“This is lab-to-land science in action,” said Dr Ramesh Singh, interim research programme director for resilient farm and food systems. Developed in six months, the harvester will be commercially deployed through eco-paryavaran under an IP licensing agreement.
Hyderabad: Innovations that remain locked inside laboratories cannot solve real-world problems. Only when research reaches farmers, communities and industries, it does deliver true impact, scientists at Icrisat said, as the institute marked the run-up to World Intellectual Property Day.
At an event held at its Hyderabad campus, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) formally licensed its solar water hyacinth harvester — an affordable, solar-powered machine designed to combat the spread of invasive aquatic weeds like water hyacinth, which clog lakes, ponds and irrigation canals across India. Field-tested in Odisha, the harvester was shown to clear one acre of infestation per day with just two operators, offering a scalable and eco-friendly alternative to costly manual or chemical removal methods.
“This is lab-to-land science in action,” said Dr Ramesh Singh, interim research programme director for resilient farm and food systems. Developed in six months, the harvester will be commercially deployed through eco-paryavaran under an IP licensing agreement.
Icrisat Director-General Dr Himanshu Pathak said that intellectual property protection would be meaningful if it led to widespread dissemination. “Our message is simple—protect, nurture and share knowledge to serve those who need it most,” he said.
A stakeholder dialogue and a patent search workshop accompanied the event, aimed at encouraging researchers to align innovation strategies with real-world applications. As part of broader collaborations, ICRISAT also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BITS Pilani to promote cross-disciplinary research involving engineering, AI and agriculture.
Invasive weeds like water hyacinth destroy water bodies, reduce rural livelihoods and threaten ecosystems. Icrisat’s solar-powered harvester provides a practical, sustainable tool for clearing water systems without chemicals or heavy infrastructure—critical in a country where thousands of small ponds and lakes are lifelines for agriculture and drinking water.
