Assam Academic Secures ISRO Funding for Innovative Plant Health Monitoring Project
Significant Achievement for Assam's Scientific Community
Jorhat, Feb 24: An academic from Jorhat, Dr. Arabinda Barua, who is currently a faculty member at Gauhati University, has achieved a remarkable milestone by obtaining a research project funded by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This accomplishment is a significant boost for the scientific community in Assam.
Dr. Barua, who serves as an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department, has been awarded this project through the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC). The initiative is backed by a funding of Rs 28.7 lakh over a two-year period.
The focus of the research is to create a bio-sensing platform utilizing nanotechnology to monitor plant health in environments suitable for space stations.
The study will concentrate on identifying plant hormones like indole-3-acetic acid and ethylene, as well as other volatile organic compounds and indicators of stress related to photosynthesis.
This innovative technology is anticipated to enable astronauts to monitor crop growth and stress levels in real-time under controlled conditions, which is vital for future human space missions and agricultural projects in space.
Dr. Barua will lead the project as the principal investigator, with Professor Hemen Sarma, the Head of the Botany Department at Bodoland University, acting as the co-investigator.
The research team aims to create a prototype sensing system that can detect various biomarkers for the real-time evaluation of crop health.
Dr. Barua hails from Bahona Dhowa Pukhuri village in Jorhat and earned his PhD in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
Before his tenure at Gauhati University, which began in 2019, he worked at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology in Mohali, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Mohali, and the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Muscat, Oman.
Since 2019, he has focused on nanotechnology research in energy and environmental fields, publishing over 40 research papers, receiving more than 2,500 citations, and holding one Indian patent.
This newly approved project is expected to enhance India's human spaceflight program while also improving agricultural monitoring technologies on Earth, including smart greenhouse systems and precision farming.