Energy-Efficient Wireless Sensor Networks for Precision Agriculture: A Review

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Computer Science
• Engineering

Background:

• Precision agriculture (PA) leverages information technology to enhance crop production and quality.
• Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) provide extensive data crucial for effective PA strategies.
• Integrating WSNs facilitates greener, more efficient agricultural practices by avoiding uniform management across diverse environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent applications of WSNs in agricultural research.
• To classify and compare wireless communication protocols for agricultural WSNs.
• To explore energy-efficient techniques and energy harvesting for WSNs in agricultural monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of WSN applications in agriculture.
• Classification and comparative analysis of wireless communication protocols.
• Taxonomy of energy-efficient and energy harvesting techniques for WSNs.
• Comparison of existing research on agriculture-based WSNs.

Main Results:

• WSNs offer significant potential for improving field management through optimized nutrient application and pest control.
• Various wireless communication protocols suitable for agricultural WSNs were analyzed.
• Energy-efficient techniques and energy harvesting methods for long-term WSN deployment were identified and discussed.
• Challenges and limitations of WSNs in agriculture were explored.

Conclusions:

• WSNs are instrumental in advancing precision agriculture by providing data for informed decision-making.
• Energy efficiency and harvesting are critical for sustainable, long-term agricultural monitoring using WSNs.
• These advancements pave the way for enhanced Internet of Things (IoT) data processing in agriculture.