The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University will establish a State-level Centre of Excellence for Soil Health Care’ in Tiruchi for ascertaining the soil health of all blocks across Tamil Nadu and for suggesting soil-specific cropping strategy.
The centre, to be established at an estimate of about Rs. 4.75 crore under the National Agricultural Development Programme, will compile the data of soil in all the 385 blocks in the State and will evolve a database. It would be corroborated with the satellite imagery data, an official source told The Hindu here on Wednesday.
While Rs.75 lakh would be spent for constructing the building, the balance Rs. 4 crore would be utilised for state-of-the-art equipment.
Being the state-of-the-art unit, it would have a comprehensive data of the soil health of each and every village in the district. The centre would focus on evolving ways and means for stepping up soil fertility and nutrient through proper scientific data of a specific village. It would analyse the physical chemical and biological factors pertaining to soil in a specific area.
The data would facilitate farmers to understand the problem of the soil in their block and take up remedial measures. It would suggest the soil-specific cropping pattern to the farmers, the source said.
In course of time, the data would be utilised for informing farmers about the nature of the soil and the crop suited for raising in a specific village, through SMS.
The centre would update the data periodically so that farmers would access the latest information about the soil health.
