Advancing medicinal plant agriculture: integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainability

To strengthen the agriculture sector, it is crucial to combine the efforts of industrialization (field mechanization and fertilizer production), technology (genome editing and manipulation), and the information sector (for the application of current technologies in precision agriculture). The challe...

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Main Authors: Vinay Kumar, Ashwini Zadokar, Pankaj Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Rajnish Sharma, Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui, Mohammad Irfan, Rahul Chandora
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2025-04-01
Series:PeerJ
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/19058.pdf
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author Vinay Kumar
Ashwini Zadokar
Pankaj Kumar
Rohit Sharma
Rajnish Sharma
Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui
Mohammad Irfan
Rahul Chandora
author_facet Vinay Kumar
Ashwini Zadokar
Pankaj Kumar
Rohit Sharma
Rajnish Sharma
Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui
Mohammad Irfan
Rahul Chandora
author_sort Vinay Kumar
collection DOAJ
description To strengthen the agriculture sector, it is crucial to combine the efforts of industrialization (field mechanization and fertilizer production), technology (genome editing and manipulation), and the information sector (for the application of current technologies in precision agriculture). The challenge of modern sustainable agriculture is increasing agricultural output while using the least amount of resources and capital expenditure possible and considering the variables contributing to environmental damage. Different environmental factors adversely affect medicinal plant populations, leading to the extinction of these valuable medicinal species. These difficulties drew the attention of the international scientific community to farm sustainability and energy efficiency studies that put forth the idea of precision agriculture (site-specific crop management) in medicinal plants. It is a systems-based method that monitors and responds to changes in intra- and inter-field conditions for environmentally friendly and optimum crop output. Farming systems have significantly benefited from the visualization and morphological analysis of agricultural areas (both open fields and greenhouse experiments) using remote sensing technology, geographic information systems (GIS), crop scouting, variable rate technology (VRT), and Global Positioning System (GPS). These technologies form the backbone of the fourth agricultural technological revolution, Agriculture 4.0. This review concisely summarizes these innovative technologies’ current use and potential future advancements in medicinal plants. The review is intended for researchers, professionals in medicinal plant cultivation, herbal medicine research, crop science, and related fields.
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spelling doaj-art-ca046d5b4ea847b48da2edbc1dcd14cb2025-08-20T03:08:13ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-04-0113e1905810.7717/peerj.19058Advancing medicinal plant agriculture: integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainabilityVinay Kumar0Ashwini Zadokar1Pankaj Kumar2Rohit Sharma3Rajnish Sharma4Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui5Mohammad Irfan6Rahul Chandora7Department of Biotechnology, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Biotechnology, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Biotechnology, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Forest Product, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Biotechnology, Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Food Science and Post-Harvest Technology, Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bihar, IndiaPlant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of AmericaICAR-NBPGR National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, IndiaTo strengthen the agriculture sector, it is crucial to combine the efforts of industrialization (field mechanization and fertilizer production), technology (genome editing and manipulation), and the information sector (for the application of current technologies in precision agriculture). The challenge of modern sustainable agriculture is increasing agricultural output while using the least amount of resources and capital expenditure possible and considering the variables contributing to environmental damage. Different environmental factors adversely affect medicinal plant populations, leading to the extinction of these valuable medicinal species. These difficulties drew the attention of the international scientific community to farm sustainability and energy efficiency studies that put forth the idea of precision agriculture (site-specific crop management) in medicinal plants. It is a systems-based method that monitors and responds to changes in intra- and inter-field conditions for environmentally friendly and optimum crop output. Farming systems have significantly benefited from the visualization and morphological analysis of agricultural areas (both open fields and greenhouse experiments) using remote sensing technology, geographic information systems (GIS), crop scouting, variable rate technology (VRT), and Global Positioning System (GPS). These technologies form the backbone of the fourth agricultural technological revolution, Agriculture 4.0. This review concisely summarizes these innovative technologies’ current use and potential future advancements in medicinal plants. The review is intended for researchers, professionals in medicinal plant cultivation, herbal medicine research, crop science, and related fields.https://peerj.com/articles/19058.pdfMedicinal plantsGeographic information systemsPrecision agricultureSustainabilitySensor technologyGlobal positioning system
spellingShingle Vinay Kumar
Ashwini Zadokar
Pankaj Kumar
Rohit Sharma
Rajnish Sharma
Mohammed Wasim Siddiqui
Mohammad Irfan
Rahul Chandora
Advancing medicinal plant agriculture: integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainability
PeerJ
Medicinal plants
Geographic information systems
Precision agriculture
Sustainability
Sensor technology
Global positioning system
title Advancing medicinal plant agriculture: integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainability
title_full Advancing medicinal plant agriculture: integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainability
title_fullStr Advancing medicinal plant agriculture: integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainability
title_full_unstemmed Advancing medicinal plant agriculture: integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainability
title_short Advancing medicinal plant agriculture: integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainability
title_sort advancing medicinal plant agriculture integrating technology and precision agriculture for sustainability
topic Medicinal plants
Geographic information systems
Precision agriculture
Sustainability
Sensor technology
Global positioning system
url https://peerj.com/articles/19058.pdf
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