Amid mounting orchard interventions, an innovator has come up with a machine promising to redefine the traditional ways of orchard spraying. Bound to buoy the farming community, Riyaz Ul Khaliq profiles the innovator and his innovation
With fruit growing in Kashmir witnessing magical interventions to enhance its produce, the spraying of pesticides in apple orchards will be easy now onwards.
A young innovator from South Kashmir’s Shopian recently submitted his project to the Department of Scientific Industrial Research envisaging the process of spraying in orchards a “one man process”.
Zahoor Ahmad, who completed his Master’s degree in Botany from University of Kashmir in 2006, is a self-confessed curious brain since his kindergarten days. His acquaintances say, “Zahoor is a born innovator.”
He has to his credit a patent for his another idea but he is yet to start work on it. Zahoor, who teaches at Government Primary School in Aawneur Imam Sahab Shopian, plans to make a Paster for Wall Putty. The ideation for the product has won him patent.
“Zahoor was always seen busy in laboratory,” one of his friends says, “the science lab was like his second home.”
The latest innovation, which was test passed by University of Kashmir, simplifies the process of spraying on an orchard. Traditionally, at least, four persons spray an apple orchard. “First one sprays and another one brings water while two others are busy in mixing of water and pesticides to their equal ratios,” Zahoor said. However, he added, “the machine which I made will be automatic.”
The machine: ‘Pesticide Mixer-cum-Sprayer Agricultural Pump’, will be run by a single person, Zahoor claims. “This machine simplifies the work. The machine has a pump which will suck water and put it in to tank and I have adjusted some more instruments which will be adding pesticides in accurate ratios to the water,” he said while displaying his machine in the lawns of Science Block of University of Kashmir. Once the water dries up in the tank, Zahoor adds, the machine will automatically stop. The water will be pumped in to the tank by a Kerosene run motor while electricity runs the machine.
The experts, including head of engineering department, Prof G M Bhat, gave green signal to the project to a thumping applause from the student audience.
Zahoor was appointed as a teacher in School education department in 2009. He has to his credit two books including “Population Education” which is read by Bed and MA Education students. Furthermore he has his international research publications on effect of gibberellic acid.
Zahoor had submitted his project to Department of Scientific Industrial Research in March 2014. “I was granted funds for the project six months later,” he said.
Zahoor feels that innovators need to be groomed “a bit more”.
“University of Kashmir has been doing great job in grooming the young generation who need direction,” he said, “a bit more needs to be done.”
Rouf Ahmad, who teaches the engineering students at Kashmir University, while commenting on the project said, “The project is great. It will indeed be of great help to the farming community of not only Kashmir but all over sub-continent.”
