Drone technology lab inaugurated at Directorate of Cashew Research in Karnataka

Mangaluru: Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, Dr Himanshu Pathak, inaugurated the Drone Technology lab and Horticulture lab of the Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur.

The Drone Technology lab and Centre of Excellence for profiling and bioactive components were established in the Directorate with funding from the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India through RKVY-RAFTAAR, Government of Karnataka.

The state-of-the-art Drone Technology Lab provides cutting-edge facilities to drive innovation in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications for plantation crops, empowering research and fostering sustainable practices. The lab is equipped with advanced drone systems and data processing tools, providing a platform for transformative solutions in smart farming and beyond. Centre of Excellence for profiling and bioactive components was established with the aim of exploring the phytochemicals which are present in cashew apple, cashew nut, kernel, shell and leaves. It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment like HPLC, GCMS and UV visible spectrophotometer.

Dr J Dinakara Adiga, Director, ICAR-DCR, Puttur highlighted the research achievements and transfer of technology initiatives of the institute. In his address, Dr Himanshu Pathak, appreciated the Director and scientists for creating outstanding infrastructure and research facilities and emphasised that it is worthy of emulation by other ICAR institutes. He was also impressed with the display of the technologies in the cashew plant health clinic museum. He also stressed on the need for impactful research to increase the production and productivity of cashew in order to reduce the dependency on the import of raw cashewnuts.

Cashew sprout cookies licensed

A newly developed product Cashew sprout cookies were licensed to Radhakrishna, Proprieter, Nidhi Food Products, Puttur by Dr Pathak. This is a value added product made out of cashew sprouts rich in protein and minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. “It is healthy snack with no refined flour, added colour and flavour,” said Dr Veena G L, scientist (Fruit Science) who has developed the product at the Directorate.

Dr Pathak also planted a cashew sapling of the dwarf variety Nethra Vaman in the Directorate.