Smart Agriculture with NPK Sensors: A Sustainable Approach to Soil Health and Fertiliser Optimisation in Guava Farming

Abstract

Soil health is deteriorating due to excessive use of fertilisers. As a part of smart agriculture NPK sensor can improve the soil fertility status. The study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of NPK sensors for soil health management in smart agriculture. The study was carried out during the winter season (2024) at the Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Farm, Baruipur, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Block Design with two treatments and five replications. The treatments consisted of T1: Control, T2: NKP Sensor. During the study, data were recorded and analysed through formulas using Microsoft Excel. The total nitrogen ranged from 215.5 kg ha-1 to 224.3 kg ha-1, which indicated the low nitrogen content in soil (<280 kg ha-1). The available phosphorus status (P2O5) in the plots was high (>90 kg ha-1), whereas the available potassium (K2O) was medium (150-340 kg ha-1). The average total nitrogen for T1 required per plant was 614.04 g, whereas in T2, the average nitrogen requirement was 128.2 g. The application frequency was higher in T2 (5). The N sensor saved 79% of nitrogen. The average amount of phosphorus was 367.28 g per plant in T1, whereas it was 120.32 g. The P sensor saved 67.24% of phosphorus fertiliser. The average potassium fertiliser applied for T1 without NPK sensor was 508.62 g per plant, whereas it was only 122.7g for T2.  It was found that the sensor resisted the excess use of potassic fertilisers and saved 75.87 %. The yield was increased by 99.69 % in T2 (23.012) compared to T1(11.524). Overall total amount of fertilisers decreased (72.37%) when the NPK sensors were utilised for soil health monitoring in smart agriculture. The study concluded that the NPK sensor improved the soil health through smart agriculture.