Agricultural sensors have paved the way for the digitalization of the farm. In fact, they detect fundamental data that allow the health status of crops to be assessed, making it possible to plan targeted interventions and optimize monitoring activities in the field.

The use of sensors, such as agrometeorological ones, allows the recording and obtaining of numerous information relating to crops (for example, leaf wetness) and the surrounding environment (air humidity values, temperature and wind speed).

The availability of such data has paved the way for the diffusion of forecast models to evaluate and estimate plant growth and the presence of diseases.

In general, monitoring the parameters provided by sensors, whether they are positioned in the field, located on tractors or drones, has numerous advantages:

• improving productivity
• reducing product losses
• saving energy
• planning intervention methods to maintain optimal production conditions.

In the agricultural sector, the use of a sensor system allows to facilitate and improve the cultivation both in open fields and in greenhouses, as well as simplifying operations such as storage and transport.

To give some examples, just think of the sensor installed inside the combine harvester that weighs the quantity of grain that is collected and geolocalizes the data, so as to be able to create yield maps; or the proximal sensors that, placed on the machinery, allow a variable rate distribution of fertilizers.

Or even the sensors that allow detailed and real-time information to be collected on the humidity conditions of the soil, thus allowing optimal management of irrigation and avoiding stress for the crop.

The field of application of sensors is very broad: sensors record data and transmit the measurements detected in real time, thus also allowing their management in remote mode.