Digital Twins in Agriculture: Orchestration and Applications

Escribà-Gelonch, Marc; Liang, Shu; van Schalkwyk, Pieter; Fisk, Ian; Long, Nguyen Van Duc; Hessel, Volker

Abstract

Digital Twins have emerged as an outstanding opportunity for precision farming, digitally replicating in real-time the functionalities of objects and plants. A virtual replica of the crop, including key agronomic development aspects such as irrigation, optimal fertilization strategies, and pest management, can support decision-making and a step change in farm management, increasing overall sustainability and direct water, fertilizer, and pesticide savings. In this review, Digital Twin technology is critically reviewed and framed in the context of recent advances in precision agriculture and Agriculture 4.0. The review is organized for each step of agricultural lifecycle, edaphic, phytotechnologic, postharvest, and farm infrastructure, with supporting case studies demonstrating direct benefits for agriculture production and supply chain considering both benefits and limitations of such an approach. Challenges and limitations are disclosed regarding the complexity of managing such an amount of data and a multitude of (often) simultaneous operations and supports.

Citation

Escribà-Gelonch, M., Liang, S., van Schalkwyk, P., Fisk, I., Long, N. V. D., & Hessel, V. (2024). Digital Twins in Agriculture: Orchestration and Applications. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 72(19), 10737-10752. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c01934

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 19, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 6, 2024
• Publication Date: May 15, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jul 30, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 1, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
• Print ISSN: 0021-8561
• Electronic ISSN: 1520-5118
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 72
• Issue: 19
• Pages: 10737-10752
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c01934
• Keywords: Fertilizers - analysis, Industry 4.0, Digital Twins, Agriculture - methods, precise agriculture, Crops, Agricultural - growth & development - genetics, Internet of Things, Crop Production - methods, agriculture 4.0
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/35141059
• Publisher URL: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c01934