IoT-based cricket environment system to maximize egg production and reduce mortality rate

Abstract

The deployment of Internet of things (IoT) technologies presents an opportunity to improve efficiency in cricket farming. This study investigates the implementation of an IoT-based system utilizing an ESP32 microcontroller, a suite of environmental sensors, and actuators. The system is supported by a ThingsBoard dashboard for data visualization and a Telegram bot for notifications. The setup was tested on a single cricket cage over a 28-day period and compared against a control group. Each cage contained 20 male and 100 female Cliring crickets. Key parameters analyzed included temperature, humidity, soil moisture, egg yield, food conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality rate. Findings show that the IoT-enabled cage consistently maintained optimal environmental conditions—temperature (20 to 32 °C), humidity (65% to 85%), and soil moisture (60% to 80%)—unlike the control, which experienced greater variability. The IoT cage yielded 87.28 grams of eggs, a 33.33% improvement over the control's 65.46 grams. Additionally, FCR improved from 2.53 to 2.01 grams per egg, and mortality rate dropped from 0.816 to 0.708. These results underscore the effectiveness of IoT systems in enhancing environmental stability, productivity, and survival rates in small- to medium-scale cricket farming operations.