The Crop Darpan app has been improved and version 2 has been developed. Crop Darpan is a crop diagnostic tool to identify the farmer’s crop problems.
The app helps the farmers identify problems in their rice or cotton crop. It helps them know if their paddy or cotton crop is problem-free. If there are problems with the crop, they are not only identified easily but scientific advice is also offered.
The system comes seeded with a hierarchy of questions related to visual symptoms shown by the crops. These range from high-level generalized questions to more specific ones. In order to find the crop problem, you have only got to visit the field with a smartphone and carefully answer the questions related to the crop problem by clicking ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
When the farmer confirms the presence of the symptom, he is guided to the next-level question. The problems are thus narrowed down and ultimately the exact ailment is diagnosed.
Prof. P. Krishna Reddy and his team at IIIT Hyderabad and scientists at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) conducted research and developed this app called Crop Darpan.
Crop Darpan is available for download at the following links: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.iiit.cropdarpan in Google Play Store and https://apps.apple.com/in/app/crop-darpan/id1556486922 in the Apple App Store.
The portable expert has been designed to address farmers’ concerns for the second phase of cultivation that essentially affects crop growth and health. These are related to pests, bacterial and fungal diseases, and nutritional deficiencies.
The three phases in crop cultivation are 1) deciding what and when to sow; 2) crop health issues to overcome like pests, disease and nutrient deficiencies during crop growth; and 3) price realization.
The web expert for all practical purposes substitutes the agriculture expert, especially from the National Agri Institutes or the Agricultural Institutes. This portable expert is not only well versed with visual symptoms of diseases affecting crops but can also guide the farmers on relevant measures to tackle the diseases.