Lakshmi et al. (2026) The Biophysics of Precision Agriculture: Smart Sensors and Materials for Sustainable Farming: A Review

Identification

• Journal: Agricultural Reviews
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-01-01
• Authors: Thodangi Rajya Lakshmi, Bindu Ambaru
• DOI: 10.18805/ag.r-2823

Research Groups

• Department of Physics, Sardar Patel College, Secunderabad, Telangana, India
• Department of Life Sciences, Sardar Patel College, Secunderabad, Telangana, India

Short Summary

This review comprehensively surveys smart sensor technologies and advanced materials crucial for precision agriculture, detailing their applications in real-time monitoring of crops, soil, and environmental conditions, and identifying critical research gaps for developing more sensitive, durable, and efficient next-generation sensors.

Objective

• To provide a comprehensive review of smart sensor technologies and advanced materials used in precision agriculture.
• To identify current challenges and material limitations in agricultural sensor development.
• To outline future research directions for designing flexible, robust, and sustainable next-generation agricultural sensors.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Covers sensors deployed at various scales, including embedded in soil, mounted on plants, integrated into irrigation systems, and deployed via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellite platforms.
• Temporal Scale: Discusses real-time monitoring for immediate agricultural decision-making and emphasizes the need for long-term durability and stability for continuous applications in harsh agricultural environments.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Not applicable; this is a review paper synthesizing existing scientific literature.
• Data sources: Scientific literature, including journal articles and reviews, on agricultural sensor technologies and materials science.

Main Results

• The paper categorizes and details key sensor technologies in agriculture, including electrochemical, hyperspectral/multispectral, infrared (IR), LiDAR, soil moisture, mechanical, temperature and humidity (TMS), and biosensors (e.g., Surface Plasmon Resonance).
• It highlights the critical role of advanced materials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, metal oxides, conductive polymers, and biocompatible composites in enhancing sensor sensitivity, durability, and efficiency.
• A significant research gap is identified in translating laboratory-scale material innovations into field-ready agricultural sensors, particularly regarding long-term durability, environmental stability, and standardized benchmarking under real field conditions.
• Future research should focus on materials–application co-design, hybrid composite optimization, and establishing uniform performance evaluation frameworks to bridge the gap between high-performance laboratory materials and reliable, sustainable agricultural sensing platforms.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive, single-source overview that bridges the gap between diverse agricultural sensor technologies and the advanced materials used in their fabrication.
• Synthesizes critical performance metrics (sensitivity, response/recovery time, stability, durability, and cost-scalability) essential for evaluating agricultural sensor materials.
• Offers critical insights into existing challenges, material limitations, and future research directions, guiding the development of next-generation flexible, robust, and sustainable sensors for precision agriculture.

Funding

• No funding, sponsorship, or external support influenced the literature selection, analysis, interpretation, or preparation of the manuscript.

Citation

@article{Lakshmi2026Biophysics,
  author = {Lakshmi, Thodangi Rajya and Ambaru, Bindu},
  title = {The Biophysics of Precision Agriculture: Smart Sensors and Materials for Sustainable Farming: A Review},
  journal = {Agricultural Reviews},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.18805/ag.r-2823},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.18805/ag.r-2823}
}