IIT Ropar, MIT US design device for efficient fertiliser use

The device will monitor nitrogen levels in plants that can help in the efficient use of chemical fertilisers. It will enable small farmers to make an informed decision regarding the most effective and long-term fertiliser application. 

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) US have conceptualised a portable optical sensing device that can detect the nitrogen content in plants and may help in optimising the use of chemical fertilisers. 

The scientists said the excess use of chemical fertilisers over several years had left the humans exposed to harmful chemicals through our ecosystem which ultimately had been affecting their health. To address this, IIT Ropar and MIT (US) have collaborated under the project ‘accurate optical sensing for efficient fertiliser use and increased yield in small farms’. Under the project, a cost/benefit analysis for nitrogen-uptake sensor for crops and crop-management practices in Punjab will be developed that will allow small-holder farmers to make a scientific decision about an optimum and sustainable fertiliser application. 

Rajeev Ram from electrical engineering and computer science department at MIT, US, and Rajesh Kumar, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at IIT Ropar, will work on portable optical sensors to provide rapid, actionable data that can allow small holdings farmers to better manage their crops. In particular, their research will explore the potential for spectroscopic ‘fingerprinting’ of the nitrogen uptake to better guide management of fertiliser use. 

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