of the lettuce
plant. A floater will be used to monitor the water level in the pipes linking the lettuce
growing area to the water tank. When the water level in the pipes falls below the selected
level, the floater will begin to open and will automatically close once the maximum level is
reached.

d. Actual experiment

To begin, the plant's water level will now be monitored. A water tank will be built and
floater-connected to the pipelines. The floater will be crucial in controlling the water level in
the pipes where the lettuce will grow. If the floater senses a lower-than-expected water level
in the plant, water will flow from the tank and will automatically cease when it reaches its
projected level.

e. Data Gathering

The collected data is required for the researchers to build their conclusions and
recommendations. The mean will be used by the researchers to calculate the total number of
leaves added. This will be obtained at the start of the experiment by counting how many
leaves are added each day and checking the leaves every day.

f. Data Analysis

In the investigation, the statistical techniques listed below will be used:

Mean- It is used to analyze the total leaves that has been added in a week.

Frequency- It is used to keep track of how many times an event or value occurs. A
frequency table is a table that academics use to list objects and show how frequently they
occur. It gives the researcher easy access to all the data.

g. Data Interpretation

After examining the data, the researchers will move on to the interpretation of the data
obtained from studying the plant's reaction, which is lettuce. The lettuce leaves will be
counted manually by the researchers. Furthermore, the researchers will be able to evaluate the
total calculation of the leaves added using Mean and Frequency.

IV. Working Framework

 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region II – Cagayan Valley
Schools Division of Quirino
Diffun National High School
Aurora East, Diffun, Quirino

V.
Assumptions
The hypothesis
below must be tested:
H0. Regarding of the automation in the water level of lettuce it has no appreciable
impact.
Ha.Regarding of the automation in the water level of lettuce it has appreciable
impact.
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region II – Cagayan Valley
Schools Division of Quirino
Diffun National High School
Aurora East, Diffun, Quirino

VII. List of References

Blöschl, G., Bierkens, M. F., Chambel, A., Cudennec, C., Destouni, G., Fiori, A., ... &
Renner, M. (2019). Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH)–a
community perspective. Hydrological sciences journal, 64(10), 1141-1158.
De Souza, P.F.; Borghezan, M.; Zappelini, J.; de Carvalho, L.R.; Ree, J.; Barcelos-Oliveira,
J.L. Physiological differences of ‘Crocantela’ lettuce cultivated in conventional and
hydroponic systems. Hortic. Bras. 2019, 37, 101–105.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Physiological+differences+of+
%E2%80%98Crocantela
%E2%80%99+lettuce+cultivated+in+conventional+and+hydroponic+systems&author
.
Frasetya, B., Harisman, K., & Ramdaniah, N. A. H. (2021, March). The effect of hydroponics
systems on the growth of lettuce. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and
Engineering (Vol. 1098, No. 4, p. 042115). IOP Publishing.
Gashgari, R.; Alharbi, K.; Mughrbil, K.; Jan, A.; Glolam, A. Comparison between growing
plants in hydroponic system and soil based system. In Proceedings of the 4th World
Congress on Mechanical, Chemical, and Material Engineering, ICMIE, Madrid,
Spain, 16–18 August 2018; pp. 1–7.
http://avestia.com/MCM2018_Proceedings/files/paper/ICMIE/ICMIE_131.pdf
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region II – Cagayan Valley
Schools Division of Quirino
Diffun National High School
Aurora East, Diffun, Quirino

Moncada, A., Miceli, A., & Vetrano, F. (2021). Use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
(PGPR) and organic fertilization for soilless cultivation of basil. Scientia
Horticulturae, 275, 109733.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304423820305616.
Qadeer, A.; Butt, S.J.; Asam, H.M.; Mehmood, T.; Nawaz, M.K.; Haidree, S.R. Hydroponics
as an innovative technique for lettuce production in greenhouse environment. Pure
Appl. Biol. 2020, 9, 20–26.
https://mail.thepab.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1115.
Sardare, Mamta D., and Shraddha V. Admane. "A review on plant without soil-
hydroponics." International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology 2.3
(2013): 299-304.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shraddha-Admane/publication/331731460_A_R
EVIEW_ON_PLANT_WITHOUT_SOIL_-HYDROPONICS/links/
5c89f19aa6fdcc38175277e9/A-REVIEW-ON-PLANT-WITHOUT-SOIL-
HYDROPONICS.pdf
Tagle, S., Benoza, H., Pena, R., & Oblea, A. (2018, November). Development of an indoor
hydroponic tower for urban farming. In Proceedings of the 6th DLSU International
Conference on Innovation and Technology Fair, Manila, Philippines (pp. 22-23).

Zajkowski, J., & Short, W. (2021). A Study of the Effectiveness of Hydroponic Growing
Variables on Lactuca sativa var. capitata. Journal of Student Research, 10(2).
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v10i2.1506