http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100923/jsp/jharkhand/story_12970777.jsp

FASAL comes to crop rescue


- Centre-sponsored project to predict agricultural yield on real-time basis

A.S.R.P. MUKESH



Ranchi, Sept. 22: Farmers have reason to rejoice. Thanks to a crop forecasting application being introduced in the state by Birsa Agricultural University (BAU), from the next harvesting season they would be in a better position to predict their agricultural yield.

Coming soon: harvest forecast
at BAU

BAU will launch the remote sensor-based crop forecasting application in the state, which will give an idea of actual crop sown and its output on a real time basis.

Called Forecasting Agricultural Output Using Space, Astro-meteorology and Land Based Application (FASAL), the Union government-sponsored project is being undertaken in co-ordination with Indian Space Research Organisation, India Meteorological Department and the Regional Space Research Organisation in three areas of the state — Ranchi, Dumka and Patamda.

The crop simulation model will imitate crop behaviour, its genetic composition and efficiency, soil nature and weather, said A. Wadood, BAU’s principal investigator.

“As in weather forecasting, we will predict crop yields using satellite imagery and studying factors like rainfall, date of sowing, nature of crop, soil radiation etc. All the data will be fed into a computer, area-wise, and the software will enable simulation of the crop performance. Since it will be done on a real-time basis, it will help us predict final harvest yield,” said Wadood.

He added that the university would be the nodal agency for monitoring the project in the state. Groundwork like setting up high-definition laboratories and selecting staff is on at present. “As we are yet to receive the funds from the Centre, in all likelihood we will start work next month,” he said.

FASAL was launched a year ago by the Union ministry of agriculture in some states across the country. It is being introduced in Jharkhand for the first time. “Till now, we have been doing district-level agromets, which are short duration weather predictions during crop season,” Wadood said.

The forecasting will be done twice a year — mid-season and pre-harvest. “After the crop is sown, forecasting to register details of a particular variety and its expected productivity will be called mid-season. But this is subject to change as by the time of harvest, seasonal variations like weather conditions and soil alterations are likely to happen. So we will conduct a forecast just before the actual harvest time that will give us accurate data on real produce,” Wadood said.

Every half-yearly forecasting will cost Rs 10 lakh. BAU will initially begin with only three crops — rice, ragi and wheat.
Courtesy: The Telegraph (Published dated: 23-09-2010)

Note: For drought prone Jharkhand, it could be a boon. However, the big question is--Will it be successful? Given the fact, we have not been able to predict weather properly.