Soil Survey Department Soil Nutrition and Soil Conservation Department launched the ‘Mannu’ (Soil) app which provides easy access to track soil nutrients.
A workshop was organised by the Soil Survey and Soil Conservation Department and Watershed Development Management Center in association with the state government's 1000 day celebrations. Mobile App was published by K Sudheesh Kumar
The mobile app, named Mannu, can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store. Soil structure, nutrients and fertilizers can be found in the app. All the information like soil nutrient status and fertilizer application will be made available to the farmers in Malayalam.
The app will be updated with information collected as part of the Central Soil Health Card Scheme, which is prepared with the help of the Geo-Informatics Division.
The workshop also assessed the need for promoting watershed-based projects to prevent groundwater levels. The flow of the Meenachil, Manimala and Pampa rivers is decreasing every year. The landscape of Kerala is good for doubling agricultural production by increasing soil moisture. Low cost and cost-effective watershed protection should be adopted.
The farmer-friendly spatially enabled app, developed for the Soil Survey Department, not only helps in checking the suitability of a specific crop, but could also recommend the suitability of the farm, type of fertilizer, quantity, and interval of application for the specified crop for a specified location.
Initially, it will be launched for Varavoor Panchayat in Thrissur district. A scaled-up version of the app, with soil information for the entire State and recommendations for all the crops, was made available for the farmers by the end of 2018.
