This research presents the design and successful testing of a low-cost, Arduino-controlled growth chamber for vegetative propagation of mother plants, demonstrating stable environmental conditions and healthy plant development over 30 days.
In a world where food demand is rising 📈 and land, water, and resources are shrinking 🌾💧, engineers and farmers are joining forces to rethink agriculture. The future of farming isn’t just on massive fields—it’s also happening inside boxes. Literally.
Research team from Mexico has designed something both futuristic and surprisingly affordable: a controlled-environment growth chamber—for under $210! 💸💡
This blog dives into their innovation: a Vegetative Growth Chamber (VGC) made for growing mother plants (plants that produce clones or cuttings). And yes, it works. Let’s unpack how this low-cost tech is changing the propagation game!
Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) offers huge benefits 🌱:
But there’s a catch: CEA systems are expensive!
Most commercial growth chambers cost thousands—out of reach for small farmers, schools, or hobbyists.
🛠️ The challenge was clear
“Can we build a modular, smart, and functional plant chamber that’s affordable for everyone?”
Here’s what the VGC includes:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 🌡️ Sensors | Monitors temperature, humidity, and light |
| 💡 LED Lights | Mimics sunlight with full-spectrum LEDs |
| 🌬️ Ventilation | Air extractors manage airflow |
| 💧 Irrigation | Recirculating system saves water |
| 💻 Automation | Controlled via Arduino UNO |
The whole system runs on Arduino, making it open-source, easy to program, and endlessly customizable 🧑💻📦.
“We chose one mother plant per chamber for better control and less complexity,” the team noted. Smart move. Simpler, cleaner, and precise 🌱.
Stevia—a natural sweetener plant 🍬—was selected as the test subject. It’s delicate, has medicinal value, and thrives in very specific conditions. That made it the perfect challenge to prove the VGC could work in real-world propagation.
Key growth needs for Stevia:
The VGC held those conditions for 30 straight days—and the Stevia not only survived but grew stronger! 💪🌿
Imagine a sleek wooden box, split into two zones:
All of this fits neatly into a 90×150×80 cm box. That’s smaller than your average fridge! 🧊
| Parameter | Min | Max | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 25.5°C | 29.1°C | 28.8°C |
| Humidity | 25.1% | 41.7% | 35.6% |
| Light | 57.5 lm | 137.5 lm | 70.4 lm |
🌡️ Temperature and 💡 lighting stayed consistent thanks to automation.
💦 Humidity fluctuated a bit but stayed within a safe range.
Growth in 30 Days:
While some lower leaves naturally fell off, new shoots appeared, especially at the top—proof the plant stayed healthy and adapted well under controlled conditions 🌞🌱
This chamber isn’t just a cool project—it’s a scalable tool for:
🌾 Small-scale farmers
🧪 Agricultural researchers
🏫 Educational institutions
🪴 Home growers and hobbyists
And it’s economically unbeatable:
| System | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Garden HighPro Clone Tent | $65 |
| VGC (this project) | $210 ✅ |
| SuperCloner 50 | $249 |
| MSE PRO Lab Chamber | $7,282 |
| WatchDog Industrial | $24,748 ❗️ |
The VGC already checks all the boxes 🟩 for affordability and functionality, but here’s what could come next:
🔁 Dynamic airflow control
🧪 Nutrient dosing in hydroponics
📱 Smartphone app monitoring
☁️ Cloud-based data logging
🌡️ PID control for tighter climate management
🔋 Solar power integration
Plus, the team already created a CAD redesign to optimize ergonomics and make maintenance even easier 🔧💻.
This project proves that you don’t need thousands of dollars to grow like a pro. All it takes is solid engineering, open-source tools, and a love for plants 🌿❤️.
By keeping the design modular, shareable, and cheap, the researchers are empowering people everywhere to take food production into their own hands—literally.
Whether you're an agri-tech student, an urban gardener, or just someone with a sunny window and a dream, the VGC is proof that engineering can feed the world—one small chamber at a time 🌍🔧🌱.
The authors generously shared the full blueprint, code, and materials list (even the cost of every screw and filter!). Check out the research article in the source link bellow 📄 and bring this innovation to your own lab, classroom, or kitchen.
🌿 Vegetative Propagation - A plant reproduction method where new plants grow from parts like stems or leaves—no seeds needed! Think cloning for plants 🌱🧬.
🌾 Mother Plant - The original, healthy plant used to create many new ones through cuttings. She's the "queen bee" of plant propagation 👑🌿.
💡 Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA) - Farming indoors with full control over temperature, light, humidity, and water—like giving plants their perfect weather all year round 🌦️➡️☀️.
🧰 Growth Chamber - An enclosed space where environmental conditions are carefully controlled to grow plants—like a smart greenhouse in a box 📦🌡️.
🧑💻 Arduino UNO - A tiny, low-cost computer board used by hobbyists and engineers to control sensors, lights, and machines—perfect for automating plant care 🤖💻.
💦 Recirculating Irrigation System - A water-saving system that reuses the same water by cleaning and cycling it back to the plant 🌊🔁.
🌡️ Temperature and Humidity Sensors (e.g., DHT22) - Gadgets that track how hot or humid it is inside the chamber—so the system knows when to cool, heat, or vent 🔍🌡️.
💡 Photoperiod - The number of hours of light a plant gets in a day, which affects how it grows or flowers 🌞🕗.
Source: Guerrero-Sánchez, J.; Olvera-Olvera, C.A.; Solis-Sánchez, L.O.; Martínez-Blanco, M.D.R.; López-Martínez, M.d.J.; Castañeda-Miranda, C.L.; Soto-Zarazúa, G.M.; Díaz-Flórez, G. Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost Controlled-Environment Growth Chamber for Vegetative Propagation of Mother Plants. AgriEngineering 2025, 7, 177. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering7060177
From: Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas; Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro.
