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Role of ICT

R.T. Gunjate

Reliance Agro-Initiatives

Jamnagar

IN

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Vision

To establish a pilot project aimed at

fulfilling the Founder Chairman’s vision of

bringing Waste lands into productive

usage …in the process transforming the

arid desert refinery site into an ever

green environmental show piece.

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Objectives

1. Improve visual relief, biomass, aesthetics, &

ecology and abet pollution.

2. Transform arid lands of Jamnagar Farms to an

evergreen environment

3. Maximize Financial returns by optimal utilization

of resources.

4. Catalyze faster agricultural growth and higher

wealth generation through agriculture.

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Location of RAI , Jamnagar

Lat. :22.36.56 deg. NLong. :69.83.81 deg. E

Jamnagar

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Agroclimate

1. Annual Rainfall: 490mm in 21 rainy days from

June to Oct.

2. Mean minimum temp: 6 to 22 0 C

3. Mean maximum temp:25 to 34 0 C (Maximum 43o

C.

4. Relative Humidity: 57- 75 %

5. Average foggy days in a year: 9

6 Wind Velocity: 11- 32 KMPH. (Maximum 70

KMPH)

.

6

Water availability

Limitations :

• Scarcity

• Quality

Sources :

1. Effluent treated water

2. Sewage treated water

3. Storm water ponds

4. Desal

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Soils

1. Sandy to medium black

2. pH : 7.5 to 9.2

3. EC: 1.5 to 5.3

4. Very low in Organic Carbon.

5. Medium to low in fertility

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RAI Plantation areas

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Plantation Plan

Category Area in acres No.of plants

Greenbelt 122 172,000

Greenbelt commercial

730 501,800

Med & Arom. plants

127 1222,800

Landscaping 563 1,065,300

Coastal eco- development

126 793,000

Total 1750 37,54,900

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Crop Mix

Crop Area in acres No of plants

Mango 375 102,000

Other fruits 150 27,000

Teak & Sawan 287 205,000

Bamboo 50 20,500

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Mango Production Technology

1. Varieties: Kesar- 90% + Alphonso -5%

+Exotics& others 100 var. 5%

2. High Density Planting: 5m X 3m, i.e. 666

plants/ha

6m X 2m, i.e.. 833

plants/ha

3. INM - based on soil and leaf analysis

4. Fertigation

5. Pruning to hedge row

6. Application of Paclobutrazol (Cultar)

7. IPM

8. High productivity of 25MT/ha at steady

state

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Mango Production Technology

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Specialties of Jamnagar Mango

1. Growth comparatively slow.

2. No incidence of diseases and

pest during flowering/ fruiting

3.Millions of honey bees on blossom

4. Heavy fruit set and low fruit drop

5. Spotless fruits

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Crop :Cultivars

Fruit Varieties

Chiku Kalipatti, Cricket Ball,Dharwad Selection

Pomegranate Ganesh,Arakta,Mridula

Ber Umran, Gola

Amla NA7, Krishna, Anand-1 & 2.

Tamarind PKM-1

Grapes Thompson Seedless,Flame

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Crop :Cultivars

Fruit Varieties Guava L-49, Allahabad Safeda

Litchi China, Shahi

Cashew Vengurla-4, Vengurla-7

Sweet Orange Mosambi, Kinnow

Mandarin Nagpuri

Grape Fruit Marsh

Avocado Seedlings

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Timber Crops

•Teak (Tectona grandis) and Sawan (Gmelina

arborea).

•HDP with 2200 to 2778 plants/ha.

•Fertigation.

•Irrigated with ETP water.

•Thinning.•Teak :

• 50% in 6th year.• 50% of remaining in 12th year.• Harvesting in 17th to 20th year. 18 cft/tree.

Sawan :• 50% in 6th year.

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Achievements

“Perhaps the most organized Corporate

initiative witnessed in India in the farm

sector”

------Cornell Faculty visit, Jan 2002

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Automated weather station

Parameters of interest:

1. Temperatures:

2. Humidity

3. Rainfall

4. Wind velocity

5. Sunlight

6. CO2 conc.

7. Pan evaporation

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Automated agro-portal

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Automated agro-portal

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Automated agro-portal

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Automated MIS portal

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Automated MIS portal

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Irrigation Automation

•Entire plantation on micro-irrigation

•DIS pilot project on 20 acre compact block

•Currently manually activated for fixed hours /day

•Proposed to use feedback system based on sensors like

•Soil moisture sensing•SAP flow (Six spp.: chiku, citrus, guava, grapefruit, litchi, grape)•Leaf temp. sensor

•Possibility of solar cells to provide power for this

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Green House Automation

Present Automation :

•Partial control of temperature and humidity by fogging in Natural ventilated Green House.

•Control of temperature and Humidity using fogging and ID Fan operation in Forced Ventilated Green House

•Automation proposed:

•Temp, humidity, sunlight, photoperiod .

•pH, EC etc of nutrient solution

•Water

•Backwash of DIS filters

•Closing/opening of curtains

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Green House Automation

• Temperature & RH control

•Water Quantity based on water flow meter

•pH & TDS control of Fertilizer Solution

•Radiation control

•Controls photoperiod

•Close curtains during storm

•Stop pump if leakage in pipeline

•Backwash filters, when differential pressure exceeds the

set pressure.

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Automation of Biometric data

•All plants are numbered

•Growth / fruiting parameters being monitored regularly

•Plant identification and data entry done manually at site

•Possibility of using RFID & portable computing device

•Use of RFID for keeping track of products from harvesting

to delivery at customer sites

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Maturity indices

•Right stage of maturity at harvest is key to quality and

shelf life of fruits

•Visual shape ,colour, size, chem, parameters, sp. grav. etc

destructive methods being used

•Not precise leading to 25-30 % variability

•Non-destructive reliable sensor based method required

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Use of GIS

•Soil mapping

•Plant health

•Nutritional status

•Disease –pest incidence

•Yield estimates

•Bio-mass estimates

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Central Control Room•RAI Farm activities of 2000acres scattered on 7500 acre

area with 21 Km circumference

•Five zones and 20 sub-zones ,more than 10 imp crops

•Necessary to set up Central Control Room to monitor the

activity

•CDMA technology along with sensor network to collect

/display data at central place

•Data available to authorized persons through network PCs.

•Possibility of using cheap CMOS image sensors to get

photograph of some plants on line in control room as and

when required

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