Soil Sensors in Smart Agriculture: Multi-Type Monitoring Technologies and Ecological Development Pathways

Soil sensors have a vital role in precision agriculture. In smart agriculture, soil moisture sensors, soil temperature–humidity sensors, soil pH sensors, soil nutrient sensors, soil pollutant and pest sensors, and wearable sensors detect data to improve crop yields and advance agricultural development. This paper summarizes the types and applications of the above sensors. Soil sensors serve as the core technological engine of smart agriculture, and this review also illustrates that the integration of the Internet of Things and sensors—including plant wearable sensors, which indirectly reflect soil conditions through plant physiological signals—can simultaneously measure or infer parameters, e.g., moisture, temperature, pH, and nutrients, that play a crucial role in precision agriculture. This paper concludes with the future prospects and challenges of soil sensors in smart agriculture, emphasizing the need to address bottlenecks in data fusion, model optimization, and cost control, as well as to advance the implementation of smart agriculture through the development of standards and ecological construction.