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Open Access
Smart Irrigation System in High Density Apple Orchard Using IOT (Internet of Thing)
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2022) Riyaz Ashraf; Kumar, Rohitashw
Water is very precious natural resource to all living organisms including plants. The major amount of fresh water is to be utilized by the agricultural industry for irrigation. By using automatic irrigation control mechanism the water content can be made constant in soil to meet out plat requirement. The real time Smart Automatic Irrigation System Using IOT (internet of things) developed and validated for drip irrigation in High density Apple orchard located at SKUAST-K Shalimar Research farm located at 34.08o N latitude and 74 .87o E longitude and 1550m above mean sea level. The micro-controller unit is exclusively solar energy driven which makes it environment friendly besides eliminates need of electricity in the farmlands. The system besides showing soil moisture at three different places was able to detect atmospheric humidity and atmospheric temperature; both these parameters were visible on LCD display also visible on mobile phone. An indigenous resistive soil moisture sensor was made with the feature of limited cost factor, durability, and length of soil moisture sensor. The most important advantage of this system is that the final product is complete and can be calibrated as per our soil type, root depth, crop-water requirement. Total budget for system establishment is only Rs 5915.0 only, which makes it acceptable even by marginal farmers. The cost of electricity was saved by 40%, thus reduces the economical thrust on farmers pocket. The Water applied for Irrigation was saved by 37.5% as compared to manually regulated drip irrigation. This helps to conserve water in agriculture to larger extent if adopted commercially. Labour cost was saving by 75.77% which reduces drudgery from farmlands of horticulture.
Open Access
Development and Process Optimization of Tomato Puree using Ohmic Heating System
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2022) Nazish Nisar; Shahzad Faisal
The study highlights the procedural methodology of the experiments that led to the development of ohmic heating system. Ohmic heating is a green processing technology that is different from other heating methods. In this process electricity is allowed to pass through the food sample and heating occurs due to inherent resistance of food. It is highly effective technology that provides rapid and homogenous heating. Electro-resistive heating or joule heating are some of its other names. Some of the applications existing for ohmic heating in the area of food processing include blanching, pasteurization, sterilization, concentration, extraction. In the present investigation, a lab scale ohmic heating system was developed which consists of a heating chamber, a pair of electrodes, lid, thermocouple, temperature controller, variac transformer and AC power supply (220 V, 50 Hz). The chamber was made of Polyacryl sheet. The electrodes are made with stainless steel (SS 316). Lid was made of Teflon. K-type thermocouple was used to monitor temperature from (0-500°C). The single phase power supply from alternating current (AC) mains (220 V, 50 Hz) was used in the experimental set-up. A variac transformer (4 amp) which varies the voltage in the range of (0-270 V) was used to provide required voltage to the system according to the experimental design. The electrical variables were recorded using digital multimeter. A polyacryl sheet was used as base to fix entire ohmic setup. Ohmic heating treatment was applied to tomato puree at 3 different combinations of voltage (150, 160, 170 V), salt concentration (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 %) and Temperature (70, 80, 90°C) for the responses, viz, pH, TSS, Colour change, Lycopene and optimized using Box- Behnken Design. Temperature, current and voltage applied were monitored. The ohmic heating mechanism was analysed and evaluated on the basis of time required (min) and point electrical conductivity (S/m). The overall time required and point electrical conductivity for heating tomato puree was 3.04-5.24 minutes and 1.09 to 1.85 S/m respectively. The optimum value of voltage, salt concentration and temperature were found to be 170 V, 0.3 % and 70 °C respectively with a desirability value of 0.713. At this optimum condition, the predicted values for pH, TSS, Colour change and Lycopene were found to 4.1, 9.11 °Brix, 6.25 % and 18.7 mg/g respectively. In comparison with conventional heating method, ohmic heating was found to be best with higher lycopene retention (18.6 mg/g), minimum colour change (6.34 %) and more effective at reducing microorganisms because of its greater severity.
Open Access
Optimization of Process Variables for Refractance Window Drying of Red Chillies
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2022) Salati, Beenish Siraj; Shukla. R. M. S
The present study entitled “Optimization of Process Variables for Refractance Window Drying of Red Chillies” was undertaken in the Division of Processing and Food Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar, during the year 2021 to characterize the drying characteristics of chilli slices. Further the drying process parameters i.e. Drying temperature (75°C, 85°C, and 95°C), NaCl pretreatment ( 0.5%, 1% and 1.5 %) and sample size (2cm, 4cm and 6cm) were optimized by Response Surface Methodology using Box Behnken Design for the responses, namely dehydration ratio, color change, ascorbic acid and overall acceptability. In addition, various quality parameters (moisture content, water activity, ascorbic acid, hardness and color change) of Refractance Window Dried chilli slices stored for three months, dried under optimized conditions and packed in different packaging materials (HDPE and Laminates) were also investigated. Also the comparative analysis of optimized chilli slices with conventionally dried chilli slices was carried for parameters viz., microbial analysis, water activity, ascorbic acid, color change, browning index and hardness. The optimum values of drying temperature, NaCl concentration and sample size were found to be 75ºC, 1.5% and 6 cm respectively at desirability value of 0.789. At this optimum condition, the predicted values for the dehydration ratio, color change, ascorbic acid and overall acceptability were found to be 4.12, 18.81, 73.67, 4.52 respectively. After three months of storage, laminated pouches were found to be appropriate packaging material with higher ascorbic acid retention (71.48 mg/100g), minimum color change (21.34%), lower moisture content (6.7% db), lower water activity (0.462) and maximum hardness values (1.459N) in comparison to HDPE pouches. Comparative analysis results showed the better retention of ascorbic acid, hardness, water activity, and color change than conventionally dried samples.
Open Access
Effect of climate change on water resources parameters over the Jhelum basin using variable infiltration capacity (VIC) hydrological model and copula statistical modelling
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2022) Mishra, Ananya; Kumar, Rohitashw
Climate change jeopardises the world's fresh water resources and aquatic eco-systems. A small climate shift caused by rising air temperatures and fluctuating precipitation is may to have a significant impact on highland river systems. Understanding climate change necessitates paying attention to changes in climate variability and extremes, yet understanding of these variables' recent behaviour is limited. Water resource planning and management must progressively consider the effects of global climate change in order to effectively estimate future water availability. Climate extremes such as streamflow forecasts and drought are important tools for strategic planning and management of future water resources, particularly in high-altitude of Himalayas. This study examined the impacts of climate change on water resources and extreme events in Jhelum basin (upper Indus basin in Kashmir). The study include framework to calibrate catchment-specific for streamflow simulation in the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model with a 0.25° spatial resolution at 4 hydrological gauge stations for a baseline period from 1981 to 2018. The hydrological models (VIC), which have been calibrated against the monthly discharge for a time period of (2007-2012) and been validated for a period of (2013-2017). The performance of model, was analysed using statistical indicator, coefficient of determinisation (R2) and nash sutcliffe coefficient (NSE). The coefficient of determination (R2) attained the value as 0.78 and the nash Sutcliffe coefficient (NSE) was found to be 0.79. The model showed a close agreement between simulated and observed values of streamflow. The models calibrated were then driven by climate projections from global circulation models (GCMs) under Representative Concentration Pathway scenarios (RCP) 4.5 scenario. The model projected the streamflow for all the stations of the basin for a period of 10 years. The results indicated a grid wise daily simulated streamflow calibrated according to the study area for base line period. The projected streamflow for all the station simulation according to GCM downscaled RCP 4.5 scenario. The study also analysed the climatic extreme of meteorological drought in the basin using copula modelling of drought variables to estimate the joint behaviour of drought characteristics. The SPI drought index was used to quantify drought on times scales of 3,6,12 months for all the stations. The drought variables were fitted with marginal distributions for univariate analysis, with the lognormal distribution emerging as the best fit distribution. The best fitting copula was selected based on the least values of SIC and AIC from the Archimedean and Elliptical families of copula. The copula analysis that indicated the correlation between the drought variables and duration and severity showed high correlation between them. Further, the bivariate analysis was carried out which returned the values of joint cumulative density function of return period of drought. The return period of drought having the 2-dimensional effect of drought variable in the frequency of drought was determined. The return period was expressed in two cases i.e., “AND” and “OR” for bivariate analysis. The uncertainty for the marginal distribution for the analysis was estimated for a certain return period of drought. The results showed that the Jhelum basin experience a moderate drought in terms of drought index for all time scales. The joint return period of drought estimated as “AND” and “OR” indicated that the drought in the region was underestimated in case of “OR” and overestimated in “AND” case. The results of this study can not only help drought investigation to select a suitable probability distribution and copulas function, but are also useful for regional water resource management.
Open Access
Soil Erosion Estimation and Impact of Land Use/Cover Change in Devalgam Watershed of Bringi Catchment using RS and GIS
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2022) Khatana, Ajaz ul Mumtaz; Pandit, Bashir Ahmad
Soil erosion is one of the major causes of soil degradation across the globe. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model in GIS environment was used to assess the spatial variability of erosion occurring at Devalgam watershed. ASTER DEM (30 m×30 m). Annual rainfall data of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020, LULC maps and soil maps, and published literature were used as input to the model. The average annual soil loss in the Devalgam watershed varied for years 1990,2000,2010 and 2020 from 0 to 127.32, 140.34,146.49 and 187.23 t/ha/yr and the mean annual sol loss was estimated as 16.6,18.3,19.1,22.08 t/ha/yr. Zonal statistical analysis of soil erosion for different land cover type showed that barren land and open forest were more prone to erosion with an estimate of 85.12 and 52.35 t/ha/yr; respectively while vegetation ,built-up, orchards and agriculture were least prone to erosion. In the present study LULC change in devalgam watershed is becoming a crucial component for managing the natural resources. Remote sensing and GIS technologies have proven to be an effective tool to analyze LU/LC changes on watershed basis. The study area was classified into six LU/LC classes: agriculture, forest, vegetation, barren land, built-up and orchards. and it was found that maximum area in 2020 was covered by forest (30.5%) followed by barren land (25.7%) while the minimum area was covered by orchards (0.5%) out of total area i.e., 2058.618 ha. The Overlay analysis of LANDSAT-5 1990 over LANDSAT-8 OLI 2020 was done to analyze changes from 1990 to 2020. The results also shows that area under forest, vegetation decreased by 17.3% and 48% respectively, while area of Built-up, barren land, orchards and agriculture increased by 123%, 36.5%,0.5% and 36.4% respectively. The overall accuracy for classified imageries i.e., LANDSAT-5(1990), LANDSAT-7 (2000), LANDSAT-7 TM (2010) and LANDSAT-8 OLI (2020) were obtained as 86.6%, 76.6% ,80% and 90% with a kappa coefficient as 0.84, 0.71,0.75 and 0.87 respectively.
Open Access
Development and Process Optimization of Grape juice using Ohmic Heating System
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2022) Nowsheri, Aaheena; Shukla, R.M.
The present study entitled “Development and process optimization of Grape juice using Ohmic Heating System ” was undertaken in the Division of Processing and Food Engineering ,College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, SKUAST-Kashmir, Shalimar, during the year 2021.Ohmic heating is an advanced thermal processing method .Ohmic heating is a process in which an alternating current is passed through the food material for heating ,where heat is internally generated due to electrical resistance when a current is passed through it. It is also known as joule heating ,electro- heating or electrical resistance heating, and may be used for a variety of applications in the food industry like pasteurization, sterilization, blanching, dehydration, extraction and heating food stuffs. In the present investigation, a laboratory scale ohmic heater was developed .The ohmic heater consists of a heating chamber, set of electrodes, lid, temperature controller, thermocouple, AC power supply, variac transformer, base and control panel. The chamber is made of polyacryl tube. The electrodes are made with stainless steel (SS 316), lid is made of teflon, K type thermocouple (0-1250°C) was used to monitor temperature .AC power supply with 220 V, 50 Hz was used in the experimental set-up. A 4 amp variac which varies the voltage in the range of 0-270 V was used to provide required voltage to the system according to the experimental design. The electrical variables were recorded using digital ammeter and voltmeter. A wooden frame was used as base to fix entire ohmic setup and control panel. The control panel was made up of wooden to fix temperature controller, ammeter, and voltmeter. In the developed ohmic heater, grape juice was heated at three different combinations of voltage (150-170V), salt concentration (0.1-0.3%) and heating temperature (70-90°C), for the responses viz, pH, TSS, colour change and anthocyanin and optimized using Box Behnken Design. Temperature, current and voltage applied were monitored. The ohmic heating mechanism was analyzed and evaluated on the basis of time required (min) and point electrical conductivity (S/m).The optimum value of voltage, salt concentration and heating temperature were found to be 153V, 0.3% and 76°C , respectively with a desirability value of 0.606 . At this optimum condition the predicted values for pH, TSS, colour change and anthocyanin were found to be 3.35, 16.5°Brix, 5.53% and 117.36 mg/100 ml respectively. Ohmic heating was found to be more effective for microbial inactivation due to electroporation, and also the change in nutritional properties were observed to be better with minimum colour change (5.31%) and less anthocyanin degradation (117.55 mg/100 ml), in comparison with conventional heating method.
Open Access
Assessment of Farm Mechanization Status in Pulwama District of Kashmir Valley
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2021) Suzhat Abass; Dr. M. Muzamil
The study investigated the status of farm mechanization in the district of Pulwama. The focus was directed towards the availability of farm machines in paddy and apple cultivation and appraisal on the impact of custom hiring centre (CHC) in abridging the gap of agricultural mechanization. In the first stage, five blocks (East Block, West Block, North Block, South Block and Central Block) comprising of twenty five villages viz., Padgampora, Dangerpora, Awantipora, Larkipora and Gulzarpora in East Block, Murran, Kangan, Shadimarg, Rajpora and Keller in West Block, Pinglena, Newa, Pahoo, Kakapora and Gudoora in North Block, Bandzoo, Boonura, Tahab, Naira and Mughalpora in South Block and Gangoo, Drusoo, Prichoo, Malikpora and Chatapora in Central Block were selected. A multistage random sampling technique was employed to select blocks, villages and households for survey. The primary data was collected from a total of 250 households (10 from each village) through a questionnaire. In the second stage, five villages viz., Malangpora, Gulzarpora, Wakharwan, Koil and Hathkul in the East block, constituting a total of 75 households (15 from each village) were selected using random sampling technique. A separate questionnaire was prepared to assess the impact custom hiring centre on the mechanization indicators: mechanization level (%), power per unit area (kW ha-1), labour capacity (kWh ha-1), mechanization capacity (kWh ha-1) and mechanization index(%). The primary data collected through structured questionnaire (interviews) and secondary sources from departmental records, village records, institutional technical reports, previous researches and internet were analyzed to reach rationale and logical conclusions. The highest production of paddy and apple was recorded in East block and South block, mainly due to geographical proximity of Custom hiring centre (CHC) and maximum percentage (40.80 %) of graduates. In paddy cultivation, the mechanization level was maximum in central block due to high percentage (79.73 %) of traditional tools like Spade, Sickle, Rake, Tangroo, Hand Hoe and Shovel. The highest mechanization level was observed in case of field preparation (paddy), weeding/basin preparation (apple) and spraying (apple) operation. In paddy crop, the field preparation operation with 11.59 kW ha-1 power per unit area, 3488.59 kWh ha-1 mechanization capacity, 95.43 % mechanization index was found to be associated with Central block. A similar equivalence was observed with spraying operation at Central block for apple cultivation system with 5.17 kW ha-1 power per unit area, 3184.72 kWh ha-1 mechanization capacity, 90.38% mechanization index, respectively. The highest labour capacity (12.01 kWh ha-1) in paddy cultivation was related to threshing operation and lowest (3.65 kWh ha-1) in case of fertilizer application. While as, harvesting and fertilizer application was consuming maximum and minimum laborers in apple cultivation. In general, it was observed that the operations like application of fertilizer, grading and packaging, training/pruning, orchard sanitation were carried out manually. The machinery available at the custom hiring centre (CHC) was mainly catering to the needs of farmers in East block. It was observed that mechanization indicators of 18.76 kW ha-1 power per unit area, 4783.35 kWh ha-1 mechanization capacity, 262.27 % mechanization index, were available at CHC in East Block, which was lower than 21.17 kW ha-1 power per unit area, 7155.33 kWh ha-1 mechanization capacity, 278.34 % mechanization index of the machinery available with the farmers in East Block. It is therefore, imperative to increase the machinery available at CHC or establishing new CHC’s to enhance the mechanization status. The baseline data generated through this study can provide a roadmap to scientists, planners and policy makers to formulate the strategies to bolster the mechanization potential of district Pulwama.
Open Access
Study on Noise Characteristics of Tractor Under Field Conditions and its Associated Effects on Operator’s Health
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2021) Aadil Mushtaq, Sheikh; Dixit, Dr. Jagvir
Agricultural tractors are extensively used for different farm operations in India. Tractor noise consists of engine noise, exhaust, intake fan and mechanical noise created by combustion, gears, cams, bearings and pumps etc. Tractor noise level at the operator’s ear level and bystander position was measured at no load (0 cm tillage depth) and with load (achieved tillage depth of 10 cm and 14cm) during tillage operations (Rotavator operation, Disc ploughing and cultivator operation) at different engine speeds (1000, 1500 and 2000 rpm). The effect of noise on the physiological cost (heart rate and blood pressure level) was also studied. The tillage depth significantly affected tractor noise level at operator’s ear level and bystander and also physiological cost of the selected subjects during selected tillage operations. Similarly, the engine speed also significantly affected tractor noise level at operator’s ear level and bystander position during all selected farm operations. The heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were significantly increased as the noise level increased. With the increase in engine speed and tillage depth, sound pressure level increased significantly which lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure level of the subjects. It may be concluded that the noise produced by tractor at the operator’s ear level during all selected farm operations was more than the allowable level of 85dB(A) which indicated that the operators were under threat from noise, therefore safety actions are desirable. Ear muff, Ear plug and Moist cotton were used as solutions for attenuation of noise and it was found that total sound pressure level reduction was observed highest by use of Ear muff (24.65%) followed by Ear plug (19.04%) and least by using Moist cotton (13.94%).
Open Access
Effect of Microwave Assisted Hot Air Drying on Shelf Life and Storability of Quince Slices
(SKUAST Kashmir, 2021) Sharikah Farooq; Dr. Shahzad Faisal
The present study was undertaken to characterize the microwave assisted hot air drying kinetics of quince slices. Various mathematical models viz. Page’s, Modified Page’s, Exponential, Vega-Lemus, Wang and Singh were fitted to the experimental data of microwave assisted hot air oven dying of quince and adequacy of fit was investigated. Further, the drying process parameters i.e. KMS concentration (0.2, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 1.8%), microwave duration (2.3, 3, 4, 5, 5.6 min) and hot air oven temperature (53.2, 60, 70, 80, 86.8oC), were optimized by multiple response optimization technique for the responses, namely dehydration ratio, rehydration ratio, color change, ascorbic acid and mean sensory score. The optimized quince samples were packed in two different packaging materials (HDPE and Aluminium Laminates) and stored for 3 months under ambient conditions (15oC and 80% Rh). The various quality parameters (moisture content, water activity, ascorbic acid, hardness and color change) of stored quince samples were evaluated at regular intervals. The drying rate was faster at higher temperature, higher microwave duration and higher KMS concentration. Drying took place mainly under falling rate period and the drying rate decreased with decrease in moisture content of samples in all experiments. Page’s model fitted well to all the experimental drying data as it yielded higher R2 (0.9902) and lower SEE (0.0247) values compared to other four models. The optimum values of hot air oven temperature, KMS concentration and microwave duration were found to be 71.6ºC, 1% and 4.2 min respectively with a desirability value of 0.629. At this optimum condition, the predicted values for the dehydration ratio, rehydration ratio, overall acceptability, color change and ascorbic acid were found to be 4.23, 3.17, 3.20, 12.89% and 7.81 mg/100g respectively. After three months of storage, Aluminium Laminated pouches were found to be best with higher ascorbic acid retention (7.24 mg/100g), minimum color change (12.91%), lower moisture content (7.31 % db), lower water activity (0.353) and maximum hardness values (54.93 N) in comparison to HDPE pouches.

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