An embedded deep learning–fuzzy logic framework for intelligent and automated irrigation in smart farming
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Water scarcity and the need to improve resource efficiency have made intelligent and automated irrigation management an important research challenge in smart farming. This study proposes IrrigaDL-FL, a low-cost automated smart irrigation framework based on the internet of things, integrating intelligent data routing with adaptive irrigation decision-making. The proposed framework consists of two complementary components. First, a Deep Learning–Fuzzy Logic (DL-FL) framework is integrated with the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol to enhance data routing efficiency in the network. The DL-FL framework combines these heterogeneous characteristics to identify suitable next-hop nodes and establish energy-efficient routing paths. Second, irrigation decision-making is performed using a lightweight Convolutional Neural Network–Fuzzy Logic Controller (CNN-FLC). The CNN-FLC processes sensor-derived and crop-related information, including air temperature, relative humidity, soil moisture, evapotranspiration rate, crop growth coefficient, crop water requirement, planting date, cumulative rainfall, recent rainfall, irrigation history, crop growth stage, and the difference between actual and target soil moisture. These inputs are used to characterize crop hydration stress and dynamically determine the appropriate irrigation program and sprinkler activation duration. The proposed IrrigaDL-FL framework is evaluated through simulations with different numbers of sensor nodes over predefined routing rounds and is compared with several existing approaches. The results demonstrate that IrrigaDL-FL achieves superior performance in terms of network lifetime, residual energy, energy variance, number of transmitted packets, and average path length.
Source: Scientific Reports
Authors: Ze Luo, Zhuo Yang, Yi Hu, Jun Wang
Institutions: Hengyang Normal University, Hunan Institute of Technology
Language: English
Topic: Smart Agriculture and AI
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
Funder: Hengyang Normal University
OpenAlex ID: W7221040139