Kerala Agri Varsity’s weed wiper receives patent

A Weed Wiper created by researchers at the Kerala Agricultural College has been awarded a patent. The invention of KAU Weed Wiper has given new path to the efforts for countering the development of weedy rice (Vari in community parlance) in paddy fields of the State.

Weedy rice is a merchandise of purely natural hybridisation concerning cultivated rice and wild rice. Morphological and biochemical similarity of weedy rice to cultivated rice makes hand weeding and herbicidal control ineffective. As a end result, weedy rice infestation has grow to be a significant threat in the rice tracts of Kerala. Severe infestation and subsequent reduction in produce by 50-70 per cent has pressured quite a few farmers to abandon rice cultivation.

The technology was transferred to Raidco Kerala , a Condition-owned organization and the item is available in the market place. The novel wiper device was created as section of the doctoral programme of Nimmy Jose, scientist at Rice Investigate Station, Moncompu of KAU. The study conducted by her under the advice of CT Abraham, former Professor and Head, All India Coordinated Analysis Project on Weed Command, KAU, could also standardise an integrated method for the administration of the remarkably persistent weedy rice in paddy fields. The investigate programme was granted the very best PhD thesis award in 2015 by the Indian Society of Weed Science.

Weedy rice is normally taller by 15-30 cm than cultivated rice at about 55-60 times immediately after sowing. The weed wiper would make use of this peak difference to make sure selective software of herbicides on weedy rice plants and consequently ruin them. Considering that the technological innovation tends to make limited software achievable with no contaminating soil or crops, the machine is rapid getting acceptance among farmers.