RESUMO
Significant income was promised by giant freshwater prawn farming, which served as a key occupation for farmers. However, challenges were faced by traditional methods, including difficulties in selling prawns of incorrect sizes, limited market demand, low prices, and the risk of waterborne diseases. In pond-raised environments, these prawns were prone to diseases due to deteriorating environmental conditions, particularly poor pond bottoms, resulting in unsuitable water quality and vulnerability in prawn growth. Consequently, the application of water management technology in the prawn ponds becomes crucial to address these issues. This research aims to develop a prototype for a smart water management system, designed to regulate the water quality that significantly impacts the growth of Pak Phanang giant freshwater prawns within a pond. The equipment and tools utilized comprise ponds, water treatment systems, and smart water quality control systems. The investigation resulted in favorable findings, obtaining a total of 270 river prawns, each measuring an average length of 10-12 cm and weighing between 24 and 30 g. After a rearing period of 120 days in this system, 252 river prawns were successfully harvested, exhibiting a survival rate of 93.3 %. These prawns measured 20-25 cm in length and weighed between 190 and 268 g each, while remaining free from diseases. The results demonstrate that the developed system effectively manages water quality throughout the culture process, offering a valuable model to address the challenges faced by giant freshwater prawn farmers. The prawns obtained are of marketable size, and disease-free, enhancing the farmers' credibility with long-term benefits in the consumer market, in addition to their income generation potential.
