AgriRover brings Mars rover technology to the farm

We tend to think of livestock farmers as "one man and his dog," but if AgResearch of New Zealand has anything to say, that pair may have to move over to include a robot. A team led by Dr. Andrew Manderson is developing AgriRover, an agricultural robot inspired by NASA's Mars rovers. It's a proof-of-concept prototype designed to show how robots can make life easier and more productive for livestock farmers.

The basic idea behind AgriRover is precision agriculture. That is, instead of using conventional methods of tending to entire fields at one time, the farmer uses robotics and other technologies to deal with problems on a much smaller scale.

A livestock paddock, for example, may look uniform, but under the grass there's a great deal of variability of soil and conditions. Levels of potassium, sulfur, and acidity can be very different even within a single square meter. The main reason is that livestock don't pee or poop in anything like a uniform pattern, as anyone who's seen a lawn burned by a dog can attest. Weeds also tend to grow in clumps, and a paddock can have many dry or sodden patches.

Ideally, paddocks can be made healthier and more productive if they can be surveyed on a very small scale and each problem area addressed with individual treatment. That is where AgriRover comes in.

"We started this project in 2012 and presented the first prototypes at the [Fertilizer and Lime Research Centre] conference back in February," says Manderson. "We've come a long way since then, and have had a functional rover out in the paddock since April."

Manderson sees a practical version of AgriRover in use within 5 to 10 years. Intended to operate day and night in all weather, the idea is to have a robot that can autonomously navigate its way around a paddock, send back real-time data on each area, provide on-the-spot treatments or dye markings for each problem encountered, generate prescription maps, and return to base for recharging and resupply.

The prototype, the third in a series, was built with off-the-shelf components – many originally developed for motorized wheelchairs. AgriRover is powered by lithium phosphate batteries supplemented with a solar panel for additional range during daylight hours. It's also designed to be small enough to go under two-wire fences and gates.

"This works in all weather, all of the time, quietly going about its tasks without creating extra jobs for the farmer. It's designed to be easy to operate, and will report results as needed to a cell phone or computer," says Dr. Manderson.

The tricky bit of the development was coming up with a drive system that was both simple and able to maneuver in a muddy paddock. In addition, speed in traversing the paddock had to weighed against battery duration and the need to survey the area efficiently. The result is a 150-kg (330-lb) robot with four 180-watt motors capable of handling uneven ground at 5 km/h (3 mph) and small slopes of less than 20 degrees. Guidance is by internal dead reckoning, relative position sensors (such as laser or ultrasonics) and other aids, including buried magnets and wires.

The chassis is steel for greater strength, which is important, given the project's tight budget. "We accidentally dropped it off the back of a ute and it fell on its lid," says Manderson. "We just turned it over and away it went again."

According to Manderson, the biggest hurdle still to be overcome is finding a way to handle urine patches and small weed clumps. This requires a high degree of accurate navigation, and towing a chemical spray unit is too much for the battery-powered robot. However, once properly developed, Manderson sees AgriRover as having wider applications.

"For example, other scientists are developing robots to herd cows in for milking," Manderson says. "Likewise, we can put a camera on this thing so farmers can use it as a remotely controlled rover that they can use to check things on their farm, such as keeping a 24-hour watch on springers at calving time."

In-vitro success of Japanese wonder mushroom heading for commercial take | Voice of Himachal

http://www.himvani.com/news/2013/10/16/vitro-success-japanese-mushroom-heading-commercial/24397

In-vitro success of Japanese wonder mushroom heading for commercial take

October 16, 2013

After successful growth of a Japanese mushroom in the testing labs, experts are moving ahead with commercial propagation as first plant was set up at Dhangiara village under Gohar block in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.

Having medicinal properties and wonder food quality, mushroom are being grown commercially in Japan and China, now being undergoing field trial in this state which is famous for Mushroom production .

For the first time in India major break through has been achieved as an organization was working on in-vitro and field trail successfully grew this mushroom with pain staking effort of a women mycologist for last two decades.

Dr. Maninder Jeet Kaur of Himalayan Research Group (HRG), a local non-government organisation took up the study of the prized mushroom, called Lentinula Edodes by botanists and commercially popularized it is also named as 'Shiitake' or 'Shiiya Gu'.

"It is first such kind of natural food product enriched in protein carbohydrate, lipid and vitamin, whereas it has minerals and all amino acid of protein required for man in the dietary components. It has as much protein as in fresh green pea", Mycologist noted.

She went on to obtain her doctorate degree carrying out detailed studies of physical and physiological conditions required for the mushroom's cultivation.

Its production was being done on the standardise cultivation module on blocks of poplar and eucalyptus sawdust mixture and a few other locally available enriching ingredients. Sawdust waste from saw mills of Punjab and Haryana, which otherwise is discarded, gains value by cultivating the mushroom.

Explaining the technique, Dr. Kaur said steam-sterilised sawdust blocks were inoculated with culture of Shiitake and incubated at room temperature. It took around 45 to 60 days for colonisation of sawdust block at ambient temperature of 23°C to 25°C. Mushrooms started appearing after the temperature was lowered to 12°C to 18°C. The required humidity was maintained by sprinkling water on the block.

She said standardised cultivation modules did not require specialised infrastructure like compost unit and cropping facility. Natural shiitake cultivation in temperate climate started in February and March and ended around November and December.

It could be grown in temperate climate at minimal cost by stacking the sawdust blocks in temporary sheds and household rooms. A 10x10x10 feet  room could accommodate about 500 blocks of a kg each in a three-tier arrangement to produce 500 kg of mushroom, which yielded 100 percent profit at the lowest rate.

HRG director Dr. Lal Singh said that the achievement would not have been possible without the sustained support of the department of science and technology. The marketing was initially a problem, as people hesitated to purchase the mushroom due to lack of awareness and even considered it poisonous as it looks like wild mushroom. However, the dried produce displayed in exhibitions helped in breaking the ice.

The HRG plans to carry out commercial production over 5,000 to 6,000 blocks at its field station in Gohar for consumption of general consumers in Mandi and Manali areas. Once it became popular among consumers, interested farmers would be trained in its cultivation and provided with colonised blocks to establish their household enterprises, he said.

AIKS to held protest against lifting of import duty on Apple | Voice of Himachal

AIKS to held protest against lifting of import duty on Apple

July 31, 2013

All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) is planning to hold a demonstration on 1st August, 2013 against lifting of import duty from import of apple.

Press secretary of Himachal Kisan Sabha (HKS), Satyander Chauhan said in a press release that this decision was taken in 33rd All India Kisan Sabha Conference held at Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu from 24th to 27th July, 2013.

HKS leaders will launch a massive campaign against the proposed lifting of import duty from apple from the year 2014. They will mobilize the apple growers of the state and there will be a warning demonstration on this issue at tehsil, block and sub-division level on 1st August, 2013.

Mr. Satyander Chauhan said that 9 members delegation from Himachal had participated in the conference in which HKS General Secretary, Dr. Onkar was elected as Central Kisan Committee Member and HKS President, Dr. Kuldip Tanwar as All India Kisan Council Member.

Dr. Tanwar who attended the AIKS conference at Tamil Nadu raised the issues like lifting of import duty from apple, wild animal menace and issue of alternative policy for the development of Himalayan region states. He blamed the central government for carrying on the agenda of World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Bank and said that under the influence of WTO, government is forcing anti-poor and anti-farmer policies in our country.

"The government is lifting the quantitative restriction on import and also lifting the import duty from 2014 on apple coming from outside of the country.", farmer leader said. He also stated that after the lifting of quantitative restrictions and import duty from apple, the domestic market and producers of apple will have to face stiff competition from America, China and other European countries. At present apple growers are already facing challenges and hardships due to the misuse of South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA).

Menace of wild animals was also discussed in the conference. Many states reported that they are also facing the problem of wild animals in their respective states. The state of Rajasthan is badly facing the menace of wild boar and blue bull.

"In Himachal, including monkey, wild boar, blue bull there are dozens of wild animals and birds who are destroying the apple, vegetable and cereal crops of thousand crores.", HKS leader said adding that the wrong policies of centre and states are responsible for creating this problem.

There is a need of aggressive and intensive campaign to fight out with this issue. At the national level coordination committee will be formed to devise the strategy to tackle the issue of wild animal menace.

State delegation from Himachal Pradesh also raised demand of alternate development policy for hilly states. As on today there is a binding for hilly states to retain 60 percent green cover out of the total area of the state. Because of this condition there is very little area for agriculture, horticulture and other farming related activities in these hilly states.

There is not much scope of industrialization in hilly region. Therefore, unemployed youth of Himalayan states do not have any alternative employment and they are forced to migrate to other states in search of employment. Central government is not giving any amount of compensation to these states in lieu of protection of environment and green forest. Kisan Sabha will prepare an alternate development policy for Himalayan states and will submit it to the central government.

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Device that harvests water from thin air wins the James Dyson Award

Device that harvests water from thin air wins the James Dyson Award

Edward Linacre has won the 2011 James Dyson Award for his Airdrop irrigation.  

Young Melbourne-based inventor Edward Linacre has won the 2011 James Dyson Award, making it the second year in a row where the prestigious prize has gone to an Aussie. Linacre stole this year's competition with his Airdrop irrigation concept that collects water from thin air. The Swinburne University of Technology design graduate was driven to transform an ancient cooling technique into a new sub-surface irrigation system, following the enduring Australian drought that saw high levels of farmer suicide along Australia's Murray- Darling Basin.

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The Airdrop irrigation concept is a low-tech design that uses the simple process of condensation to harvest water from the air. Utilizing a turbine intake system, air is channeled underground through a network of piping that quickly cools the air to soil temperature. This process creates an environment of 100-percent humidity, from which water is then harvested. The collected water is stored in an underground tank, ready to be pumped out via sub-surface drip irrigation hosing. The Airdrop design also features an LCD screen displaying water levels, pressure strength, solar battery life and system health.

"The one that I made in the backyard at mum's house was creating about a liter of water a day," Linacre told Gizmag. Although the backyard trial was successful on a small scale, Linacre did prove that it could be implemented on a large agricultural scale. "The low-tech solution is perfect for rural farmers," explained Linacre. "[It's] something they can install, something they can maintain ... taking water out of the air and irrigating their crops."

The James Dyson Award is an international competition that attracts designs and inventions from young creators all over the world. As the winner, Linacre will receive GBP10,000 (US$14,000), with a further GBP10,000 (US$14,000) going to Swinburne's Faculty of Design.

Advanced soil moisture monitoring technology saves water

Advanced soil moisture monitoring technology saves water

December 5, 2007 Effective use and management of precious water resources is increasingly a key concern for many countries. Two products from Agrilink offer optimization of irrigation scheduling via advanced soil moisture monitoring technology that promise vast water-savings for the environment.

AquaBlu is an intelligent domestic watering system regulator that oversees garden watering to ensure plants are never over-watered and watering is done to a pre-defined soil wetness level. The system consists of a sensor that accurately measures the wetness of the soil and is cabled to a smart controller, which is connected to the watering system controller. It oversees the scheduled watering program and determines whether watering is needed. If the sensor reads that the soil is dry then normal watering is carried out, but if the sensor reads that the soil is already wet then watering is suspended to prevent unnecessary water use. The system easily connects with most domestic and urban automatic watering systems and the soil moisture level is controlled via a simple dial setting on the AquaBlu regulator. Multi-zone installations ensure correct watering where different plants have different watering requirements and the easy installation of the sensor to any required depth means it is ideal for monitoring the soil moisture levels of shallow-rooted plants, such as grass.

The Aquaspy is a multi-probe technology, ideal for golf, turf, commercial (cotton, viticulture, horticulture, tree crops, vegetables, and pasture and broad acre applications), government and residential applications. Easy to use and durable, the system challenges the inefficiencies of traditional methods of irrigation with a simple 'plug and play' technology. A radical new design for both above ground and subsurface installation delivers improvements in both sensor accuracy and reliability. A sensor every 4 inches (10cm) provides comprehensive information on soil water dynamics, enabling irrigation to be matched to crop water requirements for improved yield, quality and enhanced water sustainability.

The payback for the customer for use of these products is a potential reduction in water use for irrigation of anything from 20-70% depending on the application. The technologies are robust, flexible and cost efficient. Created in Australia in conjunction with design firm Tiller + Tiller, both the AquaSpy and AquaBlu have international distribution in the US, New Zealand, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, the Middle East, China, India and Europe.

Aquarius: intelligent automated sprinkler design

Aquarius: intelligent automated sprinkler design

September 11, 2008 Looking more like an alien spacecraft than a sprinkler, Aquarius is an irrigation control system designed by Aydin Oztoprak and Ozgur Ruhi Ulvan. Solar powered and remote managed, Aquarius automatically adjusts its water flow depending on the soil, crop and weather, conditions making it one very intelligent piece of eco-friendly water design.

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The design includes sensors attached to its shaft to enable detection of humidity at different levels of soil. The idea is to deliver the most efficient way of irrigation to combat the massive use of water by agricultural irrigation. It's definitely a concept with massive potential.

WaterBee puts crop irrigation on a smartphone

WaterBee puts crop irrigation on a smartphone

With robots doing everything from milking cows to crop dusting, farming has come a long way since they days of plodding along behind a horse and plow. Irrigation practices are also benefiting from advances in technology. The large-scale WaterBee smart irrigation and water management system is a case in point: it allows farmers use their smartphones to not only switch on the water where and when it's needed, but also to get up to the minute information on field conditions.

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, the world uses 2,500 trillion liters of fresh water every year for growing crops. Unfortunately, it estimates that 60 percent of this is wasted due in part to inefficient irrigation systems. One way to counter this is by taking a page from precision farming, which relies on precisely attending to small areas or even individual plants on farms. In this case, WaterBee tries to cut the water bill by making a detailed study of fields and figuring out which bit needs how much water.

Coordinated from Limerick, Ireland, the WaterBee Project is a two-year, industry-driven demonstration project for an inexpensive, intelligent, flexible, easy-to-use, but accurate irrigation management system using wireless networking, environmental sensors and improvements in crop modelling. It's aimed at farms, vineyards, golf clubs, public authorities and landscape managers and will be provided throughout Europe through business partners.

WaterBee is made up of a series of modular smart sensors distributed over an area that monitor soil moisture and other environmental factors that affect crop development and plant health. The output from these sensors is fed through a ZigBee wireless sensor network and from there to a GPRS gateway, which goes to a central web service. This service uses an intelligent software package to analyze the data, make models, and provide farmers and other users with advice based on their particular needs. The end result is fed back to an "easy-to-use" app on the user's smartphone or tablet.

According to the developers, this reduces water use by allowing farmers to precisely schedule where, when and how much to irrigate as well as improving plant health and crop yields with lower operating costs. They also say that the modular components are easy to install and the system is also very flexible and is able to adjust to changing conditions. Estimated water savings over conventional irrigation are in the neighborhood of 40 percent.

WaterBee is already in use at 14 reference sites in Estonia, Malta, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.