IoT-driven Smart Farming Technology for Real-time Soil and Crop Optimization

Smart agricultural technology driven by the Internet of Things achieves real-time monitoring and dynamic optimization of soil environment and crop growth through the deep integration of sensor networks, wireless communications, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

The following is a detailed introduction from three dimensions: core technology, application scenarios and actual benefits:

Core technology support: Building a closed loop of “perception-transmission-decision-making”

• Multi-parameter sensor network

• Soil monitoring: Deploy temperature and humidity, conductivity (EC value), pH value, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrient sensors to achieve layered monitoring (such as 3-layer/5-layer soil profile). For example, the soil moisture monitor of Xiangchuang Group can capture abnormal fluctuations in deep EC values in saline-alkali land, providing a basis for precise fertilization.
• Crop growth monitoring: Use optical zoom cameras and edge computing technology to observe fruits, stems and leaves at the millimeter level. For example, Shandong Zhongtian Yuxin’s smart control cabinet can collect data such as light intensity and soil nutrients in real time, and automatically adjust irrigation and fertilization equipment in combination with AI algorithms.
• Environmental perception: Integrate temperature and humidity, light, wind speed, rainfall, and carbon dioxide concentration sensors to build a farmland microclimate model. The multi-span greenhouse in Weifang Economic Development Zone automatically adjusts the vents and sunshades through such data to increase the sugar content of cherry tomatoes to more than 12 degrees.

• High-speed data transmission and storage

• Use wireless communication technologies such as 4G/5G and LoRa to ensure that massive data is uploaded to the cloud in real time. For example, the agricultural Internet of Things demonstration base in Dadong Village, Hanjiang, Putian transmits data to the control center through 15 high-precision sensors, supporting the visual monitoring of plant growth in more than 500 acres of bases.

• Intelligent analysis and decision-making system

• AI algorithm model: Analyze historical data based on machine learning (such as BP neural network, fuzzy C-means clustering) to predict crop growth trends. The smart rice-shrimp service system developed by Anhui Agricultural University achieves an accuracy rate of more than 80% for lobster feeding time, rice diseases and pests, etc. through a dynamic prediction and early warning mechanism.
• Big data platform: Integrate more than 1,200 crop growth models and more than 1,500 breeding standard libraries, such as Zhongtian Yuxin’s smart agriculture big data platform, to support real-time monitoring analysis and decision optimization.

Agricultural IoT technology for real-time soil and crop optimization

Core application scenarios: Covering the entire production cycle

• Precision irrigation and water-fertilizer integration

• Intelligent irrigation system: Automatically adjust irrigation volume according to soil moisture and weather forecast. For example, after applying this technology in cotton planting in Xinjiang, 30% of water was saved while soil salinization was avoided.
• Water-fertilizer coordinated regulation: Daewoo Agriculture in Hongwei Township, Minhou County uses the Internet of Things to intelligently sense the water shortage in the root layer to achieve integrated water-fertilizer irrigation, saving time and effort.

• Intelligent early warning and prevention of pests and diseases

• Automatic insect monitoring: Use spectral insect trapping technology and high-definition cameras, combined with deep learning algorithms to identify pest types (accuracy rate exceeds 92%). Managers can view reports remotely through mobile phones and formulate prevention and control strategies in advance.
• UAV inspection: UAVs equipped with multispectral sensors regularly inspect farmland, quickly locate pest and disease areas, and guide precise pesticide application. After application in large farms in the United States, the use of pesticides has been reduced by more than 20%.

• Intelligent management of agricultural machinery

• Agricultural machinery positioning and scheduling: Real-time monitoring of agricultural machinery location and operation status through Beidou terminal and GPS module to optimize farming routes. Weichai Lovol’s smart farm management platform has served more than 8 million mu of farmland across the country, improving operation efficiency by 30%.
• Unmanned operation: Integrate drones and unmanned boats to achieve coordinated feeding, oxygenator and sensor linkage control. After application in Quanjiao County rice and shrimp breeding base, the operation efficiency is 3 times higher than that of traditional methods.

• Agricultural product quality traceability and brand building

• Blockchain traceability system: Record the source of seeds, fertilization records, picking date and other full-process data, and consumers can trace it by scanning the code. After application in an organic vegetable base in China, the brand value increased by 40% and the market competitiveness was significantly enhanced.

Actual benefits: cost reduction, efficiency improvement and sustainable development

• Improved resource utilization efficiency

• Water and fertilizer saving: The intelligent irrigation system saves 30%-50% of water, and precise fertilization reduces fertilizer waste by more than 20%. The Dutch smart greenhouse shortens the crop growth cycle by 15% and increases yield by 25% through environmental regulation.
• Energy optimization: The solar energy + lithium battery dual power supply mode supports 7 days of continuous operation of sensors, increases deployment efficiency by 80%, and reduces infrastructure costs.

• Reduced labor intensity and cost

• Automated management: The intelligent greenhouse controls the film roll and spray system through motors to reduce manual inspections and operations. After application at the Putian Hanjiang base, irrigation costs decreased by 20% and prevention and control effects increased by 30%.
• Remote decision support: Farmers can adjust management measures at any time through mobile phones or computers to reduce the frequency of on-site inspections. For example, Shandong Zhongtian Yuxin’s intelligent control cabinet realizes “one-button temperature control” to reduce the risk of high-temperature operations.

• Ecological protection and sustainable development

• Reducing pollution: Precise application of pesticides reduces pesticide residues, and intelligent irrigation avoids soil salinization. The rice and shrimp breeding base in Quanjiao County has increased the efficiency of aquaculture tailwater treatment by 50% through water quality monitoring and intelligent oxygenation.
• Circular agricultural model: Agricultural waste is used as a resource through IoT monitoring, such as conversion into organic fertilizer or bioenergy, to promote the circularization of agricultural production.

Typical case: technology implementation and model innovation

• Dado Village, Hanjiang, Putian: Provincial Agricultural IoT Demonstration Base

• Deploy 15 sensor monitoring points to visualize plant growth in a 500-acre base. Through the integration of water and fertilizer, precise application of pesticides and fertilizers can reduce irrigation costs by 20% and improve prevention and control effects by 30%.

• Multi-span greenhouse in Weifang Economic Development Zone: small tomatoes with a sugar content of 12 degrees

• Sensors monitor soil pH, air temperature and humidity in real time, and automatically adjust ventilation, shading and drip irrigation systems. The product quality is far superior to ordinary products, with a premium space of more than 30%.

• Rice and shrimp farming in Quanjiao County: Digital technology drives the industry to leap forward

• Build a full-chain solution of “Internet of Things + Artificial Intelligence” to achieve water quality monitoring, intelligent oxygenation, and precise feeding. The comprehensive output value has increased by 12% annually in the past three years, reaching 3.4 billion yuan in 2024, driving an increase of 4,000 yuan per capita income for 16,000 farmers.

IoT smart technology for real-time soil and crop optimization in agricultural plants

Future trends: technology integration and ecological reconstruction

• 5G+AIoT deep integration

• 5G technology achieves millisecond-level delay data transmission and supports higher-frequency real-time monitoring and decision-making. Artificial intelligence algorithms are further optimized, such as reinforcement learning for dynamic adjustment of irrigation strategies.

• Blockchain and supply chain transparency

• Blockchain technology ensures that agricultural product traceability data cannot be tampered with, and combines the Internet of Things to achieve transparent management of the entire chain from field to table, thereby enhancing consumer trust.

• Edge computing and localized decision-making

• Deploy edge computing nodes in farmland to reduce cloud dependence and achieve low-latency localized decision-making. For example, the crop growth monitoring system of Xiangchuang Group supports 720-degree rotation shooting, and the edge end can complete the fruit maturity identification.

• Open agricultural ecological construction

• IoT companies cooperate with universities and scientific research institutions to develop interdisciplinary teaching platforms and ecological restoration tools. For example, Xiangchuang Group cooperates with universities to carry out research on “crop growth model” and “pest and disease prediction” to cultivate compound agricultural talents.

Conclusion

Intelligent agricultural technology driven by the Internet of Things is shifting from “experience-driven” to “data-driven”, and through precise perception, intelligent decision-making and closed-loop optimization, it can achieve efficient, sustainable and branded agricultural production.

In the future, with the further integration of technologies such as 5G, AI, and blockchain, agriculture will move towards a smarter and greener digital era.
If you need to know more about China’s Internet of Things projects, please contact the Internet of Things Cloud Platform.