Jowar Millet Crop Monitoring and Analysis Robot (JMAR): A Smart Solution for Plant and Soil Health in Jowar Millet Farming

Year : 2025 | Volume : 14 | Issue : 02 | Page : 8 18
    By

    Roohi Banu Pokhali,

  • Shlok Thumar,

  1. Professor, Department of Science, The ZAS Academy, London, United Kingdom
  2. Research Scholar, Department of Science, The Doon School, Mall Road, Krishna Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

Farmers cultivating jowar millet (Sorghum) face significant challenges in maintaining crop health and optimizing yield due to the limitations of traditional plant disease detection and soil health assessment methods. Visual inspection and indigenous knowledge are labour-intensive, time-consuming, and often inaccurate, while soil monitoring requires specialized equipment that is not always affordable or accessible. These issues hinder timely intervention and can lead to crop losses and soil degradation. To address these challenges, this research proposes the Jowar Monitoring and Analysis Robot (JMAR), an autonomous, real-time system that integrates soil parameter collection, analysis, and plant inspection using advanced yet cost-effective technologies. JMAR is built using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components to ensure affordability, modularity, and ease of deployment. It also operates independently of internet connectivity, making it highly suitable for remote agricultural environments. The system is composed of two main components: soil parameter collection nodes and a robotic plant health monitoring node. The soil nodes are equipped with a multi-sensor module to measure essential soil properties such as moisture, pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, and nutrient levels, along with a DHT sensor for monitoring ambient conditions. The robotic plant monitoring unit integrates an ESP32-CAM module and uses a lightweight machine learning model for early detection of plant diseases. Data from both nodes is transmitted wirelessly using LoRa and NRF24L01 RF modules to a remote analysis centre or laboratory. This enables timely and accurate decision-making for farm management. By automating the monitoring process and providing real-time, data-driven insights, JMAR supports precision agriculture, enhances resource efficiency, and promotes sustainability. It empowers farmers with actionable information, helping improve productivity and resilience, especially in small and medium-sized jowar farms operating under resource constraints.

Keywords: Jowar (Sorghum), Commercially-of-the-Shelf (COTS), sensors, soil parameters, plant health, microcontroller

[This article belongs to Research and Reviews : Journal of Crop science and Technology ]

How to cite this article:
Roohi Banu Pokhali, Shlok Thumar. Jowar Millet Crop Monitoring and Analysis Robot (JMAR): A Smart Solution for Plant and Soil Health in Jowar Millet Farming. Research and Reviews : Journal of Crop science and Technology. 2025; 14(02):8-18.
How to cite this URL:
Roohi Banu Pokhali, Shlok Thumar. Jowar Millet Crop Monitoring and Analysis Robot (JMAR): A Smart Solution for Plant and Soil Health in Jowar Millet Farming. Research and Reviews : Journal of Crop science and Technology. 2025; 14(02):8-18. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/rrjocst/article=2025/view=211971


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Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 14
Issue 02
Received 25/03/2025
Accepted 25/04/2025
Published 12/05/2025
Publication Time 48 Days
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