The Digital Twin Paradigm Applied to Soil Quality Assessment: A Systematic Literature Review

This article presents the results regarding a systematic literature review procedure on digital twins applied to precision agriculture. In particular, research and development activities aimed at the use of digital twins, in the context of predictive control, with the purpose of improving soil quality. This study was carried out through an exhaustive search of scientific literature on five different databases. A total of 158 articles were extracted as a result of this search. After a first screening process, only 11 articles were considered to be aligned with the current topic. Subsequently, these articles were categorised to extract all relevant information, using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses methods. Based on the obtained results, there are two main conclusions to draw: First, when compared with industrial processes, there is only a very slight rising trend regarding the use of digital twins in agriculture. Second, within the time frame in which this work was carried out, it was not possible to find any published paper on the use of digital twins for soil quality improvement within a model predictive control context.

Automated summary

This article presents the results of a systematic literature review on the application of digital twins in precision agriculture, focusing on the use of digital twins in predictive control for improving soil quality. A comprehensive search of scientific literature was conducted on five different databases, resulting in a total of 158 articles. After screening, only 11 articles were found to be relevant. These articles were then categorized using systematic review and meta-analysis methods. The main conclusions drawn from the results are that the use of digital twins in agriculture is rising slowly compared to industrial processes, and there are no published papers on the use of digital twins for improving soil quality within a model predictive control context during the time frame of this study.