Researchers at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have developed crop testing devices for farmers.
The devices are pocket-size near-infrared spectroscopy devices and are combined with AI-driven models.
Dr Jacqueline d'Arros Hughes, the director general of ICRISAT, said these portable sensors allow for quick evaluation of nutrition levels in indigenous food grains right at the farmer's gate or in research fields.
Hughes championed the integration of this disruptive technology into breeding pipelines and key points of relevant value chains.
He said the tool has been aligned with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) strategy, and is a catalyst for the production of nutrient-dense crops.
This is both in breeding programmes and in farmers' fields, which is a crucial element in the global fight against malnutrition.
"This technology is poised to expedite the breeding of nutrient-dense crops while facilitating their integration into the value chain. Our goal with this intervention is to provide quality assurance for the distribution of nutritionally fortified crops, so that they reach those who need them most," Hughes said.
He further pointed out that traditionally, assessing the nutritional quality of grains and feedstock could take a number of weeks, involving manual or partially automated processes and laboratory instruments.
But the mobile NIRS devices are more cost-effective and can assess over 150 samples per day per person.
Hughes noted that these non-destructive and robust grain quality measuring devices provide timely information on grain composition and can be used to promote quality-based payments in the market. This will benefit food producers, grain processing industries, and farmers alike.
Dr Sean Mayes, Global Research Director of the Accelerated Crop Improvement Programme at ICRISAT, noted that adoption of portable technology for assessing grain quality is an important step in decentralising and democratising market systems.
“This is essential to promote the consumption of nutri-cereals. This transition can facilitate quality-driven payments for farmers, while providing quality assurance to health-conscious households moving forward," Mayes said.
Dr Jana Kholova, Cluster Leader – Crop Physiology and Modelling at ICRISAT, said this approach was initially applied in peanut breeding, and could be replicated across other crops. This will offer efficient and cost-effective solutions to address poor nutrition.
She said ICRISAT's Facility for Exploratory Research on Nutrition (FERN laboratory) is expanding its prediction models to encompass various traits and crops beyond groundnuts.
“We are currently focusing on developing methods to assess oil, oleic acid, linoleic acid, carotenoids, starch, moisture, and phosphorus in various cereals and legumes. The cereals and legumes include finger millet, foxtail millet, pearl millet, sorghum, maize, wheat, chickpea, mungbean, common bean, pigeonpea, cowpea, soybean, groundnut, and mustard,” Kholova said.
Source: The Star