Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Bhopal

CIAE is equipped with various laboratories:[5]

1. Tillage and Soil Dynamics
2. Biochemistry and Microbiology
3. Seeding and Planting
4. Chemical Analysis and Quality Control
5. Plant Protection
6. Food Processing and Product Development
7. Animal Energy
8. Baking
9. Material Testing
10. Fermentation
11. Ergonomics
12. Pilot Plants
13. Cleaning, Grading and Milling
14. Bio-Fuel Energy
15. Food Engineering Properties and Drying
16. Mechanical Power
17. Oil Extraction
18. Irrigation Equipment Testing
19. Food packaging, handling and storage
20. Drainage Engineering

CIAE Research Farm covers an area of 92.66 hectares distributed for Crop cultivation, Orchards, Water harvesting ponds, Degraded waste land, Sports complex, Roads, Residential and non-residential buildings and a Meteorological observatory. The farm activities are divided into two sections namely Farm Production & Field Research Management Section and Landscaping, Gardening and Horticulture Section.

The centre has a Prototype Production Workshop, equipped with machining, welding, grinding, press work, cutting and shearing, tool and die making and heat treatment facilities. The workshop is used for batch production of prototypes for multi-location trials and pilot introduction. CIAE has a Research workshop also catering to the needs related to fabrication of new designs of research prototypes and set-ups and refinement of existing designs.

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CIAE has a library which is open to the staff, extension workers and other university students coming under the MOU programs and is home to 11921 books, 4169 bound journals, 3405 reports/ bulletins, 98 CIAE publications, and 245 CD-ROMs. It is housed in an area of 5400 sq ft and subscribes to 135 journals, both Indian and foreign. It is also equipped with computer and related infrastructure.[4]

PME Cell in CIAE is an NAIP program, established on 1 June 2007, with a mandate to:

• Sensitization of policy makers, research managers, scientists and other stakeholders about PME.
• Inventorying of research resources (manpower and financial) and tracking their allocations by commodities, resources, regions, research programs.
• Interface with ARIS and IPR unit for strengthening database and other decision support system.
• Facilitate planning and monitoring of research programmes/Five Year Plan.
• Undertaking impact analysis of research, extension and education programmes and activities.
• Collaboration with NCAP on the identified research activities or any PME related work.
• Research Impact Assessment.

AKMU is the management unit of CIAE on matters related to computers, networking and other areas of digital technology. It maintains the Information and Communication activities of the Institute through modern infrastructure and home developed and outsourced software.[4]

CAD Cell is equipped with modern hardware and software to accommodate the design documentation needs of the institute. It is staffed by experienced personnel who oversee activities from production drawing to the stage of transfer of technology. The cell also provides training facilities on Computer-Aided Design.

The Instrumentation Cell of CIAE is equipped with modern equipment such as:

• Electronic seed drill choke indicator for indicating choking of tractor driven seed drills.
• Pressure transducer
• RTD calibrator
• Pressure calibrator (Range: 30psi)
• DC Multi function calibrator
• Automatic LCRQ bridge
• Universal Device programmer
• Load cells (2.5 kN, 1 kN, 2.0 kN 2.5 kN,)
• Button type miniature load cell
• Soil moisture telemetry system
• Electronic Pressure transducer (Range: 20 kg/cm2) with indicator
• Data logger (DT-800)
• RFID system for identification of livestock
• Dual DC regulated power supply

The institute also maintains a Guest House to accommodate 48 guests and as a Trainees' Hostel to house 32 trainees.

The International Training Centre (ITC) at the Institute provides facilities for International training and Conferences. The centre has a conference hall and communication and accommodation facilities.

Hammer Mill

CIAE is credited with the development of several agricultural and related equipment.[8]

• Tillage Equipment
• Sowing and Planting Equipment
• Weeding & Interculture Equipment
• Harvesting Equipment
• Threshing Equipment
• Cleaning/Grading/Separation Equipment
• Shelling/Dehulling/Peeling Equipment
• Milling Equipment
• Value Addition Equipment
• Energy Gadgets

• 
  A mango tree in full bloom
• 
  Sapodilla tree
• 
  Citrus plantation
• 
  Yellow-fruited Cherry Guava

CIAE has lined up a series of regular research projects where research fellows and students can participate. The below mentioned list gives a bird's eye view of the research activities at CIAE on a regular basis.

• Tillage And Manure Interactive Effects On Soil Aggregates Dynamics, Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation And By Pass Flow In Vertisols
• Development of Efficient Spraying System To Reduce Spray Losses
• Development of spectral reflectance based prototype of variable rate urea application system for top dressing in rice and wheat crops.
• Adoption and resource assessment of agricultural machinery for resource conservation for permanent bed cultivation of cereals, pulses and oilseeds
• Draft requirement of selected farm implements operating in vertisol for tractor implement matching.
• Development of platform type fruits harvesting system for mango, sapota and citrus
• Design and development of mechanized pruner for high density guava orchard
• Design and development of two stage furrow opener in seed-cum-fertilizer drill for application of seed and fertilizer at appropriate depth
• Design and development of multi millet thresher
• Design and development of Arecanut (Careca Catech Linn) sheath size reduction machine
• Demonstration of conservation agricultural machinery in selected village cluster of MP State
• Assessment of hearing impairment of tractor drivers
• Adaptation/development of system for harvesting Makhana in ponds

• Development of GPS Based variable rate granular fertilizer applicator for basal dose application
• Yield mapping through grain combine harvester fitted with yield monitors in soybean-wheat cropping system
• Design and development of zero till drill for sowing in heavy residue condition
• Development/adaptation of animal drawn garlic planter and digger
• Agricultural Accidents survey of Madhya Pradesh
• NAIP Sub-Project On A Value Chain In Major Seed Spices For Domestic And Export Promotion
• Development of soy and multigrain based nutritionally balanced functional foods for children (National Fellowship)
• Applications of modified atmospheric packaging techniques for shelf life extension of selected horticultural crops
• Process development for production of instant soymilk powder
• Adoption/refinement of technology for development of millet-soybased functional foods and utilization of by-products
• Development of process and equipment for cleaning and dehusking of kodo and kutki minor millets
• Impact of defatted soyflour supplemented food products on health of children
• Soy-fortified functional foods for selected target groups
• Defatted soyflour for food uses – Survey of soybean industries and policy issues for soy food promotion
• Development of production of soybutter at pilot scale
• Study on health response of differently processed soy foods consumed in India
• Use of machine vision for distinguishing among crop varieties
• Technology for production of probiotic culture and development of probiotic soy cheese and soy milk powder
• Design and development of post harvest heating chamber and ripening chamber for banana
• Blending of millet flour with hydrocolloid for quality breads
• Estimation of post harvest losses in selected crops in four districts of MP
• Disinfestations of Grains using MW Energy [Approved in principle]
• Development of mechanization system for effective sett/bud treatment for sugarcane (Collaboration with SBI, Coimbatore
• Development of mechanization package for banana cultivation (Collaborative project with NRC Banana, Tiruchirapalli) [Agreed in principle]
• Development of banana central core stem slicer and juice extractor
• Studies on the mechanical processing of Moringa oleifera leaves [Approved in principle]
• Value Chain On Biomass Based Decentralization Power Generation For Agro-Enterprises
• Development of a system for purification and storage of biogas for engine application
• Studies on generation of bio-char from different crop residues
• Establishment of biogas cum solar energy based hybrid electricity generation system for dairy farm and allied activities [Approved in principle]
• Establishment of precision farming development center and its operation in Madhya Pradesh
• Fertigation Strategies for Fruit and Vegetable Crop(s) in Vertisols
• Development of 50 m2 greenhouse with provision for top opening
• ORP on soil moisture based micro-sprinkler (PC) irrigation
• Promotion of manufacturing of agricultural equipment through prototype production, capacity building and support to manufacturers/entrepreneurs
• Capacity building through trainings and outreach programmes
• Development of national database and its user-friendly retrieval system on commercially manufactured agricultural equipment/technologies
• Development of business model for custom hiring for different agro climatic zones
• Custom hiring business models and machinery packages for selected agro climatic regions of India [Approved in principle]
• Quantifying the mechanization status of selected cropping pattern in Madhya Pradesh
• Development/adoption of suitable harvesting device for oil palm
• Development of on the go soil electrical conductivity and pH measurement device
• Diffusion and adoption of crop production and farm engineering technologies for acceptability

• 
  A pond of cultivated Euryale
• 
  Garlic harvest
• 
  An orchard
• 
  Sour cherry orchard
• 
  Pods of Moringa oleifera

CIAE has four types of externally funded projects.

CIAE hosts many National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) projects.

• Value Chain on Biomass based decentralized power generation for agro enterprises.
• Precision farming technologies based on Microprocessor and Decision Support Systems for enhancement input application.
• Efficiency in production agriculture.
• Evaluation of X-ray, Computed Tomography (CT) And Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for detecting the internal disorders.
• A value chain in major seed spices for domestic and export promotion.
• Visioning, policy analysis and gender (Completed on 31/03/2012).

The National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) was inaugurated on 2 February 2011 CIAE as one of core institutes with Strategic Research, Technology Demonstration, Capacity Building and Sponsored/ Competitive Grants were the main elements of the project. CIAE hosts the researches on enhancement of resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change and climate vulnerability.

The following are the ongoing R and D activities at CIAE under NICRA project:

• Adoption and performance assessment of agricultural machinery for resource conservation under permanent bed cultivation of soybean-wheat and maize-gram crops.
• Development of spectral reflectance based prototype of variable rate urea application system for top dressing in rice and wheat crops.
• Design and development of two stage furrow openers suitable for variable depth seed and fertilizer application in maize-wheat cropping system in central India
• Development of pre-emergence herbicide strip applicator as an attachment to sowing devices for wide spaced crops.
• Study of existing irrigation pumping system practices in Madhya Pradesh and suggestions if any for improving the performance.
• Investigation on entrained gasification of agro residue for power generation.
• Environmental impact assessment of different energy conversion processes for efficient utilization of surplus crop residues and Generation of bio-char from different crop residues.
• Self-sustainable energy management of dairy farm through efficient utilization of dairy residues.
• Demonstration and adoptive trials of conservation agriculture implements in selected village cluster of Madhya Pradesh state.

The National Fund for Basic, Strategic and, Frontier Application Research in Agriculture provides funding for various CIAE projects on the Use of machine vision for distinguishing among crop varieties. The research program aims to develop methodology for distinguishing among varieties/ germplasm of rice, Indian mustard, chickpea and okra using visible imaging and to optimize imaging and image processing parameters under visible spectral domain. Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, National Bureau of Plant Genetics Resources, New Delhi and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Kolkata participate in the project.

ICAR has placed a National Fellow Project at CIAE on the subject, "Development of Soy and Multigrain based nutritionally balanced functional foods for children". The project aims to eradicate malnutrition in children by making cost effective nutritious and easily assimilated food available to children. The main focus of the project in on the use of seasonal, local, low-cost and abundantly available raw food ingredients having high nutrition and functional properties like cereals, coarse cereals and millets, soybean, dairy ingredients and horticultural produce.

The main objectives of the project are:

• Development of cost effective nutritive functional foods with combination of locally available cereals, soybean, fruits, vegetables and dairy ingredients for children.
• Analysis of the products for nutritional, safety, quality and consumer acceptability attributes.

Optimisation of ingredients and process parameters for preparation of ready to eat mixes, snacks specially designed for children.

• Study of developed foods in selected districts through feeding trials on children.
• Dissemination of the technology through trainings and entrepreneurial development.