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An IoT-Based Controlled Environment Storage for Prevention of Spoilage of Onion (Allium Cepa) During Post-Harvest with UV-C Disinfection

Shivam Kumar, Himanshu Singh

TL;DR

The paper addresses substantial post-harvest onion losses in India due to spoilage and sprouting, proposing a low-cost IoT-based controlled-environment storage using ESP32, DHT22, MQ-135, and UV-C disinfection to autonomously regulate temperature, humidity, and spoilage gases. It outlines a complete architecture with sensor/actuator integration and a simulated prototype, highlighting cost-effectiveness (around $60{,}000$–$70{,}000$ INR) and health benefits from UV-C in the $207$–$222$ nm range. The authors project a reduction of spoilage from $40{-}45\%$ to $15{-}20\%$, bridging the gap between traditional storage and expensive cold storage for smallholders, with field trials and ML-driven optimization recommended as future work. Overall, the work demonstrates a practical path toward accessible, sensor-enabled post-harvest management for onions that could impact food security and farmer livelihoods.

Abstract

India is the second largest producer of onions in the world, contributing over 26 million tonnes annually. However, during storage, approximately 30-40% of onions are lost due to rotting, sprouting, and weight loss. Despite being a major producer, conventional storage methods are either low-cost but ineffective (traditional storage with 40% spoilage) or highly effective but prohibitively expensive for small farmers (cold storage). This paper presents a low-cost IoT-based smart onion storage system that monitors and automatically regulates environmental parameters including temperature, humidity, and spoilage gases using ESP32 microcontroller, DHT22 sensor, MQ-135 gas sensor, and UV-C disinfection technology. The proposed system aims to reduce onion spoilage to 15-20% from the current 40-45% wastage rate while remaining affordable for small and marginal farmers who constitute the majority in India. The system is designed to be cost-effective (estimated 60k-70k INR), energy-efficient, farmer-friendly, and solar-powered.

An IoT-Based Controlled Environment Storage for Prevention of Spoilage of Onion (Allium Cepa) During Post-Harvest with UV-C Disinfection

TL;DR

The paper addresses substantial post-harvest onion losses in India due to spoilage and sprouting, proposing a low-cost IoT-based controlled-environment storage using ESP32, DHT22, MQ-135, and UV-C disinfection to autonomously regulate temperature, humidity, and spoilage gases. It outlines a complete architecture with sensor/actuator integration and a simulated prototype, highlighting cost-effectiveness (around – INR) and health benefits from UV-C in the – nm range. The authors project a reduction of spoilage from to , bridging the gap between traditional storage and expensive cold storage for smallholders, with field trials and ML-driven optimization recommended as future work. Overall, the work demonstrates a practical path toward accessible, sensor-enabled post-harvest management for onions that could impact food security and farmer livelihoods.

Abstract

India is the second largest producer of onions in the world, contributing over 26 million tonnes annually. However, during storage, approximately 30-40% of onions are lost due to rotting, sprouting, and weight loss. Despite being a major producer, conventional storage methods are either low-cost but ineffective (traditional storage with 40% spoilage) or highly effective but prohibitively expensive for small farmers (cold storage). This paper presents a low-cost IoT-based smart onion storage system that monitors and automatically regulates environmental parameters including temperature, humidity, and spoilage gases using ESP32 microcontroller, DHT22 sensor, MQ-135 gas sensor, and UV-C disinfection technology. The proposed system aims to reduce onion spoilage to 15-20% from the current 40-45% wastage rate while remaining affordable for small and marginal farmers who constitute the majority in India. The system is designed to be cost-effective (estimated 60k-70k INR), energy-efficient, farmer-friendly, and solar-powered.
Paper Structure (20 sections, 6 figures)

This paper contains 20 sections, 6 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Qualitative Losses and Environmental Factors
  3. Literature Review
  4. Physiology of Onion Spoilage (Allium cepa)
  5. Use of UV-C Disinfection
  6. Sensors in Agriculture
  7. Combination of Two Studies
  8. Methodology
  9. System Architecture
  10. Components Selection
  11. Microcontroller:
  12. Sensors and Actuators:
  13. Prototype of the Model
  14. Functionality:
  15. Core Logic Code Snippet:
  16. ...and 5 more sections

Figures (6)

  • Figure 1: System Architecture Diagram
  • Figure 2: Circuit diagram of the simulated device
  • Figure 3: List of devices used in the Tinkercad simulation
  • Figure 4: Fans triggered after temperature crosses the limit of 30°C
  • Figure 5: Activation of UV-C Lamp when humidity exceeds threshold
  • ...and 1 more figures