Design and Evaluation of Wireless Sensor Networks for Precision Agriculture

Abstract

Precision agriculture aims to optimize crop yield, resource use, and environmental sustainability through data-driven decision-making. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have emerged as a cornerstone technology for achieving these goals by enabling real-time monitoring of soil moisture, temperature, nutrient levels, microclimate, pest activity, and crop health. This paper reviews the design principles, architectures, communication protocols, and evaluation frameworks that support the effective deployment of WSNs in agricultural settings. The study examines node placement strategies, energy-efficient routing mechanisms, fault tolerance methods, and sensor calibration techniques that enhance measurement reliability. Challenges such as connectivity limitations, power constraints, interference, and environmental variability are examined alongside emerging innovations including LPWAN technologies, energy harvesting, and AI-assisted sensing. Case studies  from smart farms illustrate improvements in irrigation scheduling, fertilizer optimization, and disease prediction enabled by WSNinfrastructures. This review concludes that wireless sensor networks are indispensable for sustainable agriculture and will continue to evolve through multi-sensor integration, long-range communication standards, and intelligent edge based analytics.