Quantum sensing for precision agriculture and environmental monitoring: opportunities and challenges
Source abstract
Abstract
Abstract Rapid climatic fluctuations and increasing global resource pressures are driving the need for high‐precision, real‐time monitoring of agro‐environmental systems. Precision agriculture formulates this requirement as a complex measurement problem, where various physical, chemical, and biological parameters have to be detected with high sensitivity and selectivity. Addressing these critical aspects, this review examines quantum sensing and quantum-material-assisted sensing as an emerging framework that utilizes quantum phenomena, such as coherence, confinement, and correlated optical interactions, to enhance signal-to-noise ratio and detection resolution. Particular emphasis is placed on two‐dimensional quantum materials, including graphene, transition‐metal dichalcogenides, and MXenes, which offer tunable surface states, defect‐engineered selectivity, and strong light-matter coupling. When integrated with plasmonic and surface‐enhanced Raman scattering architectures, these materials provide highly responsive transduction routes for detecting soil nutrients, water contaminants, gaseous species, and plant metabolites relevant to precision agriculture. It also discusses performance metrics sensitivity, drift stability, energy efficiency, and cost per sensing node alongside challenges of matrix effects, calibration, and long‐term durability. Strategies for field translation, including flexible sensor integration, scalable fabrication, and sustainable deployment, are analyzed to outline a roadmap for quantum‐enabled sensing in next‐generation agricultural and environmental monitoring.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: 2D Materials and Applications · Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis and Applications · Carbon and Quantum Dots Applications
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Indian Institute of Science
Electron Microscopy and Nanoscience Laboratory, Punjab Agricultural University
References (95)
Show source-provided references
1. Precision agriculture and food security10.1126/science.1183899 ↗
2. Big data in smart farming, a review10.1016/j.agsy.2017.01.023 ↗
3. Wireless sensor networks for agriculture: the state-of-the-art in practice and future challenges10.1016/j.compag.2015.08.011 ↗
4. A review on the application of advanced soil and plant sensors in the agriculture sector10.1016/j.compag.2024.109385 ↗
5. Glance at quantum innovations in crop pest and disease detection: bridging physics and agriculture
6. A review of the methods available for estimating soil moisture and its implications for water resource management10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.06.021 ↗
7. Metal oxides for solid-state gas sensors: what determines our choice?10.1016/j.mseb.2007.01.044 ↗
8. Harnessing quantum computing for smart agriculture: empowering sustainable crop management and yield optimization10.1016/j.compag.2024.108680 ↗
9. Potential applications of quantum sensors in agriculture: a review10.1016/j.compag.2025.110420 ↗
10. Quantum sensors for accurate and stable long-term photosynthetically active radiation observations10.1016/j.agrformet.2017.01.011 ↗
11. Quantum sensing10.1103/RevModPhys.89.035002 ↗
12. Advances in quantum metrology10.1038/nphoton.2011.35 ↗
13. Quantum-mechanical noise in an interferometer10.1103/PhysRevD.23.1693 ↗
14. Optical imaging by means of two-photon quantum entanglement10.1103/PhysRevA.52.R3429 ↗
15. Ghost imaging: from quantum to classical to computational10.1364/AOP.2.000405 ↗
16. Quantum-enhanced sensing with squeezed light: from fundamentals to applications10.3390/app151810179 ↗
17. Real-time intelligent detection of ethephon based on a high-throughput ratiometric fluorescent probe10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133156 ↗
18. Satellite-based positioning enhanced by quantum synchronization10.1016/j.comnet.2024.110734 ↗
19. High-sensitivity diamond magnetometer with nanoscale resolution10.1038/nphys1075 ↗
20. Magnetometry with nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond10.1088/0034-4885/77/5/056503 ↗
21. Compact cold atom gravimeter for field applications10.1063/1.4801756 ↗
22. High-accuracy inertial measurements with cold-atom sensors10.1116/5.0009093 ↗
23. A review of wireless sensors and networks’ applications in agriculture10.1016/j.csi.2011.03.004 ↗
24. Effective biosensor based on graphene quantum dots via enzymatic reaction for direct photoluminescence detection of organophosphate pesticide10.1016/j.snb.2017.11.072 ↗
25. Magnetometer with nitrogen-vacancy center in a bulk diamond for detecting magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical applications10.1038/s41598-020-59064-6 ↗
26. The elusive Heisenberg limit in quantum-enhanced metrology10.1038/ncomms2067 ↗
27. Increasing sensing resolution with error correction10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.150801 ↗
28. Gate dielectric-induced lattice strain and band gap tuning in van der Waals 2D semiconducting channels10.1039/D4NR04295F ↗
29. Electric field effect in atomically thin carbon films10.1126/science.1102896 ↗
30. Fusion of quantum computing with smart agriculture: a systematic review of methods, implementation, applications, and challenges10.1016/j.inffus.2026.104159 ↗
31. 2D material-based sensing devices: an update10.1039/D2TA07653E ↗
32. Emerging 2D materials and their hybrid nanostructures for label‐free optical biosensing: recent progress and outlook10.1002/adfm.202513767 ↗
33. Comprehensive review on two dimensional nanomaterials for optical biosensors: present progress and outlook10.1016/j.susmat.2024.e00900 ↗
34. Recent advances in agricultural sensors: towards precision and sustainable farming10.3390/chemosensors13110399 ↗
35. 2D materials towards sensing technology: from fundamentals to applications10.1016/j.sbsr.2022.100540 ↗
36. Optimizing resource allocation in precision farming using quantum enhanced algorithms and quantum sensor networks10.1186/s13677-025-00769-2 ↗
37. Innovative applications of quantum dots-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for food safety detection10.1080/10408398.2025.2531224 ↗
38. Quantum sensors for precision farming and soil health monitoring
39. The electronic properties of graphene10.1103/RevModPhys.81.109 ↗
40. Detection of individual gas molecules adsorbed on graphene10.1038/nmat1967 ↗
41. Emerging photoluminescence in monolayer MoS₂10.1021/nl903868w ↗
42. Atomically thin MoS₂: a new direct-gap semiconductor10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.136805 ↗
43. Two-dimensional nanocrystals produced by exfoliation of Ti₃AlC₂10.1002/adma.201102306 ↗
44. 2D metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) for energy storage10.1038/natrevmats.2016.98 ↗
45. Chemical sensors based on graphene and 2D graphene analogs10.1002/adsr.202200057 ↗
46. Graphene oxide array for in-depth soil moisture sensing toward optimized irrigation10.1021/acsaelm.0c00898 ↗
47. Highly sensitive screen-printed soil moisture sensor array for efficient agriculture10.1016/j.sna.2024.115297 ↗
48. Electrochemical synthesis of graphene quantum dots from graphene oxide at room temperature and its soil moisture sensing properties10.1016/j.carbon.2020.04.021 ↗
49. A field-deployable, wearable leaf sensor for continuous monitoring of vapor-pressure deficit10.1002/admt.202001246 ↗
50. Plant tattoo sensor array for leaf relative water content, surface temperature and bioelectric potential monitoring10.1002/admt.202302073 ↗
51. Real-time monitoring of plant stresses via chemiresistive profiling of leaf volatiles by a wearable sensor10.1016/j.matt.2021.06.009 ↗
52. Abaxial leaf surface-mounted multimodal wearable sensor for continuous monitoring of plant physiology10.1126/sciadv.ade2232 ↗
53. Surface Raman spectroelectrochemistry10.1016/S0022-0728(77)80224-6 ↗
54. Anomalously intense Raman spectra of pyridine at a silver electrode10.1021/ja00457a071 ↗
55. Surface roughness and the enhanced intensity of Raman scattering by molecules adsorbed on metals10.1103/RevModPhys.57.783 ↗
56. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy10.1146/annurev.anchem.1.031207.112814 ↗
57. SERS: materials, applications, and the future10.1016/S1369-7021(12)70017-2 ↗
58. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: benefits, trade-offs and future developments10.1039/D0SC00809E ↗
59. Subnanomolar sensitivity of filter paper-based SERS sensor for pesticide detection10.1021/acssensors.7b00782 ↗
60. Present and future of surface-enhanced Raman scattering10.1021/acsnano.9b04224 ↗
61. Single molecule detection using surface-enhanced Raman scattering10.1103/PhysRevLett.78.1667 ↗
62. Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy10.1038/nature08907 ↗
63. Graphene as a substrate to suppress fluorescence in resonance Raman spectroscopy10.1021/ja9037593 ↗
64. Room-temperature bolometric response in nitro-boosted rGO10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c00028 ↗
65. Facile synthesis of graphene oxide nanocomposites membranes for effective removal of As (III) from water10.1166/jnn.2021.19004 ↗
66. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy on a flat graphene surface10.1073/pnas.1205478109 ↗
67. Screening pesticide residues on fruit peels using portable Raman spectrometer combined with adhesive tape sampling10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.05.127 ↗
68. Two-dimensional printed AgNPs@paper swab for SERS screening of pesticide residues on apples and pears10.1021/acs.jafc.3c00134 ↗
69. Rapid nondestructive detection of mixed pesticide residues on fruit surface using SERS combined with self-modeling mixture analysis10.1016/j.talanta.2020.120998 ↗
70. Recent developments in quantitative SERS: moving towards absolute quantification10.1016/j.trac.2018.03.005 ↗
71. Fluorescence suppression in Raman spectroscopy using a time-gated CMOS SPAD10.1364/OE.21.031632 ↗
72. Indirect quantification of glyphosate by SERS using an incubation process with hemin as the reporter molecule: a contribution to signal amplification mechanism10.3389/fchem.2020.612076 ↗
73. First-layer effect in graphene-enhanced Raman scattering10.1002/smll.201000918 ↗
74. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering as a potential strategy for wearable flexible sensing and point-of-care testing non-invasive medical diagnosis10.3389/fchem.2022.1060322 ↗
75. Raman spectroscopy-based chemometrics for pesticide residue detection: current approaches and future challenges10.1021/acsagscitech.4c00005 ↗
76. Integrating transformer-based machine learning with SERS technology for the analysis of hazardous pesticides in spinach10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134208 ↗
77. Flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor for residue-free pesticide detection based on agriculture 4.0 concepts10.1016/j.colsurfa.2024.134647 ↗
78. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering using 2D materials10.1002/chem.202303658 ↗
79. Portable SERS device for rapid detection of indoxacarb and chlorfenapyr in vegetable juice10.1038/s41538-025-00513-9 ↗
80. Fiber optic SERS sensor with silver nanocubes attached based on evanescent wave for detecting pesticide residues10.1021/acsami.3c04059 ↗
81. Unraveling surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy results through chemometrics and machine learning: principles, progress, and trends10.1007/s00216-023-04620-y ↗
82. Melamine sensing in milk products by using surface-enhanced Raman scattering10.1021/ac302025q ↗
83. A review on nanomaterial-based SERS substrates for sustainable agriculture10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174252 ↗
84. Molecularly imprinted polymer-based field-effect transistor for real-time, highly selective and sensitive aflatoxin B1 monitoring in food10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.147853 ↗
85. Molecular-imprinting-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensors10.1021/acssensors.9b02039 ↗
86. Flexible SERS substrates for hazardous materials detection: recent advances10.29026/oea.2021.210048 ↗
87. A new gold nanosol SERS method for ultratrace atrazine by a difunctional surface molecular imprinted polymethacrylate probe10.1016/j.microc.2024.110431 ↗
88. Rapid determination of thiram on apple using a flexible bacterial cellulose-based SERS substrate10.1016/j.talanta.2022.124128 ↗
89. Flexible paper-based SERS substrate strategy for rapid detection of methyl parathion on the surface of fruit10.1016/j.saa.2020.118104 ↗
90. 2D MoS2 plasmonic nanocavity based SERS platform for bilirubin detection10.1063/5.0213692 ↗
91. Probing single molecules and single nanoparticles by surface-enhanced Raman scattering10.1126/science.275.5303.1102 ↗
92. A unified view of surface-enhanced Raman scattering10.1021/ar800249y ↗
93. Ag-decorated sandpaper as a flexible SERS substrate for direct swabbing sampling10.1016/j.matlet.2014.06.178 ↗
94. Biomimetic synthesis of Ag-coated glasswing butterfly arrays as ultra-sensitive SERS substrates for efficient trace detection of pesticides10.3762/bjnano.10.59 ↗
95. A Bayesian Whittaker–Henderson smoother for general-purpose and sample-based spectral baseline estimation and peak extraction10.1002/jrs.3165 ↗