Ludhiana: PAU hopes to boost agriculture with AI

The ₹40 crore alloted to the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in the state budget will boost the varsity initiatives to lead the country in developing agricultural technologies with the use of artificial intelligence (AI), vice-chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal shared during a press conference on Wednesday.

V-C responded on the ₹40 crore allocated to the varsity by the state government in 2024-25 budget announced on March 5. He said with new funds the varsity could provide for the long-neglected basic infrastructure for so long. “The benches in classrooms here haven’t been changed in ages. Many schools have better benches than us. We will equip the classrooms with video conference tools, upgrade hostels and procure state-of-the-art laboratory equipments,” V-C added.

He shared the funds will play a crucial role in elevating PAU’s capabilities to foster trait-specific, climate-resilient, and biofortified varieties, aligning with the goals of a sustainable agricultural revolution.

Proposal for use of AI in agriculture

The varsity in February had sent a proposal on the use of AI tools and machine learning in agriculture to decrease input application and increase productivity. It was in response to ministry of education’s invitation to top 100 institutions regarding application of AI in their respective fields.

PAU and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University were two institutions eligible for the field of agriculture.

In the first phase, five universities each will be picked in three notified areas; agriculture, education and urban management. Besides the two agricultural varsities, many IITs like the one in Ropar have also applied.

Varsity officials expect a positive response within a week.