'AI-based farming': Punjab students develop device to increase agri produce

Two research students from Punjab have devised a one-of-its kind smart farming system that works on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) to increase agricultural productivity.

The device, called 'E-parirakshak', has been designed to monitor an agricultural field for its fertility, keep track of water levels, soil temperature and moisture, as well as intelligently control water pumps, blowers and sprinklers on the field from a remote location. The data collected by the device will be stored in the cloud for future analyses.

Lovely Professional University (LPU), where the two students are pursuing PhD, has filed application to patent the device. The research was supervised by two faculty members Rajesh Singh and Anita Gahlot from the university's School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

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According to the team, the system comprises several sensor nodes which can be deployed in the field, a hand-held device with LCD screen which displays the field details and micro-controllers that remotely manage devices like sprinklers and water pumps on field. "Using the device, a farmer will be able to monitor the fertility of the soil, water level required, soil temp and soil moisture and control the water pumps, blower and sprinklers through sensors and actuators deployed in the field.

"Furthermore, the system will analyse the data gathered from the field through advanced machine learning algorithm to find out the most suitable crop that can be grown on the field. It also suggests the amount of water, fertilizer and pesticide needed to grow the suggested crop," said Mahendra Swain, one of the PhD students. The device will also detect diseases or infections in the crop and update the farmer about them.

"The system can be used for both modern and traditional farming practices, i.e. - open field, hydroponic and vertical farming. The device does not need an internet connection and works within a range of 10 kms with star topology. Its range can also be increased if required by using mesh topology," said Wasim Akram, the other PhD scholar. Said Rajesh Singh, their teacher, "With e-parirakshak, we are making today's cutting-edge technology like AI and IoT work for our farmers. The benefits of a system like this are immense.

"From having the right information about the quality of their field, soil profiling as well as moisture, to being able to monitor the field remotely and control on the ground devices like sprinklers and pumps, the device is a complete agriculture information and field management system rolled into one." 

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