In collaboration with the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), the Indian Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB) is developing an automated greenhouse system for bringing in precision in agriculture. The project, called AutoGrow, will work on a data sensing system, which is being created using Internet of Things (IoT).
The system will also make use of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) techniques to make agriculture self-regulatory as AutoGrow will optimise crop yield and resource usage based on the data available.
“There are two extremes when it comes to automated greenhouses. In Western countries they have completely automated houses which even control temperature, humidity, climactic parameters and many other conditions. In India, we have completely open farming. We wanted to take the best of both and create a hybrid system which is specific for India,” Ramesh Kestur, Project Principal Investigator (PI), IIITB, told The Hindu.
The IoT sensors which will be put in the soil will detect the water needs and nutrient needs of the crops. The AI/ML models will then deliver water and nutrients accordingly, as the sensors will also be put inside the tanks or containers.
“The final goal is to deploy the sensor system and an AI/ML model into the open farm, which will control water flow, add minerals, and record data such as temperature, humidity, and water flow. Thus, no water or nutrients will be wasted,” Dr. Kestur said.
The Indian Institute of Information Technology Bangalore is partnering with the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research to create an IoT-based Data Sensing System for AutoGrow, an autonomous green house system for precision agriculture.
With the AI/ML model, the water flow to the farms will be self-regulatory and will use the novel Wick Irrigation System. “Wick irrigation can save up to 60% of water compared to traditional drip irrigation systems.”, said Aswath C.R, Principal Scientist, IIHR.
This system can also be adapted to terrace farming, which can help optimize space and improve crop yield. The IIHR is working with the IIITB to provide biological support as well as to look into ways to make it more useful for farmers.
Further, the system will also ensure that even when the farmers are not available for five or six days, the crops will not dry down as the sensors and the AI/ML model will take care of their watering needs. It is also expected to save a lot of labour and thereby empowering women farmers, the researchers said.
The system has three configurations - hydroponics, open grow farming, and vertical setup. It will involve a small piece of hardware which is still in the experimental stage. “It will be cost effective and should not cost more than ₹15,000-20,000. As it is a State government funded project, we are trying to get it under one of the subsidy schemes to help farmers,” said Dr. Kestur.
The IIITB–IIHR team has currently set up a greenhouse in a laboratory at the IIITB and they said that the results so far have been encouraging. The final product is expected to be ready in the next six months.
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