1. Coffee-crop monitoring using sensor networks in
Karnataka
Rahul Bhargava, rhlbhrgv@gmail.com
10th June 2014
Monitoring for precision agriculture involves the procurement and
maintenance of sensing hardware, and software and processes for re-
cording, collating and analysing data. A partnership for interpretation
of data is anticipated and may result following consultations with
plantation personnel and extension experts.
Following settling on the hardware, support software and systems
can be put together and this proposed sequence of decision mak-
ing motivates the presentation of curated options below, hardware
followed by software, to present possibilities before entering into
consultations with experts.
Contents
Coffee crop monitoring 2
Agronomy and plant physiology 2
Harvesting and post-harvest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Weed management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Pathology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Nutrients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Motivation for monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
BBCH-scale 6
Aerial vehicles for collecting data 11
Research platforms and capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Tea crop monitoring by Tea Board & National Remote Sensing Centre 13
Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Precipitation in Karnataka districts of interest 15
Chikmagalur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Kodagu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Hassan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Evapotranspiration 20
Leaf Area Index 20

2. Coffee crop monitoring
Coffee is one of the most valuable primary commodities worldwide.
Traditionally, the crop has been cultivated on small (<50 ha) farms
where repeated hand picking is the standard harvesting procedure.1 1
Herwitz et al. Imaging from an
unmanned aerial vehicle: agricultural
surveillance and decision support.
doi:10.1016/j.compag.2004.02.006
The major coffee growing regions in India are the districts of
Chikmagalur, Coorg, and Hassan in Karnataka, Wynad, Idduki and
Nelliampathys in Kerala and Pulneys, Shevroys, Anamalais and
Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu.2 2
http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_
upload/agns/pdf/coffee/Annex-E.2.
pdf
Agronomy and plant physiology
Covers soil, land, water, shade and weed management for increasing
the productivity of various coffee varieties under different agro-
climatic conditions.
• Soil management for soil and water conservation, including micro
irrigation3. 3
http://www.chickmagalur.nic.in/
htmls/ccri_agronomy.htm. Drip irriga-
tion was found to be beneficial in the
Cauvery by Chickmagalur Research
Station. Four litres of water per day for
around a hundred days during the dry
period from November to May resulted
in yield increases of up to 24 percent
with a cost benefit ratio of [1:5]. How-
ever, high initial investment, regular
maintenance etc. makes it unsuitable
for large areas.
• Improving fertilizer use efficiency through fertigation.
• Weather models for predicting pest and disease outbreaks.
• Enhancing yield by stimulating flower induction4. Plant growth
4
Mepiquat Chloride at 1000 ppm
twice between August and September
enhances the yield of arabica coffee
regulators increase crop yield with a cost benefit ratio of 1:45.
5
Planofix ( 0.025%) Harmonal (0.025% )
• Identification of highly physiologically efficient cultivars.
• Hormonal manipulation to increase the crop production and
curtailing biennial bearing in coffee.
Harvesting and post-harvest
Coffee blossoms do not appear and develop uniformly throughout a
plantation. The resulting fruit thus tends to ripen at different times,
with spatial and temporal trends that are difficult to track and predict
(Wormer, 19646; Cannell, 19757) 6
Wormer, T.M., 1964. The growth of
the coffee cherry. Annals of Botany 27,
47–55. Quoted below
7
Cannell, M.G.R., 1975. Crop physiolo-
gical aspects of coffee bean yields: a
review. Journal of Coffee Research 5,
7–20. Summarises existing information
on coffee crop physiology emphas-
ising whole-plant physiology and
characteristics influencing yield.
In Kenya the coffee berry stays in the ‘pin-head’ stage for approxim-
ately 6–8 weeks after flowering. A period of rapid growth follows
which ends when the berry is about 17 weeks old. Thereafter, a small
loss of fresh weight seems to occur while the dry weight remains con-
stant for about two weeks. At this stage the beans have attained their fi-
nal size but dry matter can be as low as 9 per cent. Until the time when
ripening begins, the fresh weight of the berry increases little while the
dry weight increases regularly. In this period dry weight is laid down
mainly in the beans which attain their final dry weight when the berry
is still green. During ripening of the berry (which is in fact ripening
of the pulp) the fresh weight of the beans drops slightly due to loss
of water. Both fresh weight and dry weight of the pulp (including
parchment) increase considerably during ripening by approximately
2

3. 121 per cent. and 106 per cent. respectively. Annals of Botany (1964) 28
(1): 47-55 http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/28/1.toc
Due to variations on individual trees as well as in different
sections of a field, mechanical harvesting yields a mixture of un-
ripe, ripe, and overripe fruit in varying proportions (Reddy and
Srinivasan, 19798; Cannell, 1985). Ripe fruit has the highest value, fol- 8
Reddy, G.S.T., Srinivasan, C.S., 1979.
Variability for flower production, fruit
set and fruit drop in some varieties
of Coffea arabica L. Journal of Coffee
Research 9, 27–34.
lowed by overripe and then unripe. To maximize value, crop ripeness
stage is a main consideration of harvest managers (Watson, 19809;
9
Watson, A.G., 1980. The mechanisation
of coffee production. In: Proceedings of
the Ninth International Coffee Research
Conference, London, pp. 681–686.
Willson, 199910). Managers typically rely on repeated manual cherry
10
Willson, K.C., 1999. Coffee, Cocoa
and Tea. Crop Production Science
in Horticulture Series No. 8, CABI
Publishing, Oxford, UK.
counts made by field scouts and taken on a few sample branches
within each field. Without removing the fruit, the scouts visually sort
cherries on each branch by ripeness category to estimate field-level
percentages.
• Post harvest practices, development and evaluation of machinery
and production of value added products from coffee waste.
• Pesticide, residues, and microbial / mycotoxin contamination in
coffee.
• Water pollution emanating from wet processing of coffee.
Weed management
Another important and costly aspect of coffee production and harvest
is weed proliferation. Weed eradication, which is required to main-
tain crop yield, poses significant production and environmental costs.
With crop heights generally exceeding 2m and between-rowalleys
generally difficult to negotiate, field interiors are not readily viewed
or mapped from the ground. Large weeds in the form of grasses
and vines can significantly slow the harvesting process, and thus
adversely affect the overall schedule.
Pathology
Coffee is a perennial crop that remains in the field for many years.
This allows some insects to maintain an uninterrupted succession of
generations without leaving the plant, unlike those on annual crops
where the pest must move elsewhere after the plant dies. Others
may be permanently associated with coffee and have a narrow host
range, but their populations increase to damaging levels under
certain favourable conditions, e.g. antestia and the Lyonetiid moths
(Leucoptera spp.). Those that feed upon the berries, such as the
berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), may be more easily controlled
in areas with a defined flowering period rather than in those that
3

4. experience intermittent rainfall throughout the year, with continuous
availability of berries. Insect pests rarely kill the tree, but those
that do, such as stem borers, may have a permanent effect on the
plantation, as it can be difficult to re-establish bearing trees in the
gap left by a dead tree. Leaf retention is essential for maximization
of coffee yields, and lowlevel but continuous loss of leaves due to
leaf-feeding insect pests and Homoptera – which literally drain the
plant of nutrients – can contribute to physiological dieback if they are
not controlled.11 11
Waller, J. M.; Bigger, M.; Hillocks,
R. J.. Coffee Pests, Diseases and Their
Management. Wallingford, Oxon, GBR:
CABI Publishing, 2007. p 36.
Chikmagalur has a Plant Pathology Division at the Central Coffee
Research Institute, Coffee Research Station, that concentrates on
management of diseases through cultural, chemical and biological
methods12. Periodic surveys of plantations are undertaken, for 12
http://www.chickmagalur.nic.in/
htmls/ccri_plant_path.htm
advisories on possible disease outbreaks, prior to making disease
control recommendations, and training growers, plantation managers
and extension personnel.
Current programs address integrated disease management of
coffee leaf rust disease13, updating disease control recommendations 13
Plantvax 20 EC and Bayleton 25 EC
are being recommended against leaf
rust disease. An alkaline Bordeaux mix-
ture for spraying is being recommended
for prevention
and developing a spray schedule against coffee diseases.
Nutrients
Water and nutrient availability are key production factors for coffee,
as for most other crops. Fertilizer is required to replace substantial
quantities of nutrients lost to harvest.
Motivation for monitoring
“India cultivates all of its coffee under a well-defined two-tier mixed
shade canopy, comprising evergreen leguminous trees. Nearly 50
different types of shade trees are found in coffee plantations. Shade
trees prevent soil erosion on a sloping terrain; they enrich the soil by
recycling nutrients from deeper layers, protect the coffee plant from
seasonal fluctuations in temperature, and play host to diverse flora
and fauna.14 14
http://www.indiacoffee.org/
coffee-regions-india.html
“Coffee plantations in India are essential spice worlds too: a wide
variety of spices and fruit crops like pepper, cardamom, vanilla,
orange and banana grow alongside coffee plants.”
1. Integrated pest management is preferred, using techniques such
as targeted treatment of pest outbreaks, and managing crop en-
vironment away from conditions favouring pests, to spraying of
insecticides which has often proven to be counter-productive,
as the predators of the pests are more sensitive than the pests
themselves.
4

5. Factors Arabica Robusta
Soils Deep, fertile, rich in
organic matter, well
drained and slightly
acidic (pH 6.0–6.5)
Same as Arabica
Slopes Gentle to moderate
slopes
Gentle slopes to fairly
level fields
Elevation 1000–1500m 500–1000m
Aspect North, East and North–
East aspects
Same as Arabica
Temperature 15◦C–25◦ C ; cool,
equable
20◦C–30◦ C; hot, humid
Relative
humidity
70–80% 80–90%
Annual
rainfall
1600–2500 mm 1000–2000 mm
Blossom
showers
March– April (25–40mm) February –March (25–40
mm)
Backing
showers
April–May (50–75 mm)
well distributed
March–April (50–75 mm)
well distributed
Table 1: Growing conditions
2. Growing coffee is water intensive. Terrain maps may assist with
planning surface runoff. For successful production, a free draining
soil with a minimum depth of 3 feet (1 m) is required. Coffee will
not tolerate water-logging or ‘wet feet’.15 15
http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/
ae938e/ae938e03.htm
3. Testing pH is particularly important for coffee. A pH of 5 or 6
is ideal, lower pH affects yield. Dolomite, Calcium Magnesium
Carbonate, is added as a pH buffer and as a magnesium source.
As is lime, Calcium Oxide or Calcium hydroxide, to the soil.16 16
Ibid.
4. Arabica is the more sensitive species to invertebrate predation
overall. For reference, ideal conditions are highlighted for Arabica,
from the literature. Arabica coffee prefers a cool temperature
with an optimum daily temperature of 68◦ to 75◦F (20◦ to 24◦C).
Temperatures greater than 86◦F (30◦C) cause plant stress leading
to a cessation of photosynthesis. Mean temperatures of less than
59◦F (15◦C), limit plant growth and are considered suboptimal. As
Arabica coffee is susceptible to frost damage, use of shade trees
will reduce the incidence.
5. Ideal rainfall for Arabica coffee is greater than 47 to 60 inches
(1200 to 1500 mm) per year
6. An easterly or southern facing aspect with a slope less than 15%
5

6. is preferable. Steeper slopes present a major erosion risk and re-
quire terracing or special management such as contour furrows or
preferably grass strips. A slight slope will improve air drainage
and reduce damage from frost. Do not plant coffee at the bottom
of a slope or in shallow dips where cold air can pool, as frost dam-
age is more likely here. Usually it is best not to plant the bottom
third of a slope as it will be colder and sometimes waterlogged.
7. Coffee requires adequate water during the growing and cropping
period, however it also requires a dry stress period followed by
sufficient rain or irrigation to promote uniform flowering and
a good fruit set. Many plantings suffer from moisture stress at
the time of year when they need adequate water for growth and
cropping. Unless regular rain is received, young newly planted
trees should be irrigated (or hand watered at least twice a week
if irrigation is not available) to ensure establishment. Locating
coffee plantings near a water supply for possible irrigation as well
as for processing of cherry is desirable. Water requirements can
be reduced by use of suitable, well-established shade trees and
mulch.
BBCH-scale
Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und CHemische Indus-
trie17. The BBCH scale is a system for a uniform coding of phenolo- 17
Federal Biological Research Centre,
Federal Office of Plant Varieties and
CHemical industry
gically similar growth stages of all mono- and dicotyledonous plant
species.
Phenological development stages of plants to play important
role in agricultural planning research (eg phytopathology and plant
breeding), so but in applied botanical sciences.
They are used in the agricultural industry (eg agricultural met-
eorology, timing of fertilization or pesticide application, agricultural
insurance)18. 18
http://www.jki.bund.de/en/
startseite/veroeffentlichungen/
bbch-codes.html
6

7. 00 05
09 10
20
19/33
21/90 23/93 25/94 29/97
DryCseed
SeedCradical
protrusion
andChooking
Emergence
Cotyledons
unfolded
FirstCpairCofC
primaryCbranchesC
visible
9CorCmoreCleafCpairs
unfolded/Branch
elongation,C30Cnodes
presentCinCbranches

8. 51
59
71
79
77
60
57Inflorescenceybudsyswellingyinyleafyaxils Closedyflowersyvisible
Elongatedyclosedypetals Firstyfloweryopen
Berryygrowthybeginning Fruitsyareydarkygreen
Fruitymature

9. Growth stage Code Description
0: Germination,
vegetative propagation
0 Dry seed (11-12% moisture content), beige color if parch-
ment present or bluish-green if parchment and silver skin
removed. Cutting (orthotropic, mononodal, 60 mm long, two
half trimmed leaves). Stump with bulky nodes and no buds
visible
1 Beginning of seed imbibition, bean swollen, whitish, no radicle
visible. Cutting planted in rooting media, no shoots visible, no
callus visible
2 Seed imbibition complete, bean whitish, small swelling vis-
ible at one end of bean where the embryo is located. Callus
formation begins on cuttings. Bud burst start on stumps
5 Seed radicle protrusion and hooking. Shoot and root formation
on the cuttings. Green, rounded buds visible on the stumps
6 Elongation of radicle, formation of root hairs and lateral roots
on seeds and cuttings.
7 Hypocotyl with cotyledons breaking through the seed coat.
Cuttings have formed shoots and branched roots.
9 Emergence: Seeds have emerged from soil and show the hy-
pocotile with cotyledons still enclosed in the parchment. The
cuttings present roots 6-7 cm. long and shoots with 1-2 nodes.
Stumps show sprouts with first leaf initials.
1: Leaf development on
main shoot of the young
plant, and branches of
the coffee tree
10 Cotyledons completely unfolded. First pair of true leaves separ-
ating on shoot or first pair of true leaves separating on branch
of the coffee tree
11 first leaf pair unfolded, not yet at full size. Leaves are light
green or bronze
12 2 leaf pairs unfolded, not yet at full size. Leaves are light green
or bronze
13 3 leaf pairs unfolded, not yet full size. The third leaf pair from
apex is dark green
14 4 leaf pairs unfolded. The fourth leaf pair from apex is dark
green and has reached full size
1{5–8} Stages continues till...
19 9 or more leaf pairs unfolded
2: Formation of branches
(only for plants in the
field)
20 First pair of primary branches are visible
21 10 pair of primary branches visible
22 20 pair of primary branches visible
23 30 pair of primary branches visible
2{4–8} Stages continues till...
29 90 or more pairs of primary branches visible
3: Branch elongation
31 10 nodes present in the branch(es)
9

10. Table 3 – continued
Growth stage Code Description
32 20 nodes present in the branch(es)
3{3–8} Stages continues till...
39 90 or more nodes present in the branch(es)
5: Inflorescence
emergence
51 Inflorescence buds swelling in leaf axils
53 Inflorescence buds burst and covered by brown mucilage; no
flowers visible
57 Flowers visible, still closed and tightly join, borne on multi-
flowered inflorescence (3-4 flowers per inflorescence)
58 Flowers visible, untight, still closed, petals 4-6 mm long and
green (dormant stage)
59 Flowers with petals elongated ( 6-10 mm long), still closed and
white color.
6: Flowering
60 First flowers open
61 10% of flowers open
63 30% of flowers open
65 50% of flowers open
67 70% of flowers open
69 90% of flowers open
7: Development of fruit
70 Fruits visible as small yellowish berries
71 Fruit set: Beginning of berry growth. Fruits have reached 10%
of final size (pinheads).
73 Fruits are light green and contents are liquid and crystalline.
Fruits have reached 30% of final size (fast growth).
75 Fruits are light green and its contents are liquid and crystalline.
Fruits have reached 50% of final size.
77 Fruits are dark green and its contents are solid and white.
Fruits have reached 70% of final size.
79 Fruits are pale green and its contents are solid and white.
Physiological maturity is complete. Fruits have reached 90% of
final size.
8: Ripening of fruit and
seed
81 Beginning of change of fruit coloration from pale green to
yellow or red
85 Increase in intensity (variety-specific), yellow or red, fruit color;
fruit not yet ready for picking.
88 Fruit is fully ripe color and ready for picking.
89 Overripe; beginning of darkening or drying; fruits stay on the
tree or abscission begins.
10

11. Table 3 – continued
Growth stage Code Description
9: Senescence
90 Shoots have completed their development; the plant appears
of an intense dark green color, leaves are of normal size and
harvest locates at the bottom part of the plant.
93 Older leaves change its color from deep green to yellow with
red spots, and fall specially at harvesting time.
94 The foliage changes to a pale green color. Defoliation is
observed on the bottom part of the main stem and lower
branches.
97 The production zone has moved towards the upper parts in the
main shoot and outer parts of branches, leaves are of smaller
size than normal, strong defoliation is observed on the bottom
and inner part of the plant, some dead branches are observed
at the bottom.
98 The production zone is limited to a very few branches on
the top of the shoot and a very few nodes on the tip of these
branches, and the plant is heavily defoliated. A high-degree
of senescence has been reached. 90% or more of the harvest
completed.
99 Post harvest or storage treatments
Table 3: BBCH-scale, coffee. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBCH-scale_%28coffee%29, J Arcila-Pulgarín
et al.(2002), Application of the extended BBCH scale for the description of the growth stages of coffee
(Coffea spp.). Annals of Applied Biology, 141: 19–27. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7348.2002.tb00191.x
Aerial vehicles for collecting data
Research platforms and capabilities
1. Paparazzi UAV Project19. Autopilot system. Small Unmanned Ob- 19
http://wiki.paparazziuav.org/
wiki/Main_Page
server (SUMO)20 uses industry standard sensors for temperature, 20
http://wiki.paparazziuav.org/
wiki/SUMO
air pressure, humidity and wind speed/direction as well as more
specialized sensors as infrared/visible light radiation, particle
concentration or ionizing radiation.
(a) Ground station. Laptop, a bi-directional modem, a standard
RC transmitter and battery chargers
(b) Ground modem. 2.4GHz Digi XBee Series 121 21
Communication options,
http://www.evelta.com/
semiconductors-and-actives/
communication?page=2
2. Ardupilot UAV platform for controlling autonomous multicopters,
fixed-wing aircraft, traditional helicopters and ground rovers.
11

12. Stage Description
0 Germination / sprouting / bud development
1 Leaf development (main shoot)
2 Formation of side shoots / tillering
3 Stem elongation or rosette growth / shoot development
(main shoot)
4 Development of harvestable vegetative plant parts or
vegetatively propagated organs / booting (main shoot)
5 Inflorescence emergence (main shoot) / heading
6 Flowering (main shoot)
7 Development of fruit
8 Ripening or maturity of fruit and seed
9 Senescence, beginning of dormancy
Table 2: Principal growth stages
0
1
2
3
45
6
7
8
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0 9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
Scheme
FruitRipening
Senescence Germ sprouting
Leaves
Inflorescen
ce
Flowering Side shoots
Rosettes
Plantparts
Figure 1: Subdivision of the
developmental cycle of coffee
plants
3. Flying capabilities. Flight controllers compared22 22
http://oddcopter.com/
flight-controllers/
Gyro Stabilization Ability to easily keep the copter stable and level
under the pilot’s control. This is a standard feature of all flight
control boards.
Self Leveling Ability to let go of the pitch and roll stick on the
transmitter and have the copter stay level.
Care Free The pilot can control the copter as if it is pointing in its
original direction as the orientation of the copter changes.
Altitude Hold Ability to hover a certain distance from the ground
without having to manually adjust the throttle.
Position Hold Ability to hover at a specific location.
Return Home Ability to automatically return to the point where
the copter initially took off.
12

13. Waypoint Navigation Ability to set specific points on a map that
copter will follow as part of a flight plan.
Board
Opensource
Gyrostabilised
Selfleveling
Carefree
Altitudehold
Positionhold
Returnhome
Waypointnavigation
ArduCopter APM 2.5
AutoQuad
Hobbyking KK2.1.5
MultiWii Pro 2.0 w/GPS
Pixhawk
Table 4: Controller web links,
ArduCopter, AutoQuad,
Hobbyking, MultiWii, Pixhawk
Tea crop monitoring by Tea Board National Remote Sensing Centre
A tea plantation monitoring project is being undertaken by an affili-
ated institute, the National Remote Sensing Centre23, Indian Space 23
http://www.nrsc.gov.in/Earth_
Observation_Applications_
Agriculture_Tea_Management.html
Research Organisation.
“A pilot study was carried out in Bagdogra area of North Bengal
to address the Remote Sensing and GIS (Geographic Information
System) capability in tea area development using multispectral and
multi-resolution satellite data supported by ground intelligence to
address precise mapping of the tea gardens with section details,
pruning types, shade tree density, garden landuse and gap areas.
“Based upon the encouraging results of the pilot study, [the]
Tea Board [..] agreed formally to initiate the project on “Tea area
development and management using Remote Sensing and GIS”.
“The Tea Board will facilitate
• the collection of garden maps and relevant data,
• field surveys and
• interaction with garden managers, and
• validation of results.
“Based on several interactions with tea garden managers, an
Research and Development component [is part of the] project, apart
from operations and capacity building, [involving].
• remote estimation of green leaf yield,
13

14. • forecasting of some pests and diseases,
• surface hydrology and drainage planning
Objectives
Major objectives include,
• Mapping of tea growing areas (major, medium and small) using
high-resolution Indian satellite data.
• Analysis of detailed tea garden land-use and mapping.
• Geo-referencing of tea garden maps with respect to satellite data
and creation of spatial garden database.
• Analysis of canopy density of the shade trees using Cartosat-1
satellite data and mapping to characterize optimal, high or low
density classes.
• Identification of degraded tea areas for uprooting and re-plantation.
• Generation of fine quality Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using
Cartosat-1 satellite stereo pair.
• Use of Cartosat-1 DEM for generation of potential surface water
flow lines for diversion of flood water.
• Site suitability analysis for new area of tea plantation.
• Monitoring uprooting and re-plantation activities.
• Generation of comprehensive database of natural resources and
infrastructure of Tea gardens.
• Development of comprehensive web-enabled GIS and MIS for the
Tea gardens to establish network between Tea Board, Tea Research
Institutes and Tea Gardens for better management and also to
provide technical support to Tea gardens.
Outputs
• Geographically referenced hard- and soft-copy digital maps (in
cadastral scale24) of all the tea gardens at section- [level resolution] 24
(of a map or survey) shows the extent,
value, and ownership of land, especially
for taxation.
including small growers, most of [whom] are unregistered [with
the] tea board.
• Updated information on garden land-use, shade tree density, gap
areas, garden areas affected by river bank erosion, changes in the
river course.
14

15. • Availability of section-, division-, garden-level detail including
static and dynamic attribute information on the desktop for aug-
menting informed decision making.
• Near real time acquisition of information across different tea
gardens through web enabled data sharing.
Outcomes
• Monitoring uprooting and re-plantation especially in the low
yielding areas of old bushes which is the key to long term compet-
itiveness of the Indian tea industry.
• Will help [document] small growers enabling them to avail fin-
ancial assistance from the Tea Board or from banks and financial
institutions.
• News flash pertaining to different stakeholders through tea board
portal.
• Long term policy formulation
Year
Arabica
Robusta
Total
2007–08 92,500 169,500 262,000
2008–09 79,500 182,800 262,300
2009–10 94,600 195,000 289,600
2010–11 94,140 207,860 302,000
2011–12 101,500 212,500 314,000
2012–13 98,600 219,600 318,200
2013–14 90,000 190,000 280,000
Table 5: Coffee production in
tonnes, Coffee Board of India
Karnataka Planters’ Association
Precipitation in Karnataka districts of interest
Chikmagalur
Placeholder
IMD Raingauge Station List
Kottigehar toll, Chickmagalur, Mudigere t.o., Aldur, Gonibidu,
Seegehali estate, Chickmagalur (Obsy), Tarikere, Koppa balgadi,
Narasimharajapur, Sringeri, Balehonnur (Obsy), Malapur, Attigundi,
Lakkavalli, Lingada hally ps, Hariharpur, Kalasa , Hirebyle, Bale-
honnur, Mudigere r.r.s., Jayapura, C.r.s. Koppa, Kigga, Kamardi,
Hunaseghatta, Kalasapur, Sakrepatna, Lingada hally sf, Yammidoddi,
15

16. Traditional coffee-growing areas
Non-traditional growing areas
North East region
Assam Nagaland
Arunachal Pradesh
Meghalaya
Manipur
Tripura
Mizoram
Andhra
Pradesh
Orissa
Karnataka
Tamil
Nadu
Kerala
16

17. Hassan
Chikmagalur
Kodagu
17

18. Post-monsoon estimate ‘13–‘14 Final estimate ‘12–‘13
State/District
Arabica
Robusta
Total
Arabica
Robusta
Total
Karnataka
Chikmagalur 38280 32220 70500 37325 40300 77625
Kodagu 21075 95500 116575 21300 98700 120000
Hassan 19175 11450 30625 18800 13800 32600
Sub total 78530 139170 217700 77425 152800 230225
Kerala
Wayanad 0 56925 56925 0 53475 53475
Travancore 900 6800 7700 975 7200 8175
Nelliampathis 1100 1550 2650 1100 1450 2550
Sub total 2000 65275 67275 2075 62125 64200
Tamil Nadu
Pulneys 6975 325 7300 6425 255 6680
Nilgiris 1800 4050 5850 1625 3765 5390
Shevroys (Salem) 3875 50 3925 3450 50 3500
Anamalais (Coimbatore) 1300 500 1800 1300 500 1800
Sub total 13950 4925 18875 12800 4570 17370
Non-traditional Areas
Andhra Pradesh 6950 60 7010 5890 30 5920
Orissa 440 0 440 310 0 310
Sub Total 7390 60 7450 6200 30 6230
North Eastern Region 130 70 200 100 75 175
Grand Total (India) 102000 209500 311500 98600 219600 318200
Table 6: Production of coffee in
major states/districts of India
(in MT), Coffee Board of India
http://www.indiacoffee.org/
coffee-statistics.html
Malandur health, Kadur, Yegati, Ajjampur, Sivani ps, Bukkambudi,
Sigatagere, Panchanhalli, Basur, Ajjampura polic, Ajjampura c.b.s,
Birur, Giriyapur, Hirenallur, Shivani rly.stn., Balehonnur p/crs,
Burapura, Chandpura.
Kodagu
IMD Rainguage Station List
Kurchy/irrupa, Virajpet, Karike, Makuta, Sampaji, Madapur, Kar-
godu, Talakauveri, Naladi, Mundrote, Galibidu, Dabkoda, Balecove,
Mercara (Obsy), Mercara, K.ngr/frazerpet, Somwarpet t.o., Ammathy,
Napoklu, Pulingoth, Sanivarsanthe, Poonampet ib, Bhagamandala
(Hydro), Dubari , Suntikoppa, Hudugur, Srimangala, Bhagamandala,
Ponnampet ars, Somwarpet, Kudige, Anekad, Madikere jail, Karada,
Avandoor, Maladare forest, Watekolly, Poorlatti, Mallikarjuna, Har-
angi, Murnad, Siddapura, Surlabbi, Nagarhole, Karmadu, Murkhal,
Thittimatti, Mathigodu fores, Kallahalla, Devamachi, Dabsad, Kudli-
pet, Shantahalli.
18

19. Name of the Region 2012–13
10 10 Total
Chikmagalur 14853 1166 16019
Hassan 11228 350 11578
Madikeri 20422 236 20658
Virajpet 22864 253 23117
Total for Karnataka 69367 2005 71372
Kerala 77110 275 77385
Tamil Nadu 15379 343 15722
Total for Traditional Areas 161856 2623 164479
Non Traditional Areas 118402 26 118428
NER Region 8002 9 8011
Grand total 288260 2658 290918
Table 7: Number of hold-
ings, Coffee Board of India
http://www.indiacoffee.org/
coffee-statistics.html
Year Quantity, Metric Tonnes
2000 60000
2001 64000
2002 68000
2003 70000
2004 75000
2005 80200
2006 85000
2007 90000
2008 94400
2009 102000
2010 108000
2011 (prov.) 115000
Table 8: Estimated do-
mestic coffee consump-
tion, Coffee Board of India
http://www.indiacoffee.org/
coffee-statistics.html
Hassan
IMD Rainguage Station List
Maranahalli ttg, Ramnathpuram, Hasti estate, Gendehally, Saklespur,
Alur, Yeslurpet, Kenchammana hte, Ossoor estate, Mallipatna,
Sukravarasathy, Ubban estate, Basapatna, Alur (phc), Sakalesh-
pur i.b., Kunduru, Ballupet, Arkalgud, C.r.patna, Holenarsipur,
Grama , Kattaya, Konalur, Hiresave, Halli mysore, Sriramdevar dam,
Ganging/gorur, Shantigama, Sravanabelagola, Halkote, H.n. Pur,
Hemavathy reserv, Palya, Belur, Hanbal, Arehalli, Belagodu, Hassan
(Obsy), Dudda , Bagur, Nuggehalli, Gandasi, Hassan t.o., Salagama,
Hassan rly, Javagal, Udaipura, Hagari , D. Hagge, Bicodu , Dod-
dabommanthini, Chananahalli, Arsikere t.o., Banavara, Kanakatte,
Halebid, Yelware, Arsikere s.rly., Halebeedu, Hosurodu, Bage estate,
19

20. Gandigi, K. Hosokte, Koragawalli est, Madvapur, Mastigar estate,
Sondanahally est, Y.r.p.gorur.
Evapotranspiration
The combination of two separate processes whereby water is lost on
the one hand from the soil surface by evaporation and on the other
hand from the crop by transpiration is referred to as evapotranspira-
tion (ET).
Evaporation is the process whereby liquid water is converted
to water vapour (vaporization) and removed from the evaporat-
ing surface (vapour removal). Water evaporates from a variety of
surfaces, such as lakes, rivers, pavements, soils and wet vegeta-
tion.http://www.fao.org/docrep/x0490e/x0490e04.htm
Leaf Area Index
Leaf area index (LAI) is the total one-sided area of leaf tissue per unit
ground surface area. It is a key parameter in ecophysiology, espe-
cially for scaling up the gas exchange from leaf to canopy level. It
charac- terizes the canopyatmosphere interface, where most of the en-
ergy fluxes exchange. It is also one of the most difÆcult to quantify
properly, owing to large spatial and temporal variability. Many meth-
ods have been developed to quantify LAI from the ground and some
of them are also suitable for describing other structural parameters of
the canopy.
UAVs can be used by growers of different commodities, regardless
of their crop size and type. Potential applications of this technology
in agriculture include:
• Crop scouting
• Pest distribution mapping
• Crop loss assessment
• Bare soil imagery
• Irrigation and drainage planning
• Yield estimation and monitoring
• Inventory management
• Diagnosis of herbicide injury in crops
• Selection of plants for further breeding
20

21. • Sampling of plant pathogens in the air
• Efficient use of chemicals and pesticides
• Safety and security
• Automation and navigation of ground vehicles
• Academic and extension education.
21

22. Monthly precipitation at Chikmagalur(mm)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Figure 2: Source: http:
//www.imd.gov.in/section/
hydro/distrainfall/webrain/
karnataka/chikmagalur.txt
22

23. Average temperature at Chikmagalur (◦C)
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Figure 3: Chikmagalur average
temperatures
23

24. Cloud cover at Chikmagalur
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Figure 4: Chikmagalur cloud
cover
24

25. 23.2◦C
29.5◦C
14.00%
84.39%
18.54hpa
29.25hpa
0.00mm
2167mm
0/day
0.738/d
3.55mm
5.4mm
Figure 5: Chikmagalur long
term data, 1901–2002, average
temperature (Celcius), cloud
cover (%), vapour pressure
(hpa), precipitation (mm/day),
ground frost frequency (per
day) and reference crop evapo-
transpiration (mm/day).
25

26. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
02004006008001000
Monthly Precipitation at Chikmagalur
Month, 2004–2012
Precipitation(mm)
26

27. Monthly precipitation at Kodagu (mm)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Figure 6: Source: http:
//www.imd.gov.in/section/
hydro/distrainfall/webrain/
karnataka/kodagu.txt
27

28. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
020040060080010001200
Monthly Precipitation at Kodagu
Month, 2004–2012
Precipitation(mm)
28

29. Monthly precipitation at Hassan (mm)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Figure 7: Source: http:
//www.imd.gov.in/section/
hydro/distrainfall/webrain/
karnataka/hassan.txt
29

30. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
0100200300400
Monthly Precipitation at Hassan
Month, 2004–2012
Precipitation(mm)
30