Smart farming solutions for durian cultivation using IoT and chatbot integration for precision agriculture

Abstract This research aims to develop a chatbot as an agricultural assistant that integrates an Internet of Things (IoT) to control irrigation and monitor environmental conditions within farms. The chatbot serves as a communication intermediary between farmers and the IoT system, offering precise irrigation control and consultation. It also supports production planning by integrating data from IoT sensors and government services such as weather reports and agricultural irrigation information. The study focuses on 9–10 year old durian trees at the Royal Initiatives Project Chanthaburi Fruit Development Center in Chanthaburi Province, Thailand. The chatbot calculates daily water requirements using data from environmental sensors and provides irrigation recommendations based on each developmental stage of the durian fruit. Experimental results show that durians produced with precise irrigation have no significant quality difference compared to traditional methods. However, following the chatbot’s recommendations, precise irrigation results in approximately 21.65% less water usage compared to traditional farming practices. This demonstrates the potential of data-driven precision agriculture to enhance resource efficiency, contributing to the advancement of modern farming practices.