News @ assochem

Mobile application for fertilizer recommendation in rubber

Posted Date : 02-07-2017

Gone are the days when the rubber farmer had to collect separate samples of top and bottom soils from representative locations in his holding and get it tested in laboratories to know their nutrient status, so that he could apply the correct dose of fertilizer. All this, and the associated hassles and expenses will be part of history, with the introduction of the new mobile app-based online manurial recommendation developed by the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), the first of its kind in rubber anywhere in the world and the first in any crop in India. The app will tell the farmer the present nutrient status as well as the quantity of fertilizer to be applied in his holding irrespective of his location, through a satellite based system. Christened Rubber Soil Information System or RubSIS, this powerful, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tool for agricultural extension was formally launched by Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Commerce & Industry in New Delhi. As directed by the Minister then, the Android App of this system has now been made ready, for using on smartphones, said Rubber Board Chairman A Ajith Kumar.

RubSIS, developed by the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) in collaboration with Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala; National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning; ICAR and National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO, brings soil data to the fingertips of rubber growers and recommends the optimum mix and quantities of chemical fertilizers that their holdings require.