On-Site Devices for Precision Agriculture Applications: A Review of Soil and Plant Sensors

Abstract

Agriculture, as a basis of sustainable development, faces increasing pressure to meet rising global food demands while confronting the increasing impacts of climate change. Precision agriculture offers a data-driven approach to address these challenges by optimizing input use, improving productivity, and reducing environmental impacts. Sensor technologies play a critical role in smart and precision agriculture, offering high-resolution spatial and temporal insights into soil conditions, plant development and environmental conditions. This review highlights the current state and future potential of various sensor and imaging systems, particularly their role in monitoring soil properties, crop nutrition, plant health and detecting biotic and abiotic stressors. Special attention is given to accessible paper-based and printed electrochemical devices for on-site soil and plant analysis, as well as active handheld multispectral sensors designed for real-time canopy assessment. The integration of sensor-derived data with predictive models, IoT networks and decision-support tools enables more precise, site-specific management, improves input efficiency and supports climate-resilient agricultural practices. By examining the capabilities, limitations and future potential of these sensing platforms, this review highlights their growing importance in advancing sustainable intensification and strengthening crop production.