Umudike Journal of Engineering and Technology

Nutrient film technique (NFT) hydroponic system which is widely recognized for its effectiveness in tomatoes production represents a promising solution to the challenges posed by lack of arable land, urbanization, and the increasing demand for food. This study focuses on optimization of NFT Hydroponics system for Roma Verticillium fusarium resistant tomato production through smart technologies. The system was designed to continuously monitor critical growth parameters including plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves and yield of Roma Verticillium fusarium. A surface response methodology (RSM) based on 3 factor, 5 level central composite design was employed using design Expert (Version 13) software for the experiment. The 3 independent variables (factors) were pH values, Electrical Conductivity (EC), and Nutrient solutions while the dependent variable (response) yield per plant was modelled using a second order polynomial equation. The design consisted of 20 experimental runs, comprising 8 factorial points, 6 axial points (α = ± 1.682 to maintain rotatability) and 6 replicates at the centre point to estimate experimental error. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results confirmed that the quadratic model developed is highly significant, returning a model p-value of 0.0001 well below the standard statistical threshold (0.05) with strong fit indicators (F = 26.85 and R² = 0.9245, CV = 8.55%). The results obtained also showed that maximum tomato yield of 4.5 kg/ stand was obtained at the pH of 6, electrical conductivity (EC) of 2.5 dS/cm and nutrient level of 525 mg/l. This study has shown that NFT hydroponics system offers a sustainable and scalable method of enhancing food security and local economic development through maximizing Roma VF tomatoes production especially in semi- urban and urban areas in southeast Nigeria.