Summary:
The team of agricultural scientists, officials and representatives of the World Economic Forum and professors of Jayashankar Telangana Agriculture University launched the drone, equipped with artificial intelligence tools, to shoot photos of the crops.
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An experiment conducted to test the efficacy of drones using artificial intelligence to identify crops, pests and later spray pesticides or fertilizer, began in Karimnagar district.
The team of agricultural scientists, officials and representatives of the World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the drone, equipped with artificial intelligence tools, to shoot photos of the crops.
The team would be studying the photographs taken by the drone and compare it with the field-level inputs to decide on the efficacy.
During the pilot study, efforts are being made to identify Telangana Sona (RNR 15048) and Kunaram Sannalu (KNM 118) paddy varieties.
The drone surveys in Nustulapur and Nallagonda of Thimmapur mandal was conducted on Tuesday by the representatives of the World Economic Forum, IT wing officials of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agriculture University and Agriculture.
The pilot project would be extended across the State later.
The drone captured about 2,000 aerial shots of the fields covering an area of 500 acres during one sortie.
The pictures captured by the drone will be analyzed by the artificial intelligence tools and variety of crops and diseases or pests found would be identified.
District Agriculture Officer V Sreedhar stated that “this data would be cross checked with the data collected by the Agriculture Department officials while on field to establish the accuracy of the results given by the AI-driven drones’’.
Director Dr.
Uma Reddy Regional Agriculture Research Station, Polasa, stated that the study was a trial run and not a final official one.
The scientists are trying to study different aspects, including pros and cons of drone usage in agriculture sector.