Machine learning-based approaches to enhance the soil fertility—A review

Agriculture plays an imperative role in many countries’ economies and is a substantive source of survival. The variation in a soil nutrient decreases crop yield. An accurate soil fertility classification and application of fertilizers are essential for enhancing crop productivity. Currently, soil fertility levels are assessed through laboratory testing of soil samples, and fertilizers are applied randomly. This traditional practice increases fertilization costs and causes environmental pollution. Thus, it is necessary to develop robust and inexpensive soil fertility classification and fertilizer application. This study identifies the machine learning (ML) or deep learning-based soil fertility classifications. A comprehensive review is conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The purpose of this study is to examine different approaches that researchers use to predict or classify soil fertility. It also discusses the fertilizer recommendation developed by the researchers. The earlier research showed that ML-based approaches could accurately classify soil fertility. Furthermore, this study discusses the importance of soil nutrients and preventive measures to be taken on the imbalance of soil nutrients. This study explores research gaps and challenges in soil fertility classification and fertilizer recommendation systems. Most studies predicted the fertility levels of soil parameters, whereas a few researchers classified soil fertility. Few researchers recommended fertilizers for soil nutrient depletion. Most studies relied on expensive laboratory measurements or regional soil data collected from satellites. Based on the identified research gaps, this study suggests potential future research possibilities in soil fertility classification and the recommendation of fertilizers. It aims to develop a low-cost soil fertility classifier to prescribe fertilizers. The developed model can help farmers to enhance soil fertility with reduced fertilization costs.