IoT and YOLOv8-Based Precision Pest Control Instrument for Vertical Farming of Ayesha IPB Chili Pepper

Dedeng Hirawan; Kudang Boro Seminar; Irman Hermadi; Muhamad Syukur

doi:10.48084/etasr.17901

Authors

Dedeng Hirawan Doctoral Program in Computer Science, School of Data Science, Mathematics, and Informatics, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia | Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, Universitas Komputer Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia
Kudang Boro Seminar Department of Mechanical Engineering and Biosystem, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
Irman Hermadi Doctoral Program in Computer Science, School of Data Science, Mathematics, and Informatics, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
Muhamad Syukur Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia

Volume: 16 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 35022-35030 | June 2026 | https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.17901

Received: 2 February 2026 | Revised: 1 March 2026 and 17 March 2026 | Accepted: 23 March 2026 | Online: 6 June 2026

Corresponding author: Dedeng Hirawan

Abstract

Bird's eye chili (Capsicum frutescens) is a strategic horticultural commodity in Indonesia with high economic value. However, domestic production remains insufficient due to limited agricultural land and severe pest infestations. The Ayesha IPB chili pepper has emerged as a promising alternative for urban agriculture, as it can be cultivated in confined spaces using vertical farming systems. Nevertheless, effective pest control remains a major challenge in such environments. Unlike previous studies that focus mainly on open-field cultivation or standalone pest detection methods, this study proposes an integrated vertical precision pest control system specifically designed for Ayesha IPB chili pepper cultivation. The proposed system combines computer vision-based pest detection using the YOLOv8 algorithm with an Internet of Things (IoT) framework to transmit image data, process detection results, and automatically actuate a mechanized pesticide sprayer. The novelty of this work lies in the application of a zoom-in augmentation strategy to enhance YOLOv8 performance for detecting small-scale pests in vertically cultivated Ayesha IPB chili peppers. Experimental results show that the proposed technique improves the Mean Average Precision (mAP) from 88% to 95%. Moreover, field testing indicates that the implemented system can reduce pest occurrence points by up to 75%. The proposed approach offers a scalable and cost-effective solution for precision pest management and is expected to support sustainable urban agriculture, particularly for vertical farming of Ayesha IPB chili in metropolitan areas.

Keywords:

precision agriculture, pest control, vertical farming, Ayesha IPB, IoT, computer vision

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