Soil testing is going to be many times cheaper, faster and accurate, with the inauguration of the state-of-the-art ‘Soil Spectroscopy lab’ at ANGRAU’s Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) here on Wednesday.
Set up at a cost of ₹1 crore, the lab is the second of its kind in the country, only next to Bihar Agricultural University.
Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the lab got its expertise from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and the AP Space Application Centre (APSAC).
Special Chief Secretary (Agriculture and Cooperation) B. Rajasekhar, ANGRAU Vice-Chancellor V. Damodara Naidu, APSAC Vice-Chair K.V. Ramana, CIMMYT representatives Andrew McDonald and Balwinder Singh remotely inaugurated the facility from Amaravati, in the presence of ANGRAU Director of Research N.V. Naidu and Associate Director of Research (RARS) P. Rajasekhar in Tirupati.
Compared to the traditional method, testing soil samples through spectroscopy is ten times cheaper and several times faster.
“The equipment can test a sample in 30 seconds, compared with several hours taken in the traditional method. Also, there is precision in the result due to elimination of human error,” Dr. Naidu explained. The sample size of soil is not only reduced from 500 grams to mere 5 grams, but the need to use chemical reagents and processes like distillation and titration are also obviated in this non-destructive method. This helps in real-time calculation and aids in accurate decision making. With the government planning land mapping in a big way, the equipment is believed to be of great help. By taking 2000 soil samples from across the State along with their exact geo-coordinates, it is planned to establish a huge library of soil data.
Special library
Soil science head P. Ratna Prasad announced that the lab would contribute to the spectral library meant for future research, while principal scientist K.V. Naga Madhuri called it the first ‘Soil bank,’ a pioneer place for digital soil spectral archives in India.
Extension scientist Kadiri Mohan said reaching out to the farmer would become much easier. The lab envisages use of drones to carry the equipment in future to use multi-spectral imagery and analyse large areas of land reliably.
