Under the joint auspices of M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and CABI, an ‘e-plant clinic’ has been inaugurated here.
The objective of the clinic is to guide farmers in identifying the cause of disease or pest attack in their crops and suggest remedial fertilizer for controlling the same. The samples of affected crops are collected at the clinic and, after a scientific study, recommendations would be sent by SMS to the mobile number of the affected farmers.
The SMS would enable farmers to select the correct fertilizer or pesticide at the shops. The impact of remedial measures would be studied and feedback obtained.
The clinic would function, on a trial basis, in 20 villages for a period of eight months. “Based on the success, it will be started in other needy villages,” said R. Rajkumar, Coordinator of the Foundation, said while inaugurating the clinic here on Saturday.
He said the remedial measures were based on the recommendations of the crop protection method of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, he added.
In all, 35 farmers from different parts of the district brought the samples of gingili, brinjal, jasmine, maize and blackgram crops which had suffered various diseases or pest attack.
Scientists recommended a few measures to protect the crop.
