AWaDH projects 

DST iHub – AWaDH

Agriculture & Water Technology Development Hub

Indian Institute of Technology Ropar

Vertical: 

‘Domain of Stubble Management System and Urban Farming'



About AWaDH

AWaDH is a Technology Innovation Hub established by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) – Government of India at the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar in the framework of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM - ICPS) to improve the overall ecosystem of agriculture in India in the line with developed countries. Water/industry discharge assessment, treatment, and management Advancement of land resources and farm preparation. Agriculture automation and precision farming. CPS in harvesting and post-harvesting. The application of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the domain of Agriculture and Water.


Patenting in progress technologies

Development of a Multiponics System


A multiponics system has been developed and fully functioned. It consists of Aeroponics, Aquaponics & Hydroponics. Fish and plants are in healthy condition since the system has come in operation. It has also been automated to pump the water from aquarium to plants root. Waste of fish is fruitful for plants as bacteria comments ammonia to nitrate.


Status: Patent application in progress.

Manually Operated Multi Seeder Machine


There are several seeder machines on the market that are used for seeding either small or large seeds. They also lack qualities such as row marking, proper seed depth, small seeds, low cost, and seed size flexibility, among others. Traditional seed sowing methods are available; however they have a number of disadvantages. The purpose is to reduce the disadvantages of manual and traditional seed planting methods by developing a seed planting machine hat can sow seed at exact intervals. 

Different types of seed plates are used for different types of seeds in all manual seeder machines; however we invented and produced a seed plate that can be used for all sorts of seeds. Our Seed Disc design is base on two in one concept. Seed disc is designed in such a way that farmers can do different size of seed sowing using a single seed disc.


Status: Patent application in progress.

Technologies developed other than patent in progress

Develop the Peas Peeling Machine

Manual removal of pea grains from green peas is time consuming and laborious work. Because as one person can depod about 4 kg of green peas from pods in one hour. There is a large scope of   green peas vegetables processing are very essential item of daily food. Among vegetables green peas occupy important place.  Peas are very popular among people due to high nutrition value and good taste. So we have made CAD File and a prototype design for automatic peas peeling machine. After finalizing the design we will work towards developed this machine. This machine not only helps will be reduce the time for peelings of pea pods, but can will be also be used as a good opportunity for small farmers. By packing the green pea grain, they will able to get more income on investment.

Develop Ebb and Flow Hydroponic System

Although there are a lot of hydroponics products in the market, but he variety of plants in those system doesn’t vary. Most of the hydroponics systems in India rely on only one type of fruit/vegetable in the same system. Novel ideas are required for growing different plants in the same system to increase the productivity of indoor and organic farming. With the help of our system of hydroponics, we can grow variety of plants whose growth depends on different level of nutrients required.

The Ebb and Flow hydroponic system by using new method of draining the water from plant roots to the reservoir. It is fully automated indoor system of vertical farming for urban farming development in which all things are setup for the plant growth. We have designed this system for growing maximum all types of vegetable plant like- tomato, broccoli, green peepers, red peepers, cauliflower, brinjal, etc.

Develop Hand Made Stubble Product

We have made some handmade handicraft products from stubble which is useful in our daily lives. Handicrafts products are mostly defined as items made by hand, often with the use of simple tools. They are also objects of utility and objects of decoration. India is known as the land of handicrafts, numerous artisans are engaged in craftwork on part-time basis making diverse crafts from pottery to baskets, stone ware, glass ware, handmade paper products and other utility items made of locally available material. 

The industry provides employment to over six million artisans, which includes a large number of women and others belong to weaker sections of society. It also allows women to participate in their free time using tools they can well manage leading to supplemental income. We know that Stubble handicrafts are made from raw materials and can be produced in unlimited numbers. Such products can artistic, creative, culturally attached, decorative, socially significant. 

Along with making the stubble products, we are making a plan to develop a machine which will be useful to people doing work in this field. Since product structure and the required size of stubble’s rope create problem to develop handicraft products from stubble.

STRAW REMOVAL ROUND BALER

The Round Straw baler can be operated in the combine-harvested field where loose straw is picked up and there after baled. The standing stubble remains untouched. The baler has three major operating units. One unit is for picking the windrow or straw from the field, and then it is moved up in compression unit where the straw is compacted in bales of round shapes. So baling the straw and compacting it into small transportable size and shapes is required. The baler has been recently introduced in India for recovery of the straw from the field. The design is partially reverse engineered.

Open source technology

Manual Operated Seeder Machine

Farmers in India are having difficulties due to the conventional manner of farming, which involves utilizing inefficient agricultural equipment, which takes a long time and increases labor costs. Small land holding makes individual ownership agriculture machinery uneconomic and operationally unavailable. Such the goal of this research is to improve seed sowing by employing a multipurpose seed sowing equipment. The basic goal of the sowing process is to insert seed in the appropriate location relative to other seeds in each row at a specific depth and cover it with soil. This machine will be beneficial for vegetable growing farmer especially for small farmer who have not proper tool options for growing vegetables. Hence they give a lot of labor cost during seeding operation to workers. 

Till now, in all the manual seeder machine are different type of seed plates & different seed hopper  is used for different type of seeds, but we have designed and developed the seed plate in such a way that we can use  only one seed plate  for different type of seeds. And through the same seed plate we can deliver seeds in different rows. That’s way we will not need number of seeds plates and seed hopper to deliver seeds in different rows. In our system, both of seeding operation option is available for small and large size seeds. And also in which large size seed hoper is available so farmer can up to 2-3 kg seed putting one time in seed hoper. Adjustable tine depth and row adjustable option is available. Low costs of this machine compare to another manual seeder market products. Maintenance cost is low.


This is a open technology. Any company who would like to manufacture it, may contact us and the same would be shared with them.


People worked: Mandeep Singh, Fateh Singh. Sypervising faculty: Dr. Prabir Sarkar

Mechanical Engg. Department, IIT Ropar