Data-driven analysis of 3,169 indoor lettuce growth records using Excel — exploring environmental factors, nutrient adequacy, and growth optimization insights.
This project analyzes 3,169 lettuce growth records from Vertical Acres Farm (2023) to uncover how temperature, humidity, TDS, and pH levels influence lettuce development. Conducted entirely in Microsoft Excel, the study transforms raw agricultural data into actionable insights for indoor farming optimization.
- Tools Used: Excel, Pivot Tables, Pivot Charts, Data Cleaning, Trend Analysis
- Data Source: Kaggle — Lettuce Growth Days Dataset (August–September 2023)
- Friday & Saturday: Highest growth performance (pH ≈ 6.41, temperature ≈ 28.7°C).
- Midweek dips: Reduced nutrient adequacy and environmental stability.
- Vegetative Stage: Largest plant count but weakest nutrient adequacy (58%).
- Optimal conditions: Temperature (24–27°C), Humidity (60–70%), pH (6.2–6.5).
- Heat Stress: Slightly elevated temperatures (28–29°C) above the ideal range.
- Nutrient Instability: Fluctuations in TDS and pH midweek.
- Uneven Scheduling: Overplanting toward week’s end caused harvest inefficiencies.
- Seasonal Limitation: Dataset covered only August–September.
- Data Cleaning: Verified formats, removed duplicates, ensured consistency.
- Feature Engineering: Created derived fields for Day Name, Growth Stage, and Nutrient Adequacy.
- Exploratory Analysis: Used Excel Pivot Tables and Charts to identify key patterns.
- Visualization: Summarized weekly averages of pH, temperature, humidity, and TDS.
- Maintain pH between 6.2–6.5 for optimal nutrient uptake.
- Raise nutrient adequacy to ≥65% via fertilizer and nutrient adjustments.
- Align TDS levels with growth stages (Seedling: 560–620 ppm, Vegetative: 650–750 ppm).
- Balance planting schedules evenly throughout the week.
- Implement IoT sensor automation for continuous monitoring and optimization.
By applying these recommendations, farms like Vertical Acres can potentially increase yield by 15–20%, stabilize environmental factors, and improve overall product quality.
Read full Analysis on Medium: From Seed to Harvest: A Data-Driven Journey Through Lettuce Growth Optimization Follow on Linkedin: From Seed to Harvest: A Data-Driven Journey Through Lettuce Growth Optimization
Tags: #DataScience #Excel #Agriculture #DataVisualization #LettuceGrowth #MachineLearning #VephlaGroup #Analytics