applied

sciences
Review
Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture: Benefits, Challenges,
and Trends
Rosana Cavalcante de Oliveira 1, * and Rogério Diogne de Souza e Silva 2

1 Computer Science Graduate Program, Federal University of the Semi-Arid Region—UFERSA,

Street Francisco Mota, n◦ 572, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
2 Integrated Center for Technological Innovation in the Semi-Arid Region—CITED (East Campus),
Electrical Engineering Graduate Program, Federal University of the Semi-Arid Region—UFERSA,
Street Francisco Mota, n◦ 572, Mossoró 59625-900, Brazil
* Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +55-84-33178200

Abstract: The world’s population has reached 8 billion and is projected to reach 9.7 billion by
2050, increasing the demand for food production. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that
optimize resources and increase productivity are vital in an environment that has tensions in the
supply chain and increasingly frequent weather events. This study performed a systemic review
of the literature using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
(PRISMA) methodology on artificial intelligence technologies applied to agriculture. It retrieved
906 relevant studies from five electronic databases and selected 176 studies for bibliometric analysis.
The quality appraisal step selected 17 studies for the analysis of the benefits, challenges, and trends
of AI technologies used in agriculture. This work showed an evolution in the area with increased
publications over the last five years, with more than 20 different AI techniques applied in the
176 studies analyzed, with machine learning, convolutional neural networks, IoT, big data, robotics,
and computer vision being the most used technologies. Considering a worldwide scope, the countries
highlighted were India, China, and the USA. Agricultural sectors included crop management and
prediction and disease and pest management. Finally, it presented challenges and trends that are
promising when considering the future directions in AI for agriculture.

Citation: Oliveira, R.C.d.; Silva,

Keywords: artificial intelligence; agriculture; machine learning; convolutional neural networks;
R.D.d.S.e. Artificial Intelligence in
Agriculture: Benefits, Challenges,
agricultural applications
and Trends. Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405.
https://doi.org/10.3390/
app13137405
1. Introduction
Academic Editors: José Miguel
Molina Martínez and Nathan
Geopolitical events are causing supply chain strains, and climatic events are impacting
J. Moore the food systems’ resilience [1]. The challenges to ending hunger and food insecurities keep
growing, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted fragilities in our agrifood
Received: 23 February 2023 systems and inequalities in our societies [2]. This scenario becomes more urgent with the
Revised: 1 May 2023 growing food demand. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has stated that by
Accepted: 20 June 2023
2050 there will be around 10 billion people, and the food demand will grow by 70% [3].
Published: 22 June 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques applied in agriculture can optimize agricultural
processes by food system resilience increases.
AI is an evolving set of technologies that are used to solve a variety of applied problems
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
and has been extensively applied in farming recently [4]. This work’s purpose is to make a
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. systematic review of the current studies and research in agriculture that employ the recent
This article is an open access article practices of AI technologies to solve several relevant problems.
distributed under the terms and Reviews of the literature are important for synthesizing the existing knowledge base:
conditions of the Creative Commons in [5], the authors conducted a review about crop yield prediction using machine learning;
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// in [6], advanced agricultural disease image recognition technologies were explored; IoT
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ solutions for smart farming were researched in [7]; big data in agriculture in [8]; and
4.0/). agriculture 4.0 in [9,10]. This work presents extensive research on the latest application of

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137405 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 2 of 17

AI in agriculture to alleviate problems in the seven main agriculture domains identified:

crop management, water management, soil management, fertirrigation, crop prediction,
crop classification, disease, and pest management. In the 176 studies selected for descriptive
analysis, more than 20 different artificial intelligence techniques were identified. After the
qualitative analysis, 17 articles were selected and described their application in agriculture,
challenges, and benefits.
The outline of this paper proceeds with the research methodology, which follows
the PRISMA steps with the selected criteria and data collected; Section 3 presents the
bibliometric analysis results; Section 4 presents the relevant articles selected with a quality
appraisal regarding their main agriculture domains and the AI technologies used; Section 5
presents the challenges, benefits, trends, and research directions identified. Finally, Section 6
shows some conclusions.

2. Methodology
This section presents the review principles of the systematic literature review (SLR),
study selection criteria, and the quality appraisal of the studies selected.

2.1. Review Principles

This systematic review was defined by [11] as a review that uses systematic methods
to collate and synthesize the findings of studies that address a formulated question, and
this should be reported in sufficient detail for the review findings to be replicated.
This SLR aimed to identify and analyze recent studies relating to the artificial intel-
ligence techniques applied in agriculture, answering specific questions and recognizing
trends. The methodological steps included their identification, screening, eligibility, and
inclusion. Firstly, we defined the research questions, followed by the criteria for studies
inclusion and exclusion. Later the research in scientific databases extracted the relevant
studies, and finally, the results identified were analyzed to answer the research questions.
The SLR ensured clarity and transparency through a four-phase verification flowchart
adapted from [12]. This work sought to expand current research knowledge focusing on AI
technologies applied in agriculture. Table 1 presents the questions formulated.

Table 1. Research questions.

ID Research Question Justification

What are the most influential countries, research
The purpose is to supply the context related to the research
RQ1 institutions, journals, and principal papers in AI
of AI applied to agriculture.
techniques applied to agriculture?
What are the principal AI techniques applied for AI techniques identification applied for principal
RQ2
domains of agriculture tasks? agriculture domains.
What are the main benefits and challenges of Identifies the opportunities and gaps for research and
RQ3
adopting AI for agriculture? development, indicating challenges and trends.

By answering the research question in Q1, this work aimed to identify the context
related to the topics addressed in AI and agriculture. To answer the research questions, Q2
and Q3, adapted a framework proposed by [9]. The intersections in Figure 1 represent AI
technology’s potential impact on agriculture applications, Q2, and identify the challenges
and benefits arising from Q3. Based on Figure 1, the framework focused on AI technologies,
application domains, and challenges and benefits [9,11].
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 1

Appl.
Appl.Sci. 2023,13,
Sci.2023, 13,7405
x FOR PEER REVIEW 33ofof17
17

Figure 1. Theoretical framework. Adapted from [9].

Figure1.1.Theoretical
Figure Theoreticalframework.
framework.Adapted
Adaptedfrom
from[9].
[9].
2.2. Study Selection Criteria
2.2. Study Selection Criteria
2.2. Study
SLR Selection
steps wereCriteria
identified and screened for eligibility and inclusion. This could b
SLR steps were identified and screened for eligibility and inclusion. This could be
correlated to awere
SLR steps PRISMA flowand
identified diagram
screened (Figure 2). Thisand
for eligibility paper’s identification
inclusion. This couldconsidered
be
correlated to a PRISMA flow diagram (Figure 2). This paper’s identification considered the
correlated
the current to a PRISMA
knowledge flow diagram
published (Figure
injournals2).
scientificThis paper’s
journals identification
in English, considered
disregarding book
current knowledge published in scientific in English, disregarding book chapters,
the currentannals,
chapters, knowledge
and publishedofinevents.
abstracts scientific journals
Table 2 in English,
presents the disregarding
inclusion book for th
indicator
annals, and abstracts of events. Table 2 presents the inclusion indicator for the data
chapters,
data annals, and abstracts of events. Table 2 presents the inclusion indicator for the
collection
collection phase. phase.
data collection phase.

Figure 2. Methodology flow diagram. Adapted from [12].

Table 2.2.Data
Figure collection indicator.
Methodology flow diagram. Adapted
Figure 2. Methodology flow diagram. Adapted from from
[12]. [12].
Indicator Description
Table 2. Data collection
Search intervalindicator. 2017 to 2022
Databases
Indicator ScienceDirect; Scopus; Springer; IEEE Xplore; MDPI
Description
Search interval 2017 to 2022
Databases ScienceDirect; Scopus; Springer; IEEE Xplore; MDPI
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 4 of 17

Table 2. Data collection indicator.

Indicator Description
Search interval 2017 to 2022
Databases ScienceDirect; Scopus; Springer; IEEE Xplore; MDPI
Screening Title, abstract, DOI and year
Document types Review and original article
Language English
The proposed solution Applied on agriculture

The literature databases used to search for scientific information were: ScienceDirect,
Scopus, Springer, IEEE Xplore, and MDPI. A search string combined the keywords for
artificial intelligence, agriculture, synonyms, and subareas, using logical operators such
as OR and AND. Table 3 presents the search strings that were defined considering the
inclusion criteria. This query string was inserted in an advanced search camp of the
databases consulted.

Table 3. Search string.

Search String
(Artificial intelligence OR Computer vision OR Machine learning)
AND
(Agriculture OR Culture Selection OR Land preparation OR Seeding OR Irrigation OR
fertilization OR Culture maintenance OR Harvest OR Precision Agriculture)

At the identification stage, considering the areas of exact and natural sciences, engi-
neering, and agronomy confined, the research focus on artificial intelligence applied to
agriculture, bringing the number of studies to 906. In the screening stage, these studies
were verified based on their titles and keywords, and by removing duplicates, 265 records
were obtained. After reading the abstract, results, and conclusion, 176 papers went to
the eligibility stage and were fully read (Figure 2). These studies were bibliometrically
evaluated to obtain indicators on the area (Section 3). In the inclusion stage, 13 paper
records were selected considering the quality assessment, and these selected records are
discussed in Sections 4 and 5.

2.3. Quality Appraisal

The quality assessment evaluates the aspects relevant to the SLR in each paper, con-
sidering the evaluation score for which each paper would be included or excluded in
the inclusion phase. The qualitative analysis aimed to classify and prioritize the articles
analyzed in the SLR. There were five quality evaluation criteria; three were quantitative and
correlated with the Journal: Impact Factor, Citescore, and Citations. The AI technologies
and the agriculture domain applications are characteristics related to the paper content
and how they are related to the objective of this study. Each indicator has its measure;
therefore, we grouped the criteria into three response options: “high”, “medium”, and
“low” (Table 4).
In the eligibility analysis stage, the ranges of values were identified from the analysis
of the distribution of the 176 studies selected. For example, records with an impact factor
between 11.8 and 6.1 were evaluated as high and received 1.0 points in this criterion
(Table 5). In quantitative criteria, each analyzed record could have points from 0 to 3.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 5 of 17

Table 4. Quality evaluation criterion.

Criterion Measure Description

Impact Factor Evaluate the scientific journals’ importance
Citescore Represents the average number of citations
Citations Mean how many times a publication has been cited
Artificial intelligence Importance of artificial intelligence technology considering
technologies methodology, references, application and results.
Agriculture domain Importance in agriculture application considering methodology,
applications references, application and results.

Table 5. Evaluation quantitative criterion.

Criterion High Medium Low

Impact Factor [11.8–6.1] [6.0–3.1] [3.0–1.58]
Citescore [18.7–6.5] [6.4–4.0] [3.9–2.7]
Citations [1195–100] [99–10] [9–0]

To balance the journal’s impact criteria and the adherence of the records to the work
objective, the qualitative criteria had a scale of 1.5, 1, and 0.5 (Table 6), and original articles
whose AI application and agriculture were described with quality in the methodology,
results, and conclusion, obtained the highest evaluation. In the qualitative criteria, each
analyzed record could have a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 points. Papers that did
not have AI applications in agriculture in their introduction or conclusion were eliminated
in the eligibility stage. Each record could have points from 1 to 6.

Table 6. Evaluation qualitative criterion.

Criterion High Medium Low

AI Technology Original
papers|Methodology| Review|Introduction|Conclusion Introduction|Conclusion
Application domain Results|Conclusion

The 176 papers selected in the eligibility stage were read in their entirety for a quality
appraisal. Table 7 shows the papers with the highest scores.

Table 7. Papers with the highest score in the quality assessment.

References AI Technology Application Domain Impact Factor Citescore Citations Scores

Computer vision; Convolutional
[13] Crop classification 6.757 11.8 289 6.0
neural network
Robotics; Unmanned aerial Water management;
[14] 7.5 9.4 166 6.0
vehicles (UAVs) Crop management
[5] Machine learning Crop prediction 6.757 11.8 283 6.0
Artificial neural network (ANN);
[15] Water management 6.757 11.8 127 6.0
Internet of things (IoT)
Convolutional neural network Disease and pest
[16] 7.5 9.4 26 5.5
(CNN); Computer vision management
Disease and pest
[17] Deep learning (DL) management; Soil 10.238 17.1 14 5.5
management
Deep learning (DL); Computer Disease and pest
[18] 6.757 11.8 26 5.5
vision management
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 6 of 17

Table 7. Cont.

References AI Technology Application Domain Impact Factor Citescore Citations Scores

Robotics
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER and automation;
REVIEW 6 of 17
[19] Computer vision; Convolutional Crop management 5.002 8.7 135 5.5
neural network
Genetic algorithm; Internet of
[20] [21] Machine Fertigation management 11.072 15.8 2540 5.5
things (IoT) learning Water management 6.757 11.8 5.5
[21]
[22] Digital twins
Machine learning
Crop management
Water management
6.757
6.757
11.8
11.8
63
40
5.5
5.5
[23] Machine learning Crop prediction 8.171 12 12 5.5
[22] Digital twins Crop management 6.757 11.8 63 5.5
Machine Learning (ML);
[23] [24] Machine learning Crop management
Crop prediction 3.476
8.171 7
12 1212 5.0
5.5
Internet of Things (IoT)
Machine Learning (ML); Internet
[24] [8] Big data; Robotics Cropmanagement
Crop management 6.765
3.476 9.7
7 1195
12 5.0
5.0
of Things (IoT)
Machine learning; Com-
[8] [25] Big data;puter
Robotics
vision
Cropmanagement
Crop management 6.757
6.765 11.8
9.7 70
1195 5.0
5.0
Machine learning;Computer
Deep learning;
[25] [26] Crop
Cropmanagement
classification 6.757
3.889 11.8
5.0 7019 5.0
4.5
Computer vision
vision
[26] Deep learning; Computercomputer
Deep learning; vision Crop classification
Disease and pest man- 3.889 5.0 19 4.5
[6] 6.409 12 11 4.5
vision vision Disease and pest
agement
[6] Deep learning; computer 6.409 12 11 4.5
management
3. Descriptive Analysis (RQ1)
3. Descriptive Analysis
This section (RQ1) describes the 176 selected studies considering the publi-
quantitatively
cations and citations volume; the method
This section quantitatively describes theof176
theselected
studies studies
identified; and the most
considering influen-
the publica-
tial countries, journals, and institutions. Figure 3 shows the distribution of papers
tions and citations volume; the method of the studies identified; and the most influential and ci-
tations per
countries, year. and institutions. Figure 3 shows the distribution of papers and citations
journals,
per year.

Figure Distribution
3. 3.
Figure ofof
Distribution papers and
papers citations
and per
citations year.
per year.

The
Thepublications number
publications numberandand
citations in the
citations inarea
the have
area tripled over the
have tripled lastthe
over three years;
last three
the data collected in December 2022, reached a peak of 2440, referring to the 2020
years; the data collected in December 2022, reached a peak of 2440, referring to the 2020 publica-
tions. That is, the
publications. 2021
That and2021
is, the 2022,and
publications were already
2022, publications were citing theciting
already 2020 the
publications,
2020 publi-
showing the dynamism of feedback from this line of research. Studies
cations, showing the dynamism of feedback from this line of research. Studies were classified as
were clas-
sified as either theoretical or empirical (Table 8). Theoretical studies were classified as
reviews or SLRs. Additionally, empirical studies were classified as modeling and simula-
tion, surveys, or case studies.

Table 8. The studies identified.

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 7 of 17

either theoretical or empirical (Table 8). Theoretical studies were classified as reviews or
SLRs. Additionally, empirical studies were classified as modeling and simulation, surveys,
or case studies.

Table 8. The studies identified.

Studies Category Total %

Theoretical Reviews 59 34
Systematic literature reviews 16 9
Total 75 43
Empirical Modelling and simulations 68 39
Case studies 13 7
Surveys 20 11
Total 101 57
Overall total 176 100

The number of studies was balanced, with 43% classified as theoretical and 57% as
empirical. Theoretical studies had an emphasis on reviews of the literature, with 59 papers
representing 34%, and in between empirical studies, these stood out in modeling and
simulation, with 68 papers representing 39%. The most representative articles in quality
appraisal steps reflect this distribution, such as [13,15] which developed, respectively, robot
strawberry-picky and smart irrigation systems.
When studying a research paper’s relevance, bibliometric analysis can consider several
indicators. This research shows the volume and impact of the publications concerning
citation numbers. The Netherlands is the most influential country in this research scope,
with 5 publications and 1629 citations, closely followed by India, with 37 publications
and 1499 citations. Greece had only 3 publications and 1002 citations, and China had
23 publications with 899 citations. Table 9 shows the countries with more than 100 citations.

Table 9. Most influential countries.

Score Country Publications Citations

1 The Netherlands 5 1629
2 India 37 1499
3 Greece 3 1002
4 China 23 899
5 Spain 5 868
6 USA 10 679
7 Australia 5 649
8 Brazil 9 556
9 France 2 232
10 Egypt 3 185
11 New Zealand 2 168
12 Italy 7 157
13 Pakistan 5 144
14 Malaysia 7 115
15 Portugal 2 107
16 Canada 3 105
17 Chile 4 100

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture led the ranking with 4206 citations and
55 publications, followed by Agricultural Systems (1195), Sensors (1012), and Artificial
Intelligence in Agriculture (592). Table 10 shows the Journals with more than 100 citations;
those with the greatest impact factor are Computers in Industry (11.245), IEEE the Internet
of Things Journal (10.238), Computers and Electronics in Agriculture (6.757), Agricultural
Systems (6.765), and Information Processing in Agriculture (6.409).
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 8 of 17

Table 10. Journals and impact factors.

Score ISSN Journal Impact Factor Citescore Publications Citations

Computers and Electronics in
1 0168-1699 6.757 11.8 55 4206
Agriculture
2 0308-521X Agricultural Systems 6.765 9.7 1 1195
3 1424-8220 Sensors 3.847 5.8 7 1012
Artificial Intelligence in
4 2589-7217 7.5 9.4 7 592
Agriculture
5 2073-4395 Agronomy 3.949 3.9 10 339
6 0166-3615 Computers in Industry 11.245 16.9 2 242
Information Processing in
7 2214-3173 6.409 12 3 229
Agriculture
8 2169-3536 IEEE Access 3.476 6.7 10 196
9 2071-1050 Sustainability 3.889 5.0 7 196
10 1537-5110 Biosystems Engineering 5.002 8.7 2 189
11 2095-3119 Journal of Integrative Agriculture 4.384 5.6 1 185
12 2543-1536 Internet of Things 5.711 10.2 3 173
13 2079-9292 Electronics 2.690 3.7 3 115
14 2076-3417 Applied Sciences 2.838 3.7 4 111
15 2327-4662 IEEE Internet of Things Journal 10.238 17.1 2 110

Table 11 shows the ten institutions with the highest citation volume. This ranking was
led by universities from the USA, The Netherlands, three universities from China, India,
Chile, and two universities from Malaysia and Brazil.

Table 11. Institutions promoting research.

Score Institution Country Publications Citations

1 University of Florida USA 7 326
2 Wageningen University & Research The Netherlands 5 1629
3 China Agricultural University China 4 365
4 Vellore Institute of Technology India 2 138
5 Universidad Católica del Maule Chile 2 75
6 Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Malaysia 2 73
7 Dalian University of Technology China 2 58
8 Shihezi University China 2 51
9 University of Campinas Brazil 2 48
10 Universiti Putra Malaysia Malaysia 2 29

Finding 1: The publications and citations of artificial intelligence techniques applied

to agriculture increased almost six times over the last three years, demonstrating the
importance and timeliness of this research line. The most influential countries identified
were among the world’s largest food producers, and there were different Journals with
high-impact factors in publishing in this field.

4. Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture (RQ2)

Agriculture, meaning land cultivation, is the science of raising livestock and produc-
ing crops. The principal resource base for agriculture is the physical environment, and
the cultivated crop plant is their production unit. The challenge of agriculture is to effi-
ciently manage the physical environment to provide for the biological demands of the crop
plant [27]. The principal factors that impact crop yield are soil productivity, the accessibility
of water, climate, and pests or diseases [28].

4.1. Main Agriculture Domains

Artificial intelligence is transforming the agricultural sector by optimizing processes
and resources. This review identified seven main agricultural applications, as shown
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 of 17

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 9 of 17

Artificial intelligence is transforming the agricultural sector by optimizing process-

es and resources. This review identified seven main agricultural applications, as shown
in
in Figure 4, and
Figure 4, andarearesummarized
summarized in Table
in Table 12. objective
12. The The objective
of crop of crop management
management is to ra- is to
rationalize resource
tionalize resource useuse [29,30].
[29,30]. Water
Water management
management aimsaims to optimize
to optimize the irrigation
the irrigation processprocess
and
and water use on
water use on the
thefarm
farm[31,32].
[31,32].Soil
Soil management
management is anisimportant
an important component
component of the of the
success of site-specific
success site-specific cropping
croppingsystems
systems management.
management. Chemical application
Chemical in proper
application in proper
proportions is of
proportions of environmental
environmentaland and economic
economicconcern to farmers
concern [33]. [33].
to farmers

Figure 4.
Figure 4. Agriculture
Agriculture domains.
domains.

Fertigation uses
Fertigation usesanan
irrigation system
irrigation for fertilizers
system too. It too.
for fertilizers has been observed
It has that fer- that
been observed
tigation helps to improve fertilizer effectiveness [34]. Crop prediction
fertigation helps to improve fertilizer effectiveness [34]. Crop prediction or cropor crop yield pre- yield
diction is an important subject for effective and sustainable resource utilization
prediction is an important subject for effective and sustainable resource utilization [35]. [35].
Crop classification refers to which crops are grown and can combine image processing
Crop classification refers to which crops are grown and can combine image processing and
and deep learning [36]. Finally, diseases and pests impact crop yield and quality, and
deep learning [36]. Finally, diseases and pests impact crop yield and quality, and their man-
their management can improve production and make a substantial contribution to food
agement can improve production and make a substantial contribution to food security [37].
security [37]. Table 12 shows the applications in the agriculture domains identified with
Table 12 shows the applications in the agriculture domains identified with references
references consulted and the papers correlated with the highest score in the quality as-
consulted
sessment. and the papers correlated with the highest score in the quality assessment.

Table 12. Applications

Table12. Applications ininagricultural
agricultural domains.
domains.

Application
Application Domain
Domain Description
Description References
References
Crop management Covers seed sowing, maintenance, harvesting, storage, and distribution. [8,14,19,22,24,25,27,38]
Water Covers
waterseed sowing,
throughmaintenance, harvesting, storage,
Cropmanagement
management Optimizing usage irrigation techniques and processes. [14,15,21,27,28,39]
[8,14,19,22,24,25,27,38]
and distribution.
Soil management Assuring plant nutritional sufficiency. [17,24,27]
Fertirrigation Optimizing
Technology water
that aims at usage through
the application irrigation
of fertilizers via techniques
irrigation water. [20,40]
Water management [14,15,21,27,28,39]
and processes.
Crop production prediction is fundamental for the producer’s logistic
Crop prediction [5,23]
Soil management planning.Assuring plant nutritional sufficiency. [17,24,27]
Crop classification aims to offer a global understanding of crop distribu-
Crop classification Technologyfor that aims at the application [13,26,41]
Fertirrigation tion and information another application domain.of fertilizers via [20,40]
irrigation water.
Affect crop yields and quality and reduces resource use efficiency. The
Crop
Disease and pest management wide variety ofproduction prediction
weeds, animals, is fundamental
and microorganisms thatfor the agricul-
threaten [6,16–18,27,37]
Crop prediction [5,23]
producer’s
tural crops logistic planning.
requires technology for their protection.
Crop classification aims to offer a global understanding
Crop classification 4.2. Artificial
of cropIntelligence Technologies
distribution and information for another [13,26,41]
application domain.
Affect crop yields and quality and reduces resource use
efficiency. The wide variety of weeds, animals, and
Disease and pest management [6,16–18,27,37]
microorganisms that threaten agricultural crops requires
technology for their protection.
 Appl.Sci.
Appl. Sci.2023,
2023, 13,
13, 7405
x FOR PEER REVIEW 1010
of of
17 17

ArtificialIntelligence
4.2. Artificial Intelligence began in the 1950s inspired by cognitive processes and neuro-
Technologies
biology [42]. The major challenge for this originated in analyzing AI technologies when
Artificial Intelligence began in the 1950s inspired by cognitive processes and neuro-
applied to agriculture and increasing food production while confronting climatic chang-
biology [42]. The major challenge for this originated in analyzing AI technologies when
es.
applied to agriculture and increasing food production while confronting climatic changes.
There are four categories of intelligent systems: systems that think like humans, sys-
There are four categories of intelligent systems: systems that think like humans, sys-
tems that act like humans, systems that think rationally, and systems that act rationally
tems that act like humans, systems that think rationally, and systems that act rationally [43].
[43]. These categories refer to thinking and behavior, measuring their success in terms of
These categories refer to thinking and behavior, measuring their success in terms of fidelity
fidelity to human performance or rationality. An AI system can store and manipulate da-
to human performance or rationality. An AI system can store and manipulate data and the
ta and the acquisition, representation, and manipulation of knowledge. Manipulation
acquisition, representation, and manipulation of knowledge. Manipulation includes the
includes the ability to deduce (infer) new knowledge from existing knowledge.
ability to deduce (infer) new knowledge from existing knowledge.
This section concerns the artificial intelligence technologies that were identified in
This section concerns the artificial intelligence technologies that were identified in
the papers included in the SLR. The identified technologies were grouped into three
the papers included in the SLR. The identified technologies were grouped into three
main groups: cognitive science applications, robotics applications, and natural interface
main groups: cognitive science applications, robotics applications, and natural interface
applications. Figure 5 shows the technologies identified in the 176 articles analyzed. IoT,
applications. Figure 5 shows the technologies identified in the 176 articles analyzed. IoT,
big data, and cloud computing technologies served as a support for the implementation
big data, and cloud computing technologies served as a support for the implementation
of specific AI techniques such as computer vision, robotics, machine learning, augment-
of specific AI techniques such as computer vision, robotics, machine learning, augmented
ed reality, and virtual reality (AR & VR).
reality, and virtual reality (AR & VR).

Figure 5. Identified AI technologies in descriptive analysis.

Figure 5. Identified AI technologies in descriptive analysis.

Table
Table 13
13 presents
presents the
the main
main technologies
technologiesidentified
identifiedininthe
the1717articles
articlesselected
selectedininthe
the
quality assessment stage and their applications. Table 14 shows the objectiveofofthis
quality assessment stage and their applications. Table 14 shows the objective work
this work
which was
which was toto identify
identify AIAI technologies
technologiesand andagricultural
agriculturalapplications
applicationsininselected
selectedarticles.
articles.
In [14], an application for irrigation, disease, and pest management stood out,
In [14], an application for irrigation, disease, and pest management stood out, [5] presented [5] pre-
sented
with with a of
a review review of this
this field, andfield, and [15] developed
[15] developed a smart system.
a smart irrigation irrigation
Newsystem. New
technologies
technologies like agricultural digital twins were also analyzed. Agricultural digital
like agricultural digital twins were also analyzed. Agricultural digital twins are challenged twins
are challenged
to capture to capture the
the interactions interactions
between livingbetween
systems living systems
and their and their[22].
environment environment
[22].

Table 13. Identified AI technologies in the papers selected.

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 11 of 17

Table 13. Identified AI technologies in the papers selected.

Technology Description References

Use of machines, computer software, and other
Robotics and automation technologies to perform tasks that substitute or replicate [8,14,19]
human actions.
Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles Aircraft without pilot on board that can be
[14,25]
(UAVs) remote-controlled.
It is a system that can autonomously modify its behavior
based on its own experience with several different
Machine learning (ML) [5,21,23–25]
algorithms that can be employed for prediction accuracy
and performance evaluation.
Computing systems inspired by the human brain, which
Artificial neural networks (ANNs) can learn new things, and adapt to new and changing [15,19]
environments.
It is based on a set of algorithms related to machine
Deep learning: convolutional neural
learning. CNNs algorithms find patterns in images to [6,13,16–18,26]
network (CNN)
recognize objects, classes, and categories.
Algorithms widely used in machine learning that are
Genetic algorithm (GA) inspired by the processes of biological evolution to solve [20]
problems and model evolutionary systems.
Computer Vision includes problems, such as object
detection, motion tracking, and action recognition, using
Computer vision [6,13,16,18,19,25,26]
methods for acquiring, analyzing, and understanding
images extracted automatically.
It is a virtual representation that seeks productivity and
Digital twins [22,44]
efficiency optimizations.
Connects different intelligent equipment, facilitating the
Internet of things (IoT) [15,20,24,45]
management of the crop.
On-demand availability of resources such as data storage
Cloud computing [25,46,47]
and computing power.
Big data It collects, processes, and analyzes data. [8,48]

Table 14. AI technologies in agriculture.

Crop Water Soil Disease Crop Crop

Technology Fertirrigation
Management Management Management and Pest Prediction Classification
Robotics and automation [8,14,19] [14]
Drones and Unmanned
[14,25] [14]
Aerial Vehicles
Machine learning [24,25] [21] [24] [5,23]
Artificial neural networks [19] [15]
Deep Learning:
Convolutional neural [17] [6,16–18] [13,26]
network
Genetic algorithm [20]
Computer vision [19] [6] [13]
Digital Twins [22]
Internet of Things [24] [15] [24] [20]
Cloud computing [25]
Data analytics
[8]
and big data
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 12 of 17

Finding 2: In the reviewed literature, we identified seven main applications: crop

management, water management, soil management, fertigation, crop prediction, crop
classification, disease, and pests. And twenty-four different artificial intelligence technics,
including more big data, IoT, and cloud computation, were identified. Applications that
were more frequent included crop management, water management, diseases and pests.
The technics used the most were machine learning, robotics, deep learning, and the Internet
of Things.

5. Benefits, Challenges and Trends (RQ3)

Table 15 shows an analysis of the selected studies in the quality assessment stage
with a focus on the benefits and challenges in agriculture. Modeling and simulation
papers, in general, used machine learning in the development of algorithms and systems
to apply crop, water, and fertirrigation management [14,15,20,21]. In [13,16–18,26], we
used crop classification and disease, and pest management with machine learning and
computer vision.

Table 15. Benefits and challenges identified.

Benefits Challenges References

In an unstructured environment, the algorithm Mask-RCNN The algorithms built into this work do not extract contour and
[13]
accurately recognized the categories of the objects. shape information accurately.
Robots and drones optimized the use of water and pesticides Low offer and high cost of cognitive solutions that need to be
[14]
and increased productivity and quality. more affordable for their popularization.
Intelligent system tool for crop yield prediction. System complexity. [5]
A low-cost system with remote monitoring was portable, The main challenges identified are related to the dissemination
[15]
lightweight, and user-friendly. and commercialization of the developed technology.
The challenge is the use of Inception V3 and ResNet-based
The results showed that an increase in the dataset volume
CNN models for a much deeper analysis of crop images is [16]
achieved better model performance.
anticipated.
A responsive web application with deep learning that exploited This work was evaluated only on a small data set about coffee
[17]
the collected data. leaves
Intelligent system for classifiers for early diagnosis of plant As challenges, they aim to implement an intelligent service for
pests, reducing the consumption of agricultural pesticides, detecting citrus pests and extend the proposed architectures to [18]
saving costs, and reducing environmental pollution. detect more classes of pests.
As labor requirements in horticulture become more challenging, As challenges, measured the damage or effect on kiwi quality
automated solutions, like the ones proposed in this work, are by the picker and reduce the losses, which currently stand at [19]
an effective approach to maintaining productivity and quality. 24.5%.
Identify parameters like the ratios between water and
The main benefit is promoting sustainable irrigation and
fertilizers, their impact on the crop production function, and [20]
fertilization management in precision agriculture.
the costs of applying IoT technology.
ET0 was estimated for water management using ANN, ELM, Dissemination and use of ANN, ELM, and MLR models on a
[21]
and MLR models. large scale in irrigation planning and management.
The benefits can include cost reductions, catastrophe
Agricultural researchers often small and medium farms are
prevention, positive economic impacts, and safer [22]
more risk-averse.
human–machine interactions.
Hybrid models and deep learning techniques are used for crop The use of Neutrosophic sets to express indeterminate and
[23]
yield prediction. inconsistent information that can be widely explored.
Intelligent systems use wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that The acceptance of the precision agriculture solution considering
[24]
exploit the acquisition, communication, and processing of data. privacy and security.
Challenges need to be addressed: data ownership and privacy;
Intelligent systems use big data applications to predict insights
data quality in real-time; intelligent processing and analytics; [8]
into the food supply chain.
sustainable integration of big data sources.
An intelligent system using the cloud was developed to
accurately and rapidly process, analyze, and visualize data Popularization and commercialization of the Agroview system. [25]
collected from UAVs.
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 13 of 17

Table 15. Cont.

Benefits Challenges References

Using the CNN model for image augmentation and the As challenges, increase date fruit varieties, and adapt the model
[26]
accuracy rate. for a mobile application.
Limitations like the training process being prone to over-fitting,
Analysis of artificial intelligence techniques applied for
and for each new dataset and task, the models need to be [6]
agricultural disease image recognition.
re-trained.

Robotics, deep learning, and computer vision were used in the case study paper on
kiwifruit harvesting [19]. The case studies showed in [24,25] developed systems using
machine learning and IoT for crop management. In reviews of the literature, [5,23] used
machine learning techniques for crop yield prediction, [22] used digital twins for crop
management, [8] studied big data for smart farming, and [6] used deep learning and
computer vision for disease and pest recognition.
In the SRL analysis, we identified terms that used various AI technologies to optimize
agricultural processes; the main terms identified were precision agriculture, agriculture
4.0, and smart farming. Precision agriculture is an approach in farm management that
uses information technology (IT) to optimize resource usage and reduce environmental
impacts [25,49]. Precision agriculture uses remote sensing approaches in the aerial monitor-
ing of agricultural fields and provides real-time images collected from satellites, UAVs, or
manned aircraft [50].
Agriculture 4.0 or Digital Agriculture is a term referring to Industry 4.0. It represents
a more efficient industry that makes full use of Big Data and new technologies to benefit
the entire supply chain and produce a greater and better quantity, with less, in search of
increasing food supplies and reducing waste [10,51–54]. Described as precision farming
evolution, agriculture 4.0 uses automated collection, integration, and data analysis [9].
Next-generation agriculture 5.0 and 6.0 uses a deep training data set and technological
advancements through robots that can target achieving both production and environmental
goals [24]. Already the term “Smart Farming” is to the application of intelligent systems
and communication technologies such as sensors, IoT, cloud-based processes, artificial
intelligence, and networking in the farming system to boost farm produce [55].
Finding 3: Artificial intelligence techniques applied in the main fields of agriculture
were identified, with the main benefits being the optimization of agricultural management
systems, irrigation, and the identification of diseases and pests. It was observed that the
increase in intelligence in agriculture could be related to the digitization and manipulation
of large volumes of data, enabling the use of intelligent techniques in system optimization
and planning. Computer vision was used in conjunction with robotics and Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for classifying crops and identifying diseases and pests.
The present section provides insights into the technologies most researched. Based
on the technologies identified in the 176 articles analyzed, Figure 6 shows the Top 10 most
frequent technologies and terms identified. There is a relationship between the identified
technologies: machine learning is the most used technique, and this technique, like deep
learning and computer vision, needs data to obtain good results. We can see in the top
10: the Internet of Things, which is capable of collecting and transmitting data; big data,
a knowledge area that studies how to treat, analyze and obtain information from large
data sets; and cloud computing, which is a data center that makes data available over
the Internet.
 most frequent technologies and terms identified. There is a relationship between the
identified technologies: machine learning is the most used technique, and this technique,
like deep learning and computer vision, needs data to obtain good results. We can see in
the top 10: the Internet of Things, which is capable of collecting and transmitting data;
big data, a knowledge area that studies how to treat, analyze and obtain information
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 14 of 17
from large data sets; and cloud computing, which is a data center that makes data avail-
able over the Internet.

Cloud computing
Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
Artificial neural network (ANN)
Robotics and automation
Technology

Big data
Computer vision
Precision agriculture
Convolutional neural networks (CNNs)
Internet of things (IoT)
Machine learning (ML)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Frequency

Figure 6. Top 10 most frequent technologies and terms resulting from the analysis of 176 papers.
Figure 6. Top 10 most frequent technologies and terms resulting from the analysis of 176 papers.

Drones and unmanned

Drones and aerialunmannedvehicles
aerial(UAVs)
vehiclescan collect
(UAVs) canacollect
huge aand hugecomplex
and complex amount
amount of data, and using big data analytics tools and cloud computing
of data, and using big data analytics tools and cloud computing could be could beutilized
uti- to increase
lized to increase
datadata processing
processing efficiency,
efficiency, provide
provide data
data securityand
security andscalability,
scalability,and
andreduce
re- costs [25].
duce costs [25]. Machine
Machine learning,
learning, ANN-based,
ANN-based, and and
deepdeep learninglearning techniques
techniques hold ahold a
promising future in
promising future in crop prediction due to the amount of data
crop prediction due to the amount of data from varied sources [23].from varied sources [23].
In addition toIn the most cited
addition technologies
to the most cited presented
technologies in Figure
presented 6, the
in emergence
Figure 6, the of emergence of
new technologies was observed in the review, including Digital Twins (DT).
new technologies was observed in the review, including Digital Twins (DT). Precision Precision
Agriculture (PA) was the(PA)
Agriculture termwasmost
thefrequent,
term mostbut new terms
frequent, but new liketerms
Agriculture 4.0 and 4.0 and smart
like Agriculture
smart farmingfarming
are gaining space inspace
are gaining reviews of the literature.
in reviews This work
of the literature. analyzed
This the rel- the relevant
work analyzed
evant studies on AI inonagriculture.
studies These findings
AI in agriculture. identified
These findings summarize
identified the analysis
summarize and and possible
the analysis
possible futurefuture
research directions
research standstand
directions out: out:
• Research •needs to be adapted
Research needs to tobetheadapted
climate toandthecrop of application
climate and crop of regions; food-regions; food-
application
producing countries
producing likecountries
Brazil arelikestill notare
Brazil very
stillexpressive in their scientific
not very expressive pro- production
in their scientific
duction in theinarea.
the area.
• •
AI technologiesAI can be appliedcan
technologies in be
several areas
applied in of agriculture;
several areas ofit agriculture;
is necessary ittoisun-
necessary to un-
derstand the production
derstand the chain of the crop
production analyzed
chain of the to identify
crop analyzedthe best technique
to identify thetobest technique
be applied and to be
its applied and its interrelationship
interrelationship with terms such with terms such as
as agriculture 4.0agriculture
and smart 4.0 and smart
farming
farming seek which canseek which can
integrate theseintegrate
variousthese various technologies
technologies for the optimization
for the optimization of of a
production
a production chain. chain.
• The most•applied
The technologies
most appliedhave technologies
in common have in common
digitized digitized
data needs; theydata
are atneeds;
the they are at
the digital
digital revolution revolution
heart, and, heart,
for future and, for
research, thefuture research,
interaction andtheneedinteraction
for tech- and need for
technologies
nologies to enable to enable
the application andthereach
application
of results and reach
must beof results must be observed.
observed.

6. Conclusions6. Conclusions
This survey hasThis survey has
presented presented review
a systematic a systematic
of thereview of the
literature, literature,
which which was conducted
was conduct-
by employing the PRISMA methodology, which aimed to
ed by employing the PRISMA methodology, which aimed to identify the principal identify the principal
and and recent
artificial intelligence technologies that have been applied in the agricultural domain. This
research selected 176 papers for bibliometric analysis and 17 papers for quality appraisal.
It was possible to identify seven main agriculture applications: crop management,
water management, soil management, fertigation, crop prediction, crop classification, and
disease and pest management. Beyond these, twenty-four different artificial intelligence
technics were identified. The technics most used were machine learning, deep learning with
a convolutional neural network, robotics, and the Internet of Things. The main benefits
of this included the optimization of agricultural management systems, irrigation, and the
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, 7405 15 of 17

identification of diseases and pests. It was observed that an increase in intelligence in

agriculture could be related to the digitization and manipulation of large volumes of data,
enabling the use of intelligent techniques in system optimization and planning.
In this context, a big challenge, especially for small and medium agricultural pro-
duction units, is the mapping and digitization of production processes. Recently, the
hardware and software costs required have decreased; however, these values are still
prohibitive for many farmers. Labor qualification is also a challenge. In food-producing
countries, public policies are necessary for the development of competitive technologies
and workforce qualifications.
In these trends, computer vision has been used with robotics and unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs) for classifying crops and identifying diseases and pests. New technologies
like digital twins are promising for optimizing agricultural processes. And frequently used
terms such as precision agriculture has been sharing a space with frameworks such as
smart farming; agriculture 4.0, which uses telecommunications and data infrastructure for
the agricultural supply chain; and agriculture 5.0, which incorporates AI and UAVs for
more information.
This article provides a synthesis of the recent studies and technologies analyzed. This
review has some limitations, such as the selection of articles from academic journals written
in English and the findings being related to the reviewers’ experiences. Some threats to
the validity of these results are biases in the selection of digital libraries and the number of
studies selected. For future work, the inclusion of other databases is planned.

Funding: This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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