A comprehensive review of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things integration based plant disease detection for sustainable agriculture

Abstract Detecting crop diseases early and responding promptly is vital for protecting agricultural productivity. It also helps maintain the quality and quantity of yields and reduces the risk of disease transmission to humans and livestock. Effective disease management is therefore critical to ensuring both global and local food security. However, traditional methods often based on visual inspection and delayed human judgment, are typically insufficient for identifying diseases at an early stage. Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) offer new opportunities to address these challenges. By integrating IoT sensor networks with AI techniques such as machine learning and deep learning, it becomes possible to monitor plant health in real time and detect diseases with greater accuracy. This review explores the strengths and limitations of current AI-enabled IoT solutions in agriculture. It highlights how these systems leverage large-scale data and advanced image processing to outperform conventional methods in terms of speed, precision, and efficiency. Such improvements can significantly reduce crop losses and support more sustainable agricultural practices. Finally, the paper reviews key research trends, identifies current challenges, and outlines future directions in the field. It emphasizes the transformative potential of smart agriculture in advancing plant disease management and promoting environmentally responsible food production. This systematic review was conducted in strict accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, synthesizing a final selection of 152 peer-reviewed papers. The overarching aim is to critically evaluate and map literature published between 2015 and 2026 using a systematic approach that addresses the integration of the IoT, AI, Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), sensor technologies, and sustainable agricultural practices in the context of plant disease detection.