IIT Kharagpur has invited applications for a 12-week free online course called “Machine Learning For Soil And Crop Management” for which students of agricultural engineering, agriculture, and environmental science can apply. This course has been designed for undergraduate students who wish to understand and apply their knowledge of machine learning, deep learning, digital soil mapping, image processing, and portable sensors for developing an integrated and advanced soil and crop management system.

The course will be conducted by professor Somsubhra Chakraborty who is an Assistant Professor (Soil Science) at the Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. The professor is currently serving as the member of the editorial board of Geoderma, the global journal of soil science. Participants of the course can also obtain certificates by paying Rs 1000 and clearing an examination. 

• What will the course cover?
• General overview of machine learning and deep learning applications in agriculture.
• Basics of multivariate data analytics.
• Principal component analysis and regression applications in agriculture.
• Applications of classification and clustering methods in agriculture.
• Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy: Basics and applications for crop and soil.
• Use of Ml for portable proximal soil and crop sensors.
• Machine learning and deep learning for soil and crop image processing.
• UAV and machine learning applications in agriculture.
• Hyperspectral remote sensing and machine learning applications in agriculture.
• Digital soil mapping.

The course will be conducted from 24 January to 15 April 2022. The course is free to enrol and learn from. However those who want a certificate, will have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by NPTEL in person at any of the designated exam centres. An online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid.

• Visit the official website for more information.