Telangana's Mulugu to get smart farm: Exotic fruits, new tech; training ground for farmers, students
HYDERABAD:
Telangana
will soon have a hi-tech horticulture farm. An 80-acre plot in Mulugu is being developed by the Sri Konda
Laxman
Telangana State Horticultural University (SKLTSHU) where crops will be grown using cutting-edge techniques such as precision farming, high-density planting and protected cultivation.
The model farm will feature a wide range of vegetables, fruits, flowers, spices, and condiments, including exotic varieties rarely grown in the state such as bok choy, lettuce, kinnow, blueberries and strawberries. It will also double as a live demonstration centre for farmers, students and agri-entrepreneurs looking to adopt modern techniques.
Plotting work has already began at Kotyal village in Mulugu. Though the final list of crops is yet to be finalised, it will have exotic fruits and vegetables along with traditional crops of the state, university vice-chancellor Raji Reddy Danda said.
Natarajan Srinivasan, director, Industrial and International Programmes at the university, added: "The farm will feature perennial as well as annual crops. We are planning to grow off-season mango varieties, blueberries, dragon fruit, pineapple, strawberries, among others. Highly nutritious tuber vegetables, broccoli, vertical farming crops such as lettuce and bok choy, and various herbs will also be cultivated.
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" Like Tulip Day in Europe, the farm will also feature a demo section of chrysanthemum, which will be handpicked based on parameters to recreate a 'Chrysanthemum Day'.
Officials said various research projects will be assigned to both postgraduate and PhD students to address real-time challenges.
"We have 42 MSc students who will carry out research for six months, and nine PhD students who will work on projects for one and a half years. We will be allotting these projects on the farm," said Laxminarayana, director of research.
He added that the focus will be on three key components - fertigation, mulching and raised bed farming - and will be demonstrated to farmers through training sessions.
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