PAU to set up digital technology park

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is set to establish a digital technology park to showcase the latest in agricultural technology on the campus.

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is set to establish a digital technology park to showcase the latest in agricultural technology on the campus.

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is set to establish a digital technology park to showcase the latest in agricultural technology on the campus. (HT File)

Varsity has already received a grant worth ₹1.5 crore from the Punjab and Sind Bank, which is funding the project under corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The park, vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal said, will be a one-stop shop that will bring together all the new and upcoming technologies the university has developed and demonstrate how farmers can integrate those practices and make the most of farming.

Farm Machinery and Power Engineering professor Vishal Bector and Institution Relations associate director, divulging details about the project, said, “The park will showcase the sensor-based technologies that can be used to monitor the soil and crop and accordingly held with input application.”

“With the help of sensors, we can find out the real time condition of soil and plant and accordingly provide it with irrigation, fertilisers and agro-chemicals to ensure quality yield.”

The park will also demonstrate the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning into farm machinery.

“With the help of sensors, we can get inputs on weather and accordingly prepare for the changes,” he said.

VC Gosal said PAU was working on an interesting technology that could bridge the gap between the weather predictions and realised weather.

“We have a mine of data on weather from last 50 years. Weather is a complex phenomenon to make predictions. But if we combine the markers with the data, as to how the weather changes if certain conditions exist with these markers, we can predict weather more accurately and equip the farmers with just the information they need to protect their crops,” he said.

The university is planning to develop technology that uses artificial intelligence to analyse the weather data in relation to the markers to make accurate predictions.

The VC said that the varsity was also in talks with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) regarding this.

PAU has also earmarked an acre of plot near the petrol pump at the campus for the park. At present, the varsity is working on the park’s design.