THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The overuse of chemical fertilisers and shunning the age-old organic soil revival practices and appropriate crop rotation are taking a toll on the soil fertility in the state, posing a major challenge for farmers.The situation worsens when there are no adequate facilities to test the soil before cropping at every season.
To tackle the issue, an innovative soil-testing kit was introduced in the startups meet of Global Impact Challenge 2018 organised by Kerala Startup Mission in Thiruvananthapuram.The tool was presented before a panel by Karnataka-based EasyKrishi, a young enterprise that uses digital interventions with an aim to change agricultural practices from ‘reactive mode to proactive mode’.
It provides an instant reading of the PH value and NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) ratio in the soil. Further, the app-based tool will tell the customers the level of pesticide residue in vegetables one buy from the market in a couple of seconds. The soil-testing kit which was one of the top five ideas selected in the meet and will be introduced to the agriculture production controller of the state, said Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) CEO Saji Gopinath.
Prabhav Garudadhwajan, director, EasyKrishi Pvt Ltd, who presented the idea at the meet, said preserving the ecology of soils is essential for the sustenance of life.Ecological components of the soils are measured by assessing the NPK and pH values of soils. The soil-test kit the firm supplies simplifies the measurements and helps in determining the urea and fertilizer input needed, to maintain healthy soil components.
The kit can be used by downloading the app in the smartphone of the farmer. The kit can be fixed on the rear side of the smartphone where the camera flash is situated. The farmer who put a small quantity of soil collected from his farm inside the kit, in which reagents to test the soil has been filled, will get an instant reading upon pressing the button of the camera.
These kits are handy, easy to use and yield results without any dependency on complicated procedures and need for specialised machines, he said.Since the quality of water in the water bodies adjacent to the farmlands is often affected by the run-off soluble phosphorus from farm and the continuous fertiliser abuse and mismanagement of soil has even turned large tracts of once-fertile lands to barren, finding innovative ways to address the issue is very essential.
If the farm trial of the soil-testing kit is trustworthy, it can revolutionise the farm sector as the importance of soil moisture, soil texture and of course soil composition (chemistry) determines what crops can grow in particular regions, and how much yield the fields will produce, say, experts.
The testing kit
EasyKrishi is an agri-tech company funded by Govt of Karnataka, Deshpande Foundation and GIZ. It works with 16,500 farmers across seven locations
The kit will help to determine the current condition of soil, providing the data on PH value and NPK ratio
It will help to minimise fertilizer expenditure, avoid over fertilisation and soil degradation
The kit consists of
Borosil bottle (with cap)
125 ml wide-mouth bottle
Smartphone
Pipe (PVC)
Field bag
Mixing tube
Reagents in the kit