Agriculture that consumes around 70 percent of water, for irrigation purpose, is the most vulnerable sector of the Indian economy owing to this crisis. In order to address this issue, CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) Durgapur has launched two solar-powered spray systems to help farmers engaged in site-specific irrigation to reduce wastage of water, according to an institute spokesperson.
He said the solar battery-operated sprayers developed by CSIR-CMERI could be used for targeted pest control that will further reduce environmental pollution. The spokesperson added that the systems are equipped with 2 tanks, flow control & pressure regulators for different water & pesticide requirements of the crops, site/target specific irrigation, maintaining proper dilution of pesticide to control the pest, maintaining soil moisture levels in a narrow range & weed control.
During trials conducted by CSIR-CMERI, the farmers told that the devices save up to 75% water.
The spokesperson said, while the 5-litre backpack sprayer is for marginal farmers and the trolley sprayer with 10-litre capacity is for the small farmers of India
Institute Director, Professor Harish Hirani said, "These devices will bring a revolution in the sphere of precision agriculture by decreasing water usage in the fields. This new technology can help create agricultural avenues even in the arid & semi-arid regions".
He told that the sprayers will be available at reasonable prices so that farmers can easily purchase it. Prof. Hirani said, "Affordable pricing provides opportunities to the cottage & micro-industries to further the outreach of the technology".
The systems basically work on Solar-Powered batteries, thereby enabling its usage even in energy & power deprived agri regions and also reducing dependence on fossil fuels. These sprayers are very simple to develop, easy to learn & implement, thus it will help to overcome water crisis faced by the farmers in India.
For more details like price etc you can visit the website of CSIR-CMERI - https://www.cmeri.res.in/
