ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute team bags National Agricultural Science Award 2025

coimbatore: a team of five scientists from the icar-sugarcane breeding institute, coimbatore, has been conferred the 'rashtriya krishi vigyan puraskar - 2025' under the 'innovation & technology in agriculture & allied sciences' category.the award, presented by union agriculture minister shivraj singh chauhan on july 16 during icar's 97th foundation day in new delhi, honours impactful technological advancements in agriculture.the awarded team — dr. k. hari, dr. d. puthira prathap, dr. p. murali, dr. a. rameshsundar and dr. b. singaravelu — developed the soil moisture indicator (smi), a portable device that helps farmers plan irrigation based on real-time soil moisture levels using soil electrical conductivity.according to dr. hari, smi-based irrigation boosted sugarcane yield by over 4 tonnes per acre annually and conserved about 15% irrigation water in tamil nadu field trials. a newer version, the digital soil moisture sensor, compatible with android devices, has also been developed.the device has been licensed to 22 companies, with one patent and four design registrations—marking icar's first such design registration. it is also included in national cultivation standards and is gaining adoption in multiple states.director dr. p. govindaraj praised the innovation, calling it key to sustainable agriculture and water-use efficiency.