Integrating 5G and machine learning technologies for advanced PDM in smart farming

Abstract

Smart farming is revolutionizing agriculture by integrating advanced technologies to enhance productivity, efficiency, and sustainability. This paper proposes a novel, 5G-enabled Pest and Disease Detection and Response System (PDDRS) that synergizes environmental sensor data with image analytics for comprehensive Plant Disease Detection (PDD). By leveraging the high bandwidth and ultra-low latency capabilities of 5G, our integrated system surpasses traditional communication technologies, facilitating real-time data analytics and immediate intervention strategies. We introduce two Machine Learning (ML) models: an image-based Mask R-CNN with FPN, which achieves a precision of 91.1% and an accuracy of 95.1%, and an environmental-based FFNN + LSTM model, evaluated for ACC, AUC, and F1-Score, showing promising results in disease forecasting. Our experiments demonstrate that the PDDRS significantly enhances throughput and latency performance under various connected devices, showcasing a scalable, cost-effective solution suitable for next-generation smart farming. These advancements collectively empower the PDDRS to deliver actionable insights, enabling targeted applications such as precise pesticide deployment, and stand as a testament to the potential of 5G in agricultural innovation.