Internet of Things (IoT)-Linked Approaches for Soil Health Monitoring

Abstract

Soil health plays a fundamental role in ensuring sustainable agricultural productivity and ecological stability. Traditional methods of soil health assessment such as manual sampling and laboratory analyses are labour-intensive, time-consuming, and limited in their spatial and temporal resolution. With the growing demands of food production and the pressing threats posed by climate change and land degradation, there is an urgent need for real-time, cost-effective, and scalable soil health monitoring systems. The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a transformative solution, offering continuous, remote, and sensor-based monitoring of key soil parameters. This review presents an in-depth examination of IoT-linked technologies and their application in assessing soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. The paper also explores the architectural framework of IoT systems, including sensing, communication, data processing, and application layers. Further, it discusses recent case studies involving smart irrigation systems, real-time nutrient monitoring, and integration with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). While the benefits of IoT-based systems are substantial including increased efficiency, reduced labour, and improved decision-making several challenges remain, such as high initial costs, energy requirements, and limited connectivity in rural areas. Overall, IoT presents promising potential for revolutionizing soil health monitoring and promoting resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.