PLANT HEALTH ENGINEERING & ICT DIVISION

Training Program Details

CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMS

Plant health is an overarching term for emerging risks including pests, diseases and weeds, integrated pest management and innovation in plant protection. The health of a plant plays a very crucial role for sustainability of primary production. Keeping this in view, the Plant Health Engineering division organizes programmes to nurture the plant right from sowing stage to harvesting and scientific storage. Division emphasizes on capacity building and adaptive research. Capacity building programs on Pesticide Application Techniques and Safety Measures, Farm Equipment for Plant Health Management, Post-Harvest Management and Storage Techniques, Irrigation Systems and Advancements, RS & GIS Applications in Plant Health Management, Efficient Use of Water Resources and Plant Protection Techniques for Plant Health Management helps to take care and protect the plants. Apart from this, division also extends knowledge sharing with the farmers by providing in house and off-campus trainings. The students training programs were also conducted on request basis.

PROGRAMS FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Pesticide Application Techniques and Safety Measures:

Pesticide application plays an important role in pest management. The indiscriminate use of pesticides is an alarming issue in today’s global scenario. Proper technique of application of pesticide and the equipment used for applying pesticide are vital to the success of pest control operations. The use of pesticides involves knowledge not only of application equipment, but of pest management as well. The skill developed in the training helps in achieving optimum pest management in a safe manner.
This training helps in developing the skill in selecting the appropriate application technique and maintenance of plant protection equipment for guiding farmers in proper selection of PP equipment and calibrated application of pesticides to achieve optimum pest management. It emphasizes the operator’s safety before, during and after spraying by minimizing the contamination of getting exposure towards the toxic chemicals.

Farm equipment for plant health management

Protecting and maintaining the plant health is not only with pesticides but using various useful equipment and machinery also is the motto for this training. The health of a plant is depending on health of seeds onwards and hence all the engineering aspects of usage of various machinery, right from seedbed preparation till harvest is covered in this training programme. Emphasis on different weed management strategies also is covered in the programme. Advanced weed assessment and management methods is also part of this training programme.

Post-harvest management and storage techniques:

The knowledge on latest techniques and advancements helps to minimize the post-harvest losses in agriculture and horticulture. Storage techniques and structures will enhance the shelf life of the produce. The step-by-step procedure right from produce handling to transportation helps in value addition of the product. Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable commodities due to high moisture content and higher metabolic activities. Pulses and cereals if properly stored can increase their shelf life. Post- harvest technologies constitute an inter – disciplinary science and techniques applied to agricultural commodities after harvest for the purpose of preservation, conservation, quality control/enhancement, processing, packaging storage, distribution, marketing and utilization to meet the food and nutritional requirements of consumers in relation to their needs. This training will help to improve understanding of the role of post-harvest management for reduction of post-harvest losses in grains, fruits and vegetables to make them available for longer period in the market.

Irrigation systems and advancements:

Efficient utilization of water is a challenging job in agriculture sector. Micro-irrigation is one of the effective methods of efficient water management strategies, which adds to enormous water saving with less fertilizer use and energy savings. Micro-irrigation is introduced to "save" water and boost crop yields. Advanced irrigation technology such as micro irrigation, water harvesting structures, percolating ponds and recycling of wastewater helps to make good agricultural water management practices. This training programme is oriented on various irrigation management strategies with special emphasis to micro-irrigation. The participants are exposed and trained in various management issues with micro-irrigation with practical approach.

RS & GIS applications in Plant Health Management:

Geospatial technology is a rapidly growing and changing field. The term Geospatial Technology refers to Geographical Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and Remote Sensing (RS) all emerging technologies that assist the user in the collection, analysis and interpretation of spatial data. This training helps in taking up prophylactic management measures even before pest population/ disease intensity crossing the threshold level. Farmers can be advised crop specific information based on soil and water availability. The requirement for chemical based pest management can be further reduced. The spatial information systems and decision support systems help to manage various agricultural systems efficiently over space to meet the changing food demands without damaging our natural resource base. The training is envisaged to faculty members from various universities also where RS and GIS techniques have been made a mandatory course in the curriculum. The participants develop skill on GIS, RS and GPS techniques.

Efficient use of water resources:

Soil and Water are the two important natural resources which maintain the Plant Health. Optimum utilization of water is a challenging job in agriculture sector. Water management and use of recycled water in agriculture shall be a big task in front of agriculture community to meet the demand of irrigation water and to produce food to feed the population with efficient use of water resources. This training helps in budgeting the water resources, means of storage and efficient consumptions in the area of agriculture.

Good Agriculture Practices in Spraying:

The objective of the training is to provide the skills to Government officials in the area of Plant Protection. Right plant Protection equipment for our Indian Agriculture is a big challenge in near future. There is lot of emphasis to be shared equally between Authorities and Industry representatives. There is an urge for minimizing the pesticide application in order to safe guard our people from chemical contamination and as well as from environmental pollution. This training helps the stake holders/ officer to bridge the gap and address the lacunas in the area of Plant Protection Techniques. Proper spraying practices are to be adopted keeping in view the adverse impacts of spraying.

Plant Protection Techniques for Plant Health Management

This is an advanced training for those who wants to expertise in plant protection machinery. The 21 days training programme is moduled to be practical oriented with emphasis on detailed operating parameters of various plant protection machinery. The participants will take up small assignments with existing machinery and project optimum utilization pattern with own experience. The training will not only expertise the candidates in operation of various equipment but expose them with advanced areas in plant protection across the globe.

SPECIAL TRAINING PROGRAMS
Safe and Judicious use of Pesticides

A tailor made training programs are offered to the private parties on payment basis other than government officials based on the request. The participants shall enhance their knowledge in selecting the right equipment for spraying and also get trained on the precautions to be taken while handling the toxic chemicals.

Calibration and Care and maintenance of equipment

A tailor made training programs are offered to the technical persons/ field operators engaged for spraying on payment basis other than government officials based on the request. They impart the skill of calibrating the different spraying equipment and nozzles. They also get hands on experience in minor repairs and maintenance of the equipment.

COLLABORATIVE TRAINING PROGRAMS
Pesticide Application Techniques and Safety Measures

Collaborative in house and off campus training programs for government officials are offered through collaborating KVKs/ SAUs across the country. The participants shall enhance their knowledge in pesticide application. The selection of different sprayers and nozzles for effective spraying and calibration of sprayer and nozzle to avoid wastage and safety precautions while handling the pesticides are focused in this training program.

FARMERS TRAINING PROGRAMS
On campus:
Pesticide application techniques and safety measures

Farmers trainings of one day and 3 days duration are organized through ATMA and other sponsored agencies. This training helps farmers to get awareness on adverse impact of pesticide application and also helps to understand in a better way of selecting the right sprayer and right nozzle and also the precautions to be taken while handling the pesticides. The farmers get working exposure on different types of sprayers and nozzles and the right method of spraying.

Micro-irrigation:

Farmers training of 1 to 2 days are organized through ATMA and other sponsored agencies. This training helps farmers to get awareness on the care and maintenance of sprinkler and drip irrigation through demonstrations at farmers field for different crops. The knowledge on different government subsidy facilities available are enhanced through experts.

Off campus:
Pesticide application techniques and safety measures

Off campus training programs are organized at various places in Telangana and in other states. This training helps farmers to get awareness on adverse impact of pesticide application and also helps to understand in a better way of selecting the right sprayer and right nozzle and also the precautions to be taken while handling the pesticides.

Micro-irrigation:

Off campus training programs are organized at various places in Telangana and in other states. This training helps farmers to get awareness on the care and maintenance of sprinkler and drip irrigation.

STUDENTS TRAINING PROGRAMS
In-plant training for B.Tech Agricultural Engineering Students:

An In-Plant training programmes are organized for B.Tech Agricultural Engineering students. The students acquires knowledge on overall scope of agricultural engineering in the current world, specialized subjects such as farm machinery, soil and water conservation, agricultural processing and job opportunities after completion of their graduation. The training programme includes uses of farm machinery, manufacturing technology of agricultural machinery, testing and evaluation, quality control, micro irrigation systems, design of green house, and recent advances in agricultural engineering. They get exposed to different Institutes for showcasing the advancements in this field and also private firms for updating their knowledge. The students shall be assigned with project works which develops their skill and gain lot of practical experience. The students enhance practical experience on various agricultural implements and machinery.

Farm machinery and post harvest management for B.Tech Agricultural Engineering students:

Skill training for Agricultural Engineering students of one month duration are organized on various aspects of Agricultural Engineering. The students were trained on Appropriate pesticide application techniques and Farm level Storage Structures. They get exposed to different Institutes for showcasing the advancements in this field and also private firms for updating their knowledge. The students are assigned with project works which develops their skill and gain lot of practical experience. The students enhance practical experience on various agricultural implements and machinery and had tested the developed machinery as part of their project work.

One month internship training programme for B. Tech (Ag) students

Skill training for Agricultural Engineering students of one month duration is organized on various aspects of Agricultural Engineering. The students are assigned with small and innovative projects and few projects to perform the testing of NIPHM developed equipment as per BIS code.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

As part of R&D efforts, the Institute has developed affordable appliances to enable safe and judicious application of pesticides, and safe drying & storage of food grains. The institute is involved in adaptive research and the technology developed for adoption at farm level details are given below:

Village adaption highlights:

A nearby village, Amdapur is adopted as part of the study to create awareness among the farmers on adverse impacts of spraying. The main idea of this project is to develop the spray men from the village who can be involved in spraying operations. This helps the farmers to effectively reach the target and also helps in minimizing the wastage. Progressive farmers from the village are selected and are trained in-house at NIPHM and also on off-campus at village fields. The farmers got awareness on spraying techniques and spraying practices. The trained farmers are provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit and are advised to use while handling pesticides. The Village Sarpanch was briefed by the team of Officials on the various on-going NIPHM activities at their village.