Can digital twin technology make individualized-agriculture a reality?

Abstract

An agricultural Digital Twin is a sufficiently realistic digital representation of agriculture in an interdisciplinary context that utilizes various advanced technologies to enable the prediction of future results by creating virtual twins that are identical to the real objects on a computer, which can be used to simulate real-life situations to synchronize the simulated virtual world with the realworld. To develop agricultural digital twins, we targeted mandarin as model plant and gathered various datasets using the Open API. This study aimed to integrate four datasets from various sources, visualize and analyze the data, and establish digital twins for Citrus orchard management for the first time. The resulting digital twins showed potential not only to support integrated data-driven decision-making but to advance individualized agriculture as well. In the final stage of precision agriculture, individualized agriculture will open new horizons for the current agricultural system by enabling individual farming tailored to suit every plant requirement and condition as plants grow and develop, such as personalized medicine for humans.