Intelligent Sensor Systems Applied in Smart Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

Smart farming sensor technology harnesses a diverse array of sensors, including soil, weather, GPS, and livestock monitoring devices, to systematically amass real-time, high-resolution data crucial for precision agriculture. These sensors are attuned to variables such as soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and meteorological conditions, enabling farmers to make empirically grounded decisions.

Paramount among its advantages is the realization of precision agriculture. By subjecting these data to meticulous analysis and employing them to delineate specific spatial and temporal zones within fields, farmers can calibrate irrigation, fertilization, and pest management strategies with pinpoint accuracy, effectuating augmented crop yields, curtailed resource outlays, and diminished operational expenditures.

Automation is integral to this paradigm. Autonomous machinery, finely calibrated through sensor-derived data, orchestrates farming operations such as seeding, weeding, and harvesting with unerring precision and efficiency. Concurrently, remote monitoring facilitated by smartphones or computer interfaces empowers farmers to vigilantly oversee operations, allowing for rapid responses to contingencies.

Advanced data analytics and machine learning algorithms underpin the processing and interpretation of sensor-generated data. This engenders predictive modeling, early-stage disease detection, and crop yield prediction, thus substantially augmenting the efficacy of farm management.

Furthermore, smart farming fosters energy efficiency via technologies like solar-powered sensors and precise irrigation systems, thereby mitigating the ecological footprint of agricultural practices. Livestock sensors serve as vanguards for animal welfare and productivity enhancement.

Notwithstanding its numerous merits, the implementation of smart farming technology necessitates sensible capital investments in infrastructure, data management protocols, and personnel training, concomitant with the resolution of pertinent issues concerning data security and privacy. Nonetheless, smart farming sensor technology constitutes a transformative force in agriculture, endowing it with an impression of sustainability, efficiency, and productivity hitherto unparalleled.

Prof. Dr. Heinz Bernhardt
Prof. Dr. Patrick Noack
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• precision agriculture
• agricultural sensor networks
• IoT (internet of things) in agriculture
• sensor data analytics
• remote monitoring
• sustainable farming technologies