Precision agriculture approaches in vegetable production in India: Current trends and future directions

Abstract

Precision agriculture (PA) is an advanced, data-driven approach aimed at improving crop productivity and resource use efficiency through site-specific management practices. In India, vegetable production faces challenges such as small landholdings, water scarcity, soil fertility degradation, climate variability, and rising input costs. Precision agriculture offers sustainable solutions by integrating sensor technologies, remote sensing, GIS, decision support systems, and automation. This review synthesizes Indian research on PA applications in vegetable crops, highlighting current trends, benefits, challenges, and future prospects. Emphasis is placed on irrigation, nutrient management, pest control, and digital farming platforms relevant to Indian agro-ecological conditions.