HYDERABAD, 28 February 2024: BharatRohan, a pioneer in providing hyper spectral imagining enabled drone based crop monitoring services has announced a co-innovation partnership with AgHub, the Agri-innovation hub of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU).

This collaborative effort aims to promote a culture of co-innovation, collaboration, and co-creation, facilitating advancements through synergies between Agritech startup and agricultural scientists.

    
The partnership leverages BharatRohan's unique experience in Hyperspectral Imaging for agricultural crops, focusing on creating a spectral library to improve pest and disease detection in paddy and cotton crops. This initiative is expected to significantly benefit farmers by potentially increasing yields through a reduction in losses caused by pests, such as the Brown Plant Hopper and Pink Bollworm, and diseases like rice blast and boll rot, by 20-30%.

Amandeep Panwar, Co-founder of BharatRohan, commented on the partnership: "This partnership marks a significant milestone in our mission to empower farmers. Utilizing hyperspectral technology, we aim to provide invaluable insights leading to healthier crops, reduced input costs, and enhanced yields. Our collaboration with AgHub and PJTSAU underscores our dedication to sustainable and prosperous agriculture."

The collaboration leverages innovative hyperspectral imaging and advanced drone technology, setting a new benchmark in early detection and intervention for crop management. This integration is anticipated to lead to more sustainable farming practices and healthier crops.

Akshay Mehta, Remote Sensing Engineer at BharatRohan, added: "By improving our detection algorithms and enhancing the Hyperspectral Decision Support System, we are stepping towards a future where early detection and precise interventions become standard practices in crop management."

The initiative aims not only to address current agricultural challenges but also to pave the way for future advancements. BharatRohan and AgHub are committed to expanding their efforts to include a wider variety of crops, contributing to the global goals of food security and sustainable farming.

Kalpana Sastry, MD, AgHub says "While the initial focus is on paddy and cotton crops, in a long-term goal we will expand this library to include a wider variety of crops, thereby supporting a broader spectrum of crops key to the agricultural sector. This is a pioneering step opening doors of research institutes and universities in collaborating with Agritech startups in innovation space." 

Vijay Nadiminti, CEO & Director, AgHub says "We are excited to partner with Bharatrohan under our first of its kind Co-innovation program that aims to leverage this technology to its fullest potential. This would create new frontiers in Innovation in the Agtech space. By developing a library that includes built-in indices for detecting various agricultural challenges and integrating these insights with drone technology, we are paving the way for more efficient and effective farming methods."