Agriculture Information : An app developed to fight plant diseases

Plant Pathologist, M. Reddi Kumar at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) Institute of Frontier Technology, developed an android application, Greeshma, which highlights various diseases affecting the crops and the measures to control them.

The app can work offline and is available free of cost. Dr. Kumar said that the app would not only specify the diseases affecting the crops but also indicate the changes in various stages of crop growth.

“We have included the information about five major crops in Andhra Pradesh such as groundnut, paddy, sugarcane, sunflower and maize. Besides this, we have also incorporated details about 'Mushroom Cultivation' as several farmers are growing them on a small scale and cottage industries,” he added.

There were provisions indicating the usage of pesticides, including dosage and other procedures for applying it to a particular crop.

The main purpose was to help the farmers identify the plant disease and take necessary action. It will also be helpful to agricultural officers, agricultural extension officers and students, due to its role as a repository,” he added.

Source: http:// www.thehindu.com/