ICAR-SBI Team Wins National Award for Soil Moisture Indicator Innovation.

On July 16, 2025, the ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (ICAR-SBI), based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, was awarded the prestigious 'Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Puraskar 2025' for their innovation in agricultural technology. The award recognized their development of a low-cost, real-time Soil Moisture Indicator (SMI) that significantly enhances irrigation efficiency and crop yield across various regions.

      - The award was presented by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW), under the category ‘Innovation & Technology in Agriculture & Allied Sciences’. The ceremony was held during the 97th Foundation Day of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in New Delhi and was attended by Minister of State Bhagirat Chaudhary.

      - The five-member scientist team from ICAR-SBI who developed the device included Dr. K. Hari, Dr. D. Puthira Prathap, Dr. P. Murali, Dr. A. Rameshsundar, and Dr. B. Singaravelu. Their innovation focuses on using electrical conductivity to measure soil moisture, helping farmers make informed irrigation decisions and improving water-use efficiency.

      - The Soil Moisture Indicator (SMI) was successfully tested across Tamil Nadu, showing a 15% reduction in irrigation water use and a significant yield improvement in sugarcane, increasing productivity from 55.8 to 60.4 tonnes per acre. The device, priced at approximately ₹2,000, is considered affordable and user-friendly for smallholder farmers.

Main Point :-   (i) This innovation was developed under the Farmers’ Participatory Action Research Project, funded by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and coordinated with support from the Central Water Commission. The technology has demonstrated success in a variety of crops including brinjal, pomegranate, tomato, and groundnut, showing potential for wider adoption.

      (ii) The team also developed a digital Android-compatible version of the tool named Digital Soil Moisture Sensor (DSMS), launched under a public–private partnership model. This version is expected to scale up accessibility and data-driven decision-making for farmers in remote areas.

(iii) The Soil Moisture Indicator has already been implemented across nine states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh. It was also promoted under the National Doubling Farmers’ Income Strategy and introduced in several rural regions via the Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan for grassroots-level dissemination.