Asst. Prof. Dr. Jessada Posom, a lecturer of Agricultural Engineering Department has invented an NIR, or a portable cassava quality checker. The tool will lessen the burden in digging up a cassava root for quality checking. Farmers can simply bring an NIR into the cassava plantation to for quality checking without having to dig a root up.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Jessada Posom said that the research team wanted to build a cassava quality checker for farmers that can do its work quickly. This device must be portable, can be brought to the plantation for quality checking, and can do its job without a need to dig up a root. In the past, there was a problem in measuring tapioca percentage, for the farmer needs to dig 5 kilograms of cassava and destroy the stalk before getting to know the percentage. With this new invention, the cassava quality can be readily checked. It will be useful for the farmers who need to know the quality before digging the roots to sell. The device will also be useful for factories or middlemen who want to buy cassava in a whole lot. These people can check the quality before making any agreement of the price. NIR uses hydrocarbon, which is a farm product. NIR can check cassava quality without having to destroy the sample. It works quickly, accurately and does not use any chemical. The cost for analyzing one sample is also low and it will be a true advantage for farmers.
The hand-held near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) is composed of a infrared bulb and a detector inside. One cord is made of fiberoptic that transfers the light from the bulb to the front part. The other cord transfers the light to the detector. After this, we know the result by linking NIR with a tablet. The program can be downloaded on an android phone. When we press for measuring the tapioca percentage, the result is displayed on the screen. Development of NIR was supported by the National Science and technology Development Office. The tool is aimed at being a prototype that will be useful for the farmers and the industrial factories that want to check cassava quality before buying. It will also be useful for cultivar developers who can replace their traditional approach – digging up the cassava for checking tapioca.
“To use the NIR, first the soil must be smoothed up. Then turn on the NIR and point its head at the cassava. This means the tool only touches the surface of the cassava without scraping it. Next, the farmer can press for checking the tapioca percentage. The result will be shown on the screen. Its work is quick and accurate. The device does not require any chemical. It is small, portable, and simple to use and so will lessen the burden of the farmers,” Asst. Prof. Dr. Jessada Posom related.
News: Jarunee Nuanboonma
[ Thai ]
