COMPUTER

SCIENCE AND
AGRI
INFORMATICS
B.Sc. (Ag.)
Definition of Computer
Computer is an electronic device, which performs logical and numerical terms. It cannot
perform them selves. It process instruction and returns output according to your input.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Computer works on GIGO System
GIGO - Good In Good Out GIGO – Garbage In Garbage Out

Organization of Computers:
The computer is organized into four units as shown in figure:

ALU

CU OUTPUT
INPUT
Register

Primary Memory

Input Unit: Secondary

It is used for transferring user command or data to the computer. It is a device, which
used for sending of data of computer. An input device converts input information into suitable
binary form acceptable to a computer. Such as :
1. Keyboard
2. Mouse
3. Light Pen
4. Joy stick
5. Scanner
6. MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Reader)
7. OBR (Optical Bar Code Reader)
8. OCR (Optical Card Reader)
9. OMR (Optical Mark Reader)
10. Touch Screen
1. Keyboard: Keyboards are the most widely used input devices. Generally a keyboard has
105 keys. It features 12 function keys arranged at the top of the keyboard, and larger
Backspace key, a numeric keypad, a curser movement keypad, toggle lights, shift keys, ctrl
keys, Caps Lock key, Num Lock key, Spacebar key, Enter key, Alphabetical keys etc.
2. Mouse: This input device is categorized as an pointing device because it is used to point
and select an option on monitor. A pointer on the screen follows the movements of the
mouse. The mouse can be used to open menus, select text for editing, move objects on the
screen, draw images or diagrams etc.
3. Light Pen: It can be used to select an option by simply pointing at it or drawing figures
directly on the screen. The light pen which is a pen like device, has a photo detector at its
tip. The detector can detect changes in the brightness of the screen. The light pen is
 connected to the computer by a cable. Light pens are useful for drawing graphics in
Computer Aided Design Software.
4. Joy Stick: This is used to play computers games, which is connected to a game port.
5. Scanner: These are the eyes of your computer. They can see the images or printed text
and translate them into binary code. They contain a camera, which is made up of thousand
of tiny cells, called charge coupled cells(CCD). Each CCD detects whether a small part of
the image is either light or dark. It transmit the data to the CPU, which then creates the
images.
6. Magnetic Ink Character Reader (MICR): This is a device that identifies a
character that is written with the ink that contains particles of magnetic material. This device
is mainly used to read the bank cheque.
7. Optical Bar Code Reader(OBR): This is used to read to different kind of vertical
lines known as bars which signify more information.
8. Optical Character Reader(OCR): It is used read any printed text. They can
interpret hand made marks, handwritten characters, machine printed text, and special
symbols and codes. They read characters at the rate of around 2600 characters per second.
9. Optical Mark Reader(OMR): This device is used to recognize the marks made by
a pencil or pen on a specially designed paper. These devices are also known as Mark
Sense Reader. These devices are used in competitive exams.
Output Device
It is used for getting result from computer after processing of data. The computer
sends information to an output device in the binary form. An output device converts it into form
convenient to users such as printed form. Such as :

1. VDU (Visual Display Unit) like monitor

2. Printer
3. Plotter
4. Speaker
5. Projector
6. LED (Light emitting Diodes)
7. Microfilm
(1) VDU (Visual Display Unit)
Visual Display Unit is a device, which provide of result of data in interactive way. It gives
graphical output from computer like your display device monitor. Graphic display is made up of
a series of dotes called pixels which pattern produce the image. Each dot on the screen defined
as a separate unit which can be directly addressed.
There are two categories of display screen technology
1. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
2. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
 CRT (Cathode Ray Tube): The main component of CRT terminals is the electron
gun, the electron beam controlled by an electro magnetic field and a phosphor coated
display screen.
 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display): In LCDs a liquid crystalline material is situated
between two glass or plastic plates, the front plate is transparent and the back is
reflective. There is a coating of thin film on the front plate. LCD is now applied to display
terminals. The major advantage of LCD is the low energy consumption. This also have a
color capability but the image quality is relatively poor.
(2) Printers
It produces output on paper. It produces hard copy of output. There are large variety of
printers available, which can be classified according to the print quality and the printing speeds.
These are :
(a) Printing Technology- impact printers vs. non-impact printers:
1. Impact printers use variations of standards typewriter printing mechanism where a
hammer strikes paper impact printers use variations of standards typewriter printing
mechanism through inked ribbon. Impact printers use electromechanical mechanism that
causes hammers or pins to strike against a ribbon and paper to print the text
2. Non – Impact Printers do not use electromechanical printing head to strike
against ribbon and paper. They use thermal, chemical, laser beam or inkjet technology for
printing the text. Non-impact printer is faster than an impact type printer. Non-impact laser
printer uses chemical, heat or electrical signals to etch or induce symbols on paper.
Central Processing Unit (CPU) : The CPU perform all arithmetical and logical
operation. It is also called Microprocessor. There are three main parts of C.P.U
1. A.L.U - Arithmetic and logic unit 2. C.U. - Control Unit 3. Register (memory)
1. Arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) : It performs arithmetic and logical operation Such as
addition subtraction multiplication and division and as well as comparison.
2. Control Unit (CU) : It controls all the activities, which are being carried out with the
computer.
3. Register: It stores the data and the instruction as well as the output after processing. It
is very small unit but speed very fast.
Storage Device:
This section is used to store the data. Computer has memory in which the data can be
stored for future use.

Characteristics or Advantage or Properties of Computer

Some reasons for computer use
1. Speed – Computer can process millions of instruction in a fraction of a second. The
speed of computer is measured in nano second (109).
2. Accuracy – It is perform each and every task and computation with 100% accuracy.
3. Diligence – Computer can perform the task repeatedly for N number of times without
degradation of processing speed.
4. Versatility – It can be use in many field like education, Engineering, Medical, defense etc.
5. Storage – It stores huge amount of data in a limited area.
Disadvantages of Computer
1. It is dependent upon human begins.
2. It has no Imagination and institution of these own.
3. It will not work without electricity.
4. It cannot detect flow and error in logic.
BIT
Computer performs each and every task in binary number (0 & 1) and 0 & 1 is electronic
signal. 0, 1 is a binary digit and each digit of binary is called one bit. BIT is a small unit of
memory. The capacity of main memory is measured in KB or Megabyte (MB). The amount of
information that can be held in the main memory is known as memory capacity.
 4 Bit = 1 Nibble
8 Bit = 1 Byte
1024 Byte (210) = 1 Kilobyte (KB)
1024 Kilobyte (210) = 1 Megabyte (MB)
1024 Megabyte (210) = 1 Gigabyte (GB)
Classification of Computers
Computers are classified according to their sizes and their capabilities. They are :
1. Micro Computer
2. Mini Computer
3. Mainframe Computer
4. Super Computer
5. Lap Top/ Note Book Computers
Micro Computer:
This is also known as Personal computer. A micro computer is the smallest general
purpose processing system. Functionally it is similar to any other large system. Usually it is
designed for use by one person at a time.
Mini Computer:
A mini computer is medium sized computer that is more powerful than a microcomputer.
An important distinction between a microcomputer and a minicomputer is that a minicomputer is
usually to serve multiple users simultaneously.
Main Frame Computer:
These are suited to big organization to manage high volume application. Mainframes are
also used as central host computers in distributed systems.
Super Computer:
These are the most powerful computers. In supercomputers speed is measured as tens
of millions of operations per second. The supercomputers are used in applications include large
scale numerical problems in scientific and engineering disciplines like weather forecasting,
atomic research, space research etc.
Lap Top/ Note Book Computers:
These are the computers, which are small in size and weigh few kgs. These computers
can be carried from one place to another easily. The people who are always on the move
mostly use these. It has an LCD screen and has rechargeable batteries.
Computer Language
Programming languages are used in order to communicate instructions and commands
to a computer for solving problems. Learning a programming language requires learning the
symbol, words and rules of the language. The process of writing a program is called
programming.

Machine Language
This is a sequence of instructions written in the form of binary numbers consisting of 1’s,
0’s to which the computer responds directly. The machine language was initially referred to as
code, although now the term code is used more broadly to refer to any program text.
An instruction prepared in any machine language will have at least two parts. The first
part is the command or Operation, which tells the computer what functions, is to be performed.
All computers have an operation code for each of its functions. The second part of the
instruction is the operand or it tells the computer where to find or store the data that has to be
manipulated.
Advantage of Machine Language
It is faster in execution since the computer directly starts executing it.
Disadvantage of Machine Language
It is difficult to understand and develop a program using machine language. Anybody
going through this program for checking will have a difficult task understanding what will be
achieved when this program is executed.
Assembly Language
When we employ symbols (letter, digits or special characters) for the operation part, the
address part and other parts of the instruction code, this representation is called an assembly
language program. This is considered to be the second-generation language.
Machine and Assembly languages are referred to as low-level languages since the
coding for a problem is at the individual instruction level.
An assembler is a translator, which takes its input in the form of an assembly language
program and produces machine language code as its output.
Advantage of Assembly Language
Writing a program in assembly language is more convenient than in machine language.
Instead of binary sequence, as in machine language, it is written in the form of symbolic
instructions.
Disadvantages of Assembly Language
Assembly language (program) is specific to particular machine architecture. Assembly
languages are designed for specific make and model of a microprocessor. It means that
assembly language programs written for one processor will not work on a different processor.

High-level Language
We have talked about programming languages as COBOL(Common Business Oriented
language), FORTRAN(Formula Translation) and BASIC(Beginners All Purpose Symbolic
Language). They are called high level programming languages.
The time and cost of creating machine and assembly languages was quite high. Since a
high-level source program must be translated first into the form that machine can understand,
this is done by software called Compiler, which takes the source code as input and produces as
output. High Level Language are also called Third Generation Language.
Advantage of High-level Language
There are four major advantages of High Level Language :
Readability : Programs written in these languages are more readable than assembly
and machine language.
Portability : Programs could be run on different machines with little or no changes.
We can therefore exchange software leading to creation of programs library.
Easy Debugging : Errors could easily be removed.
Easy Software Development : Software could easily be developed. Commands of
programming language are similar to natural languages.
Fourth Generation Language
Most third generation languages are procedural languages. This means that the
programmer must specify the steps, which is the procedure, the computer has to follow in a
program. By contrast, most fourth generation languages are non-procedural languages.
Difference between Compiler and interpreter
Compiler Interpreter
1) Scans the entire program first and then Translates the program line by line.
translates it into machine code.
-7-
2) Converts the entire program to machine Each time the program is executed, every
code; when all the syntax errors are line is checked for syntax error and then
removed execution takes place. converted to equivalent machine code.

3) Slow for debugging (removal of Good for fast debugging

mistakes from a program)
4) Execution time, is less Execution time is more.

Windows Operating System

Introduction : Operating System is a system software. This acts as an interface between
the user and the computer. Operating system in computer’s memory is known as booting.
Thus the main features of Operating System are:
1. To act as an interface between user and the computer.
2. to monitor the use of the resources of computers(Resources can be Hardware or
software).
3. To control and coordinate Input and Output devices.
4. To manage the program and data files i.e. to store, to retrieve, to delete files.
5.To help application programs execute commands given by the user.
Ex.- Microsoft Disk Operating System(MSDOS), Microsoft Windows 98, MS-Windows
2003 Server, MS- Word XP, UNIX, LINUX etc.

Different types of Operating System :

1. Single User
2. Multi User
3. Batch Processing
4. Multi Processing
5. On Line and Real Time
1. Single user
(a) Single User/Single Task : This operating system is designed to manage the
computer so that only one user can access the machine at a time. Example is MS-DOS
(b)Single user/ Multi tasking Operating System: Many user can access the
machine. Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s MacOS platforms are both examples of oerating
system that will let a single user have several programs in operation at a time.
1. Multi-user: A multi-user operating system allows many different usersto take
advantage of the computer’s resources simultaneously. Unix, VMS and Mainframe
operating systems are examples of multi-user operating systems.
2. Batch Processing System: In these kind of systems the user feeds his job into the
computer and waits for the completion of his job. New job can be started until the old job
is not completed.
3. Multi Processing: We are considering the system with more than one processor.
When e are having more than one processor in the system then tasks cam be actually
run simultaneously on different processor.
4. On line and Real Time System: In these kinds of systems the information should
be retrieved quickly whenever needed and update immediately once a transaction is
complete. There should not be any delay in the process. Such systems are called real
time operating system.
Use of MS- Word
MS-WORD
Microsoft word is a word processor,
which process text and words. In MS-Word,
You can create document, letters, cash
memos, article etc. It is windows based
application. The MS-Word file is called
Document and extension of these files is
.doc.
To open MS-Word follow these steps
1. Click on start button and select
program from start menu
2. Click on Microsoft Word from program
menu, the following MS-Word window
appears as :
The MS-Word window contains Menu Bar,
Standard Toolbar, Formatting Tool Bar,
Status Bar, Document Window and Cursor.
Menu bar contains File, Edit View, Insert
Format, Tools, Table, Window and Help Menu

Contents of file Menu

 New
 Open
 Close
 Save
 Save as
 Save as web page
 Page Setup
 Print preview
New :
It used for crating new document. For
creating new
1. Click on file menu and select new
option. The new document dialog
box appears.
2. Select blank document and click on
OK button.

Open :
By using this option you can open
any existing file. To open existing
1. Click open from file menu. The
open dialog box appears as
2. Select your file or type name of file
in file name text box and click on
Open button.
Save :
Under this option you can save of
active file for further references. To saving
a file
1. Click on Save from file menu. The
Save As dialog box appears as
2. Type your file in file name text box
and click on Save button.
Save As :
Save command, save a file only
one time but by using save as option you
can save a file multiple times on different
location from same name or on same location with different name. It creates multiple copy of
current file. You can also use this command to save a file with a password or to protect a file so
that other cannot change its document.
Save As web page :
By using this option you can create a web page of your document. This document
automatically converts in HTML format. This document open only on web browser like Internet
Explorer.
Page Setup :
When you open of MS- Word document
then word provide default setting of page like
margin, paper size etc. We can change these
settings as per our requirement by using page
setup option. To change these setting :
1. Click on Page setup from File Menu. The
page setup dialog box appears. It has four
tab Margins, Paper Size, Paper Source &
Layout.
2. Change the setting of page like Paper
Size, Margin, Orientation etc. and click on
OK.

Print Preview :
It shows how the page will look when you print the page.

Contents of Edit menu

 Undo
 Redo
 Cut
 Copy
 Paste
 Find
 Replace
 Go to
Undo:
If you want to reverse the last command or the delete the last entries you typed by using
Undo command or press Ctrl+Z. To reverse more than one action at a time.
Redo :
 If an action or actions reversed by mistake then you can use Redo command from edit
menu or press Ctrl+Y.
Moving and Copying of Text :
You can move and copy text within a document, between document and to
and between other windows based applications.
For Moving Text
1. Select text or lines or paragraph, which you want to move in same document or any other
application.
2. Click Cut from Edit Menu or press Ctrl+X.
3. Set the insertion of point where text to be moved and click paste from Edit or Press Ctrl+V.
For Copying Text
1. Select text or lines or paragraph, which you want to move in same document or any
other application.
2. Click Copy from Edit Menu or press Ctrl+C.
3. Set the insertion of point where text to be moved
and click paste from Edit or Press Ctrl+V.
Finding and Replacing Text :
When you want to search or change text in a
document. You can easily find it using this feature and
change it using the replace feature of MS-Word.
For finding text
1. Click find from edit menu. The Find and Replace
dialog box appears as :
2. Type the text to find in find what box.
3. Choose the direction to search from drop down
list. And specify the search criteria.
4. Click the find next button to start search.
For Replacing Text :
1. Choose the Replace tab from the Find and
Replace dialog box.
2. Type the text to be finds in Find What box
3. Type the text to replace the earlier used text, in replace with box.
4. To replace the text, click the replace command button.
Goto :
By using Goto option you can directly jump on desired location. It moves the insertion
point to the items you want to go to. You can move to a page number, comment, footnote, lines
or other location.

Contents of View menu

 Normal Layout
 Print Layout
 Web Layout
 Outline View
 Toolbars
 Document Map
 Full Screen
 Zoom
Normal View :
 The Normal View provides the easiest way of entering, modifying or formatting text and
other elements on screen. In this view, the header and footer, graphics, margin are not visible.
To see normal view click Normal view from view menu.
Print Layout :
The print layout view shows the document exactly as it will print. The margins, graphics,
page number and all other details of the page layout appear on screen. In this view you can see
how the object will be positioned on the printed page.
Web Layout :
It shows the exactly as it will appear on the web browser like Internet explorer.
Outline View :
It shows the structure of document. The outline view creates document outlines and
makes it easy to look at the structure of a document. In this view, the document is collapsed to
the main headings if the document is formatted according to MS-Word headings style.
Toolbars :
This option is used enable or disable any tool (Bar) like- Title Bar, Formatting Tool Bar,
Status Tool Bar etc.
Document Map :
Document Map is a navigation tool in MS-Word that helps the user to move through long
documents like reports, proposal and long tables. Using document’s headings as navigation
points, the document map splits the screen in two parts so that the headings are on the left and
the document is on the right. You can quickly jump to a location in the document by clicking a
heading on the left.
Header and Footer :
Header and footer put the repetitive information in the top and bottom margins of a
document. A header can consist of text or graphics and appears at the top of every page and
footer appears at the bottom of every page.
To creating header and footer
1. Click header and footer from the View menu.
2. The header and footer area is activated and header and footer toolbar appears.
Zoom :
The zoom feature of MS-Word lets you increase or decrease the size of the display.

Contents of Insert Menu

 Break
 Page Number
 Date and Time
 Auto Text
 Symbols
 Comment
 Footnote
 Picture
 Text box
 Files
 Object
 Bookmark
 Hyperlinks
Break
Under this option you can inert number of pages into document. For insert page click
Break from Insert menu, select break and click on OK.
Page Number :
Under this option you insert page number on
each page. It inserts page numbers that
automatically update when you deletes or add pages.
To insert page number
1. Click page number from insert menu, the insert
page number dialog box appears as :
2. Select the alignment (such as left right or
center) of page number and select position of
page number (Top or Bottom) and click on OK.
Date and Time :
Using this option you insert current date and time in
different format into document.
Auto Text :
From auto text, you insert auto text entries from list such as thanks, Sincerely yours etc.
Comment :
If you want explain or give description on any word or picture then you can use
comment. Comment is display when you point at that word.
To insert the comment
1. Set the insertion of point where you want to insert comment
2. Click comment from insert menu. Type the comment in bottom of page.
3. Click on close button.
Footnote :
Comment is display only on computer. It is not print on
paper but footnote prints on the paper in the bottom of page or
end of document. To insert footnote
1. Click where you want to insert the note reference mark.
2. On the Insert menu, click Footnote.
3. Click Footnote or Endnote.
4. Under Numbering, click the option you want.
5. Click OK.
6. Word inserts the note number and places the insertion
point next to the note number.
7. Type the note text.
8. Scroll to your place in the document and continue typing.
Picture:
To insert a picture follow the steps given below:
1. Point the cursor to the location where you want to insert the picture and then click on to
Insert option available in the menu bar.
2. Now click on to Picture option you will get a sub- menu.
Clip Art: Click on to clip art you will get a menu, which shows different categories of
available pictures.
From file:
1. Point the cursor to the location where you want to insert picture and click on to
Insert→ Picture → From File
2. Now give the path of the picture file, where the picture you want to insert in your
document is stored.
Symbols :
 The Symbol dialog box provides an extensive list of symbols and characters you can
insert:
To insert a symbol
1. Click where you want to insert the symbol.
2. On the Insert menu, click Symbol, and then click the Symbols tab.
3. In the Font box, click the font that you want.
4. If you want to get a close-up view of a symbol, click it.
5. Double-click the symbol that you want to insert.
Object :
By using this command you insert any object into document such as Paint, Excel
Worksheet etc.
Book Mark :
A bookmark is a location or selection of text that you name or reference purposes.
Microsoft Word marks the location with the name you specify.
1. Select an item you want a bookmark assigned to, or click where you want to insert a
bookmark.
2. On the Insert menu, click Bookmark.
3. Under Bookmark name, type or select a name.
4. Click Add.
Hyperlink :
To create hyperlink
1. Select the text or object you
want to display as the
hyperlink.
2. Select the hyperlink option
from the insert menu. The
Insert Hyperlink dialog box
appears as:
3. Browse the file or web page
name and click on OK button.

Use of MS-Excel
Introduction: MS-EXCEL is windows based spreadsheet (worksheet) package. When
calculations are made on paper and certain data must be changed, then the entire work must
be recalculated and re-written. If a spreadsheet package is used then the recalculation is
automatic. The details of bank passbook, tax inventory, purchase and sales can also be
maintained using a spreadsheet package. Lotus 123, MS-Excel etc. is spreadsheet packages.
Extension of excel worksheet is .xls.

Name box: Displays the address of the

current cell.
Row Headers: There are 65536 rows
numbered as 1,2,3 … 65536. First row
number is 1 and the last row number is
65536. To go to cell in last row, press
End and Down arrow key, to return to
cell in the first row, press End and up
arrow key.
Column Headers: There are 256
columns numbered as A,B,C,….Z, AA
and AB..AZ, BA, BB,… IV. First column
name is A and last column name is IV.
To go to the last cell in first column, press End and Left Arrow key.
Sheet Tabs: Displays the sheet names. Each worksheet is named as Sheet1, Sheet2 and
Sheet3.
Cell and Cell Address: The intersection of row and column is called as a cell. The cell address
consists of the column letter and row number. For example, the first cell in the first column and
first row. First column name is A and first row number is 1. Therefore the first cell address is A1.
The total cells in worksheet are 256*65536.
Enter an Edit Data: Any entry can be made in the active cell. Entries can be of 4 different
types:
1. Text: Text in a cell can include any combination of letters, numbers and keyboard
symbols. A cell can contain 32000 characters. To store a number as a text entry, use
apostrophe (‘) as the first character.
2. Number: Numbers include digits from 0 to 9 and some special charaters like $, %, +, -
etc. When a formatted number does not fit in a cell #### is displayed.
3. Logical Values: Logical values, TRUE or False can be entered in the cells.
4. Formulas: Formulas are entered into the cell to perform calculations. A formula begins
with an equal (=) sign or plus symbol (+).
To edit the cell content press F2 function key or double click on that cell.

Contents of Edit menu

 Undo
 Redo
 Cut
 Copy
 Paste
 Fill
 Clear
 Delete
 Delete sheet
 Move or copy sheet
 Find
 Replace
 Go to
Auto Fill
The Auto Fill feature of MS-Excel will save data entry time by expanding series of
numbers, days of week, different months, etc. from a given cell to adjacent ones. This is
achieved using Fill Handle.
1. To generate a serial numbers 1,2,3,4… with the increment 1, type 1 in any cell and
Ctrl+Drag the fill handle down or right, this will increase the number by 1 in each cell and
Ctrl+Drag the fill handle up or left will reduce number by 1 in each cell. Instead of 1, any
other starting number can also be entered.
2. We can also generate the weekday names like Sunday, Monday…etc.
Example:
1. Enter MONDAY in cell E20.
2. Drag the auto fill handle till the cell K20.
(The whole range will be filled with days from MONDAY to SUNDAY.)
This process can also be achieved using Edit FillSeries
Clear: Deletes the selected object or text without putting it on the clipboard. This command is
available only if an object or text is selected.
Move or copy sheet: Moves or copies the selected sheet sheets to another workbook or
to a different location within the workbook.
Contents of View menu
 Normal
 Page Break Preview
 Formula Bar
 Status Bar
 Header and Footer
 Custom view
 Comments
 Full Screen
 Zoom
Formula bar: Displays the cell content.
Status bar: Shows or hides the status bar.
Contents of Insert Menu
 Cells
 Rows
 Columns
 Worksheets
 Charts
 Page Break
 Function
 Name
 Comment
 Picture
 Object
 Hyperlinks

Cells: Inserts cells starting at the insertion

point. You can choose to shift other cells in
the table to the right or down. You can also
insert an entire row or column.

Worksheets: Inserts a new worksheet to

the left of the selected sheet.

Charts
Charts are the graphical components of Excel. The data which is entered as tables can be
viewed in the graphical form as charts which makes the figures of data effective, inserting, easy
to understand, and easy to analyze and compare data.
To create chars consider the following example as shown in
figure below:
Follow the steps given below to create a chart:
1. Select the data range of which you want to create the
chart.
2. Click on the Chart Wizard option available on the
standard tool bar.
3. Now you can select the kind of chart you want to create.
Click on Next you will get a screen as shown in figure.
4. Here you can change the data range if you want. Here
 you can go to the previous step and can make any alterations in the previous step. Here
now you can select Series in Rows or Columns. Click on to Next you will get the screen
as shown in figure.
5. You can the Title to the chart in chart title box. Then you can give the name to represent
X axis and you can give name to represent Y axis. Click on next.
6. Now you can select the chart to be displayed in a new sheet or as an object in any of the
sheets of the workbook.
7. Now click on to Finish option. You will get a screen as shown in figure.

FUNCTIONS
The built-in formulas are called function. The users have to provide the cell references or
addresses only. These are called arguments of the function that are given between a pair of
parenthesis like ( ). The functions perform the operation on the given values and return the
result that is displayed in the same cell where the function was entered. The use of function
also shortens the formula.
Example; Suppose you want to add the values of cells C10 through C20. You can the formula
as: C10+ C11+C12+C13+C14+C15+C16+C17+C18+C19+C20.
You can get the same result if you use the function instead, like=SUM (c10:c20).
(i) SUM(num1, num2,….): These functions are used for simple mathematical calculation of
number data.
=SUM (num1,num2,…)
Returns the sum of all the numbers in the list of
arguments. Example:
=SUM(A3,G3)
=SUM(B5,K5)
SUMIF (range, criteria, sum-range)
Adds the cells specified by given criteria.
Range: Range is the range of cells you want evaluated.
Criteria: Criteria is the criteria in the form of a number,
expression, or text that defines which cell will be added.
Example:
=SUMIF(A1:A4,…)
(ii) FACT (num): Returns the factorial of a number.
Example:
=FACT(5)
(iii) AVERAGE(): Returns the average of the numeric values in the given range of cells.
Example:
=AVERAGE(C7:C10)
(IV) EXACT (): Compare two text strings and returns TRUE if they are exactly the same,
otherwise FALSE. It is case-sensitive but ignores formatting differences.
Example: =EXACT(“poor”,”pour”).
(V) ABS (number): Returns the absolute value of a number. The absolute value of a number is
the number without its sign.
Number- is the real number of which you want the absolute value.
Example:
=ABS (-162)
=ABS (162)
(VI) EVEN (number): Returns number rounded up to the nearest even integer. Regards less of
the sign of number, a value is rounded up when adjusted away from zero. If number is an even
integer, no rounding occurs.
Number- is the value to round.
Example: =EVEN (5.5)
=EVEN (5)
=EVEN (6)
=EVEN (-15)
(VII) MOD (number, divisor): Returns the remainder after number is divided by divisor. The
result has the same sign as divisor.
Number- is the number for which you want to find the reminder.
Divisor- is the number by which you want to find the remainder.
Example- =MOD (15,2)
=MOD (15, -2)

(VIII) SQRT (number): Return a positive square root.

Number-is the number for which you want the square root. If number is negative, SQRT returns
the #NUM! Error value.
Example- =SQRT (100)

(IX) CONCATENATE (text1, text2, … ): Joins several text item. The “&” operator can be used
instead of CONCATENATE to join text item.
Text1, Text2…- are 1 to 30 text items to be joined into a single text item.The text item can be
text strings, numbers, or single-cell references.
Example: =CONCATENATE (“SOFT”,”WARE”)

(X) PROPER (Text):

Capitalizes the fist letter in text and any other letters in text that follows any character other than
a letter. It converts all other letters to lowercase.
TEXT –is text enclosed in quotation marks, a formula that returns text, or a reference to a cell
containing the text you want to partially capitalize.
Example:
= PROPER (‘ the high QUALITY’)
(x) MAX (): Returns the largest value in the given range.
Example:
=MAX(C7:C10)
(xi) MIN (): Returns the lowest value in the given range.
Example:
=MIN(C7:C10)
(xii) COUNT (): Count the number of cell addresses containing the data.
Example: =COUNT (C7:C10)
(xiii) UPPER (): Convert the text in a cell address to capital letters.
Example: =UPPER(C7)
(xvi) LOWER ():Convert the text in a cell address to small letters.
Example:
=LOWER(C7)
Contents of Data Menu
 Sort
 Filter
 Form
 Subtotal
Sort
Arranges the information in selected rows or lists alphabetically, numerically, or by date.
Filter
Filtering is a quick easy way to find and work with a subset of data in a list
 Does not rearrange a list
 Temporarily hides rows
 Data Query using AutoFilter
To display an entire subset of the list, the Auto
Filter command under Filter option on the data
menu handles fast but simple queries. To use
this command, the data list must contain a
header row with column names or field names.
Example:
In the list given earlier in this chapter, filter those
records whose largest than 11000 and less than
or equal to 15000.
Step 1: Select cell B4 and from Data menu,
choose Filter and then choose AutoFilter.
Drop-down controls appear next to column labels.
List with AutoFilter Drop-down controls
Subtotals
MS-Excel can automatically calculate the subtotal and grand
total values in a list. When you insert automatic subtotals,
Excel outlines the list so that you can display and hide the
details rows for each subtotal.
To insert subtotal, you first short your list so that the
rows you want to subtotal are grouped together.
Let us consider the list given in figure for using
subtotal option:
1. make sure the data you want to subtotal is in
list format: each column has a label in the first
row and contains similar facts, and there are
no blanks rows or columns within the list.
2. Click a cell or column to subtotal.
3. Click Sort Ascending or Sort Descending.
4. On the Data menu, click Subtotals.
5. In the At each change in box, click the column
to subtotal. In the example above, you’d click
the item column.
6. In the use function box, click the Sum function to calculate the subtotals.
7. In the Add subtotal to box, select the checkbox for each column that contains values you
want to subtotal. In the example above, you’d select the sales column.
8. Click OK, you will get the list as shown in fig.
s a separate bus interconnect with the CPU
Use of MS- Power Point
MS- Power Point
Microsoft power point is a collection of individual slide. It is
most widely used utility to create presentation relating to
products, organization, research papers etc. It is electronic slide
show presentation. Using this software a slide can be designed,
text can be inserted, graphics can be inserted and animation can
be given to the slide and the objects within the slide.
Starting MS-Power Point
1. Click on start and select program
2. Click Microsoft Power Point. MS-PowerPoint window open with a startup dialog box as:
3. Select blank presentation and click on OK.
The New Slide dialog box appears, select one slide and click
on OK.
The above selected layout has the name Bulleted List.
On clicking on OK you will get the screen as shown below:
 To add title to the upper box as given in the box click
the mouse pointer inside the box. Now you can type
any text you want. Say for example Sushant IT
Classes.
 Now to add text to the lower box click inside that box
and start typing the text you want to add. You will get
the screen as shown in figure:
 To view the slide show click onto slide show option which is on the menu bar. You will
get a drop down menu. Click onto View Show you will get the slide show presented on
the screen.
NOTE: Press function key F5 to see the slide show instead of above step. To come back
from the slide show to the power point menu press Esc key.

Adding more
slides to an
existing
presentation
Be in
created
presentation,
click on to
insert option on the menu bar. From the drop down menu click onto New Slide Option, Or press
Ctrl and M simultaneously being in the created presentation, Or Click onto New slide icon which
is on the Standard tool bar being in the created presentation.
Select the slide and click on OK.
Slide Transition:
Transition are the visual effects given to a slide or slides
for the slide advance in an electronic slide show. MS-
PowerPoint lists various transition effects to choose from.
To adding transitions to the slide show:
1. Select a slide for which we want to create.
2. Click slide transition from slide show menu. The slide
transition dialog box appears as:
 3. Select the transition effect for the slide from
effect box.
4. Select the transition sound and advance
option.
5. Click Apply or Apply to All.
Design Template
Design templates contain color schemes,
slide and title masters with custom formatting and
styled fonts, all designed to create a particular look.
When you apply a design template to your
presentation, the slide, title and color scheme of the
new template replace the slide title and color
scheme of the original presentation. After you apply
a design template, each slide you add has the same
custom look.
PowerPoint comes with a wide variety of
professionally designed templates.
To apply Design Template:
1. Open the presentation you want to apply a different design to.
2. Click Apply Design Template from format menu. The Apply Design Template dialog
box appears as:
3. Find and select the design you want to use — or any presentation whose design you
want to use — and then click Apply.
Color schemes :
Color schemes are sets of eight balanced colors
designed for use as the main colors of a slide
presentation —for text, background, fill, accents, and so
on. Each color in the scheme is used automatically for a
different element on the slide. You can pick a color
scheme for an individual slide or for an entire
presentation. When you apply a design template to a
presentation, you can choose from a set of predestined
color schemes made to go with that design template.
This makes it easy to change color schemes for a slide or
an entire presentation and know that the new color
scheme will harmonize with the rest of the slides in your
presentation. Learn about how color schemes work.
To change color scheme:
1. Select the slide or the presentation for which the
color scheme is to be changed.
2. Select slide color scheme form the format menu. The color scheme dialog box appears
as:
3. Select custom tab and change the all schemes like Background, Title Color etc.
4. Click on Apply or Apply to All Button.
Use of MS- Access
Database Management System :
A database management system is a system that stores and retrieves information
in a database. Database Management involves creating, modifying, deleting and adding of
records into tables.

Introduction of Microsoft Access :

Access is a database, a program used to store information about a large number of
items. As well as displaying the data kept about each item you can ask the database to select
various items that satisfy certain criteria (e.g. selecting all the sales representatives from a
certain town) or sort them into order. Microsoft Access is a Relational Database Management
System (RDBMS). Access is one of the most powerful databases as it offers so many features
such as Tables, Records and Fields. Users can create tables, queries, forms and reports An
Access database contains one or more related
tables.
In database terminology, the columns
are called field and the rows are called records.

Starting of MS-Access :
1. Click on start button and select program
menu.
2. Click on Microsoft Access from Program
Menu (in Office 2000).
Or
Select Microsoft Office and then click
Microsoft Access.

For creation of new Database in MS – Access

follow these steps:

1. Open MS Access, the startup dialog box

appear as figure.
2. Choose the Blank Access Database and
Click on OK Button.
3. Type the name of Database and clicks create
Button. Your Database will be created.

Table :
A table is a collection of records tables, which is organized into rows and columns
fashion. Each record in a table contains the same set of fields and each field contains the same


A database is a collection of data related to a particular topics.
type of information for each record. In other words, table is a collection of data stored about a
particular subject.

For creation of new Table in MS – Access

follow these steps:

1. Double click on Create Table in Design

View. The Table1 Window will be
appears as fig.
2. Type the field name and define their
data type of field (See Figure)
3. Save the table and close it.
4. Open table from database window and
enter the records.

QUERY :

A query is a question you ask about the data in your database the data that
answers can be from a single table or several, the query brings the information
together. Microsoft Access gives a great deal of flexibility in designing query.

For creating of query in MS Access

1. Select query tab from Database
window.
2. Double click on Select Query in Design
View. The Select query dialog box
appears with show table dialog box.
3. Choose the tables or queries or both
tab and add one or more table or
existing query by add button.
4. (Note: If you are select more than one
table, it is necessary that one field is
common into all tables/query.)
5. Select the viewing field/s.
6. Save and close it. (For viewing query
open the query from database window
into query tab.

Form :
Form is a customized way of viewing, entering, and
editing records in a database. You can specify how data is
to be displayed when you design the form. You can view all
the values for one record in form view form.

Creation of form ;-
1. Select form tab from Database window.
2. Double click on create form by using wizard. The
Form Wizard box appears as :
3. Select the tables/queries and add their fields into
 selected fields list box. And then click on next button.
4. Select layout of the form, click on next.
5. Select style of the form and click on next button.
6. Type title of the form, lick on next button.

Report :
Forms and queries present the data on the screen. Reports are used to present data on
printed- paper. It provides a way to retrieve and present data as meaningful information, which
might include totals and grand totals, which have to be shown, across an entire set of records.
A report is information you have organized and formatted to fit your specifications.

Creation of Report ;-
1. Select form tab from Database window.
2. Double click on create form by using
wizard. The Form Wizard box appears
as :
3. Select the tables/queries and add their
fields into selected fields list box. And
then click on next button.
4. Select layout of the form, click on next.
5. Select style of the form and click on
next button.
6. Type title of the form, lick on next
button.

MS-DOS
Introduction:
Microsoft Disk Operating System(MS-DOS) is the operating system for IBM’s Personal
Computers and their capabilities. The first release of this operating system came out in the year
1980, when IBM launched its first personal computer. DOS as an operating system has the
following features in addition to those which are common to other operating system also.
 Single User
 Supports only 80XXX architecture personal computers.
 Hierarchical file structure
 Memory access limit 640 KB
 Kernel
 Shell
Booting Process :
 ROM Based – the instructions available on ROM
 Disk Based – the instructions available on Disk
ROM Based Instructions:
ROM Based software is categorized into two types of routines
1. BIOS Routines – Called Basic Input Output Systems which helps CPU in communicating
with the hardware.
2. Startup Routines – Starts the Booting process
Disk Based Instructions:
The disk based contains the files IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM is called a
bootable or system disk. These files are known as Systems files.
DOS Files:
Files are the basic storage unit for any data or instruction which is required to be stored on the
disk. Each file on disk has a unique name by which the user and the DOS operating system
identify a file.
 DOS files are divided into a primary name and an extension separated by a dot(.)
 Primary name can not exceed the limit of 8 characters.
 Secondary name cannot exceed the limit of 3 characters.
 Secondary name is optional.
 There are certain reserved file names of DOS which again cannot be used for naming
primary names, such as – PRN, CON, LPT, AUX, CLOCK$, COM.
 There cannot be space between the name of the file.
Creation of a batch file:
 Batch file can be created using the COPY CON command.
 Each command statement is terminated by a return key.
 When CTRL and Z keys are pressed together, DOS saves the file on the disk.

Syntax to create a Batch file is:

C:\>COPY CON Amit <Enter>
MS-DOS Prompt:
The transient portion of the COMMAND.COM finally displays the DOS prompt, which
looks like C:\> or A:\> is a signal prompting the user that the operating system is currently ready
to accept any kind of request from the user in the form of a command. Commands are the basic
modes through which you can communicate with the computer. Commands are classified as
Internal and External commands.
Internal Commands:
Internal commands are those commands which are frequently used by the user. Some internal
commands are:
DATE The DATE command is used for displaying the current system date, or can be
used to modify the current system date.
C:\>DATE <Enter>
Current date is Tue 12-27-2008
Enter new date (mm-dd-yy) : _
TIME The TIME command is used for displaying the current system time, or can be
used to modify the current system time.
C:\>TIME <Enter>
Current time is 10:35:40.53 a
Enter new time (HH:MM:SS.ms) : _
CLS The CLS command clears the view of screen. Once the CLS command is
executed, the DOS prompt at the top left corner of the screen.
C:\>CLS <Enter>
DIR The DIR command displays the list of existing files on disk.
C:\>DIR <Enter>
Note:
1. DIR/P : The output of the disk page by page.
2. DIR/W : List the contents of the disk width wise.
TYPE TYPE command is used for displaying the content of a specific text file.
 C:\>TYPE Amit <Enter>
COPY The COPY command makes an exact replica of a file, or onto another file with a
different name or at a different destination (disk).
C:\>COPY Amit Satish <Enter>
The command will copy the content of Amit into Satish.
DEL/ERASE The DEL or ERASE command is used for deleting files from the disk.
C:\>DEL Amit <ENTER>
EDIT The EDIT command is used to edit the contents of the file.
C:\>EDIT Amit <Enter>
REN/RENAME:The REN or RENAME command changes the name of an already existing file
to a new name. If the new name which you want to give, already exists, DOS will give an error
message.
C:\>REN Satish Sameer <Enter>
VER The VER command displays the version of DOS running on the machine.
C:\>VER <Enter>
MD This command is used to make a directory.
C:\>MD Amit <Enter>
This command will make a directory of Amit in the root directory.
CD This command is used to create a directory.
C:\>CD Satish <Enter>
RD This command is used to remove a sub-directory.
C:\>RD Amit <Enter>
External Commands:
Format Command
A new floppy in itself is not at all capable of storing files, so it must be formatted. DOS
creates Tracks and Sectors on a disk. This process of creating Tracks and Sectors on a disk is
called formatting.
The command for formatting the disk in drive A is :
C:\> FORMAT A : <Enter>
Label Command
This LABEL command is used to give a volume label to the floppy or hard disk.
Changing Drives
If the user wishes to access the files on a floppy disk on A drive, he can change to A
drive by specifying A: at the cursor position.
C:\>A: <Enter>
A:\>_
Similarly, the user can change to the C drive by indicating C:, at the cursor position
A:\>C: <Enter>
C:\>_
e-Agriculture
e-Agriculture is a global community of practice that facilitates dialogue, information
exchange and sharing of ideas related to the use of information and communication
technologies (ICTs) for sustainable agriculture and rural development.
Become a member
As an e-Agriculture member you can contribute blogs and participate in forum
discussions while subscribing to our newsletter, news and other content updates.

Concept, Applications and Use of ICT in Agriculture

Information and communication technology in agriculture (ICT in agriculture), also known
as e-agriculture, is developing and applying innovative ways to use ICTs in the rural domain,
with a primary focus on agriculture. ICT in agriculture offers a wide range of solutions to some
agricultural challenges. It is seen as an emerging field focusing on the enhancement of
agricultural and rural development through improved information and communication
processes. In this context, ICT is used as an umbrella term encompassing all information and
communication technologies including devices, networks, mobiles, services and applications;
these range from innovative Internet-era technologies and sensors to other pre-existing aids
such as fixed telephones, televisions, radios and satellites. E-agriculture continues to evolve in
scope as new ICT applications continue to be harnessed in the agriculture sector. More
specifically, e-agriculture involves the conceptualization, design, development, evaluation and
application of innovative ways to use ICTs in the rural domain, with a primary focus on
agriculture. Provisions of standards, norms, methodologies, and tools as well as development
of individual and institutional capacities, and policy support are all key components of e-
agriculture.
Computer Models for understanding Plant process
The use of computational techniques increasingly permeates developmental biology,
from the acquisition, processing and analysis of experimental data to the construction of models
of organisms. Specifically, models help to untangle the non-intuitive relations between local
morphogenetic processes and global patterns and forms. We survey the modeling techniques
and selected models that are designed to elucidate plant development in mechanistic terms,
with an emphasis on: the history of mathematical and computational approaches to
developmental plant biology; the key objectives and methodological aspects of model
construction; the diverse mathematical and computational methods related to plant modeling;
and the essence of two classes of models, which approach plant morphogenesis from the
geometric and molecular perspectives. In the geometric domain, we review models of cell
division patterns, phyllotaxis, the form and vascular patterns of leaves, and branching patterns.
In the molecular-level domain, we focus on the currently most extensively developed theme: the
role of auxin in plant morphogenesis. The review is addressed to both biologists and
computational modelers.
Computer controlled devices(Automated system) for Agri-
input Management.
Automatic milking systems are computer
controlled stand alone systems that milk the dairy
cattle without human labor. The complete automation
of the milking process is controlled by an agricultural
robot, a complex herd management software, and
specialized computers. Automatic milking eliminates
the farmer from the actual milking process, allowing
for more time for supervision of the farm and the herd.
Farmers can also improve herd management by using
the data gathered by the computer. By analyzing the effect of various animal feeds on milk yield,
farmers may adjust accordingly to obtain optimal milk yields. Since the data is available down to
individual level, each cow may be tracked and examined, and the farmer may be alerted when
there are unusual changes that could mean sickness or injuries.
Smart phone Apps in Agriculture for farm devices
The use of mobile technologies as a tool of intervention in agriculture is becoming
increasingly popular. Smartphone penetration enhances the multi-dimensional positive impact
on sustainable poverty reduction and identify accessibility as the main challenge in harnessing
the full potential (Silarszky et al., 2008) in agricultural space. The reach of smartphone even in
rural areas extended the ICT services beyond simple voice or text messages. Several
smartphone apps are available for agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and farm
machinery.
Smartphone mobile applications designed and developed by Jayalaxmi agrotech Pvt Ltd
from India are the most commonly used agriculture apps in India. Their mobile apps are in
regional language are designed to break the literacy barrier and deliver the information in most
simple manner. Several thousands of farmers across Asia are empowered with these apps.
Post Harvest Management
Augmentation of agricultural productivity needs a concurrent development of post
harvest support mechanism including normal and cold storage facilities, packaging facilities,
agro processing industries, crop sterilization and sanitation facilities and an effective marketing
reach to global markets. Food processing adds value to the agricultural, horticultural, livestock
and fisheries products by using various techniques like grading, sorting and packaging, etc.
which enhances Table 3.3.2: Existing Storage Capacity of Cold Storage Units (in MT) S.No.
Cold Storage No. Capacity 1 Cold storage at Farmers' Markets (Walk-in coolers) 27 54 2
Tomato market complex- Maicheri, Salem district. 1 100 3 Hilly vegetables market complex-
Karamadai, Coimbatore district 1 50 4 Onion and other vegetables market complex-Perambalur
district. 1 50 5 Chillies market complex-Paramakudi, Ramnad district. 1 100 6 Mango market
complex - Krishnagiri district. 1 50 7 Tomato market complex - Palacode, Dharmapuri district. 1
50 8 Onion market complex-Pongalur, Thiruppur district. 1 50 9 Grapes market complex-
Odaipatti, Theni district. 1 50 Total 35 554 Source : Dept. of Agricultural Marketing and Agri
Business, GoTN their shelf life. It leads to diversification of agricultural activities, improves value
addition opportunities and creates surplus for export of agro food products. In Tamil Nadu,
about 188 L.MT. of fruits and vegetables are produced. Due to heavy post harvest losses, there
exists a considerable gap between gross production and net availability to the consumers. The
post harvest loss is estimated at 30 to 40 percent in fruits and vegetables, which is primarily
due to non adoption of post harvest management technologies. The post harvest losses start in
the farm and travel along procurement chain and entire marketing channel. Adoption of post
harvest technology and growth of food processing industries are inter-related as post harvest
management increases the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and feed more to the agro
processing industries.

Geospatial technology for generating valuable agri

information
In agriculture, the use of the Global Positioning
System provides benefits in geo-fencing, map-
making and surveying. GPS receivers dropped in price
over the years, making it more popular for civilian use.
With the use of GPS, civilians can produce simple yet
highly accurate digitized map without the help of a
professional cartographer.
In Kenya, for example, the solution to prevent an
elephant bull from wandering into farms and destroying
precious crops was to tag the elephant with a device that
sends a text message when it crosses a geo-fence.
Using the technology of SMS and GPS, the elephant can roam freely and the authorities are
alerted whenever it is near the farm.
Geographic information systems
Geographic information systems, or GIS, are extensively used in agriculture, especially
in precision farming. Land is mapped digitally, and pertinent geodetic data such as topography
and contours are combined with other statistical data for easier analysis of the soil. GIS is used
in decision making such as what to plant and where to plant using historical data and sampling.
Decision support system, concept, component and
application in agriculture
A rapidly changing world with high rates of population growth and major changes in political and
economic systems has created an urgent need to develop new and revise many existing agricultural
systems. During the next decade, changes will be made in infrastructures that support agricultural
production, marketing, and distribution, in farms and their enterprises and practices, and in governmental
policies and regulations that affect production, natural resources, and the environment. Now, more than
ever, decision makers at all levels need an increasing amount of information to help them understand the
possible outcomes of their decisions and develop plans and policies for achieving their goals. Decision
Support Systems (DSS) are "interactive computer-based systems that help decision makers utilize data
and models to solve unstructured problems" (Sprague and Carlson 1982). The goal of such systems is to
improve the performance of decision makers while reducing the time and human resources required for
analyzing complex decisions. In concept, DSS should support all phases of a decision making process,
characterized by Simon (1960) as:
(i) searching for conditions calling for a decision by identifying possible problems or
opportunities;
(ii) creating and analyzing possible courses of action; and
(iii) Suggesting a course or courses of action from those analyzed.
Most of the relatively few agricultural decision aids that have been developed are aimed at the
farmer as a decision maker, and attempt to improve operational decisions such as pest control (Hearn
1987; Michalski et al. 1983) fertilizer management (Yost et al. 1988), or a wider set of crop management
decisions (Plant 1989; McKinion et al. 1989). The need for agricultural decision support systems extends
beyond those for field level operational decisions with the farmer as a decision maker. A different
approach was taken by a group of cooperating scientists in the IBSNAT project. The Decision Support
System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) was designed for users to easily create 'experiments' to
simulate, on computers, outcomes of the complex interactions between various agricultural practices,
soil, and weather conditions and to suggest appropriate solutions to site specific problems (Jones 1986;
Uehara 1989). This system relies heavily on simulation models to predict the performance of crops for
making a wide range of decisions. This system has been in use for almost three years. It is time to
evaluate this approach and determine priorities for further development of these tools. In this paper, an
overview of the DSSAT will be given, including limitations and major enhancements now being made to
this field-scale system. Concepts will be presented for broader decision support systems to help identify
problems in existing or proposed agricultural systems and to analyze the outcomes of practices and
policies at farm and regional scales.

Expert system, Soil Information systems etc for support

farm decision
Agricultural production system has been evolving into a complex business system requiring the
accumulation and integration of knowledge and information from many diverse sources. In order to
remain competitive, the modern farmer often relies on agricultural specialists and advisors to get
information for decision making. Unfortunately assistance of the agricultural expert is not always
available when the farmer needs it. In order to alleviate this problem, expert systems were identified as a
powerful tool with extensive potential in agriculture.
An Expert System (ES), also called a Knowledge Based System (KBS), is a computer program
designed to simulate the problem-solving behavior of an expert in a narrow do main or discipline. The
expert system could be developed for decision-making and location specific technology dissemination
process. An expert system is software that attempts to reproduce the performance of one or more human
experts, most commonly in a specific problem domain, and is a traditional application and/or subfield of
artificial intelligence. 5 Expert systems helps in selection of crop or variety, diagnosis or identification of
pests, diseases and disorders and taking valuable decisions on its management. The expert system which
developed earlier were more of text based and could be utilized only by the extension officials and
scientists.
Keeping the importance of ICT enabled interventions in agriculture and providing timely expert
advise to farmers, the expert system on agriculture and animal husbandry was proposed and obtained as
net work project from Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The 426 aim of the project is to develop
expert system for agriculture (Paddy, Sugarcane, Banana, Ragi and Coconut) and animal husbandry for
the three state in their respective languages ie., Tamil Nadu (Tamil), Karnataka (Kannada) and Kerala
(Malayalam).
1. SMS (Agrl. Extension), KVK, Sandhiyur
2. Director of Extension Education, TNAU, Coimbatore-3.
3. Assistant Professor (AEX), DOEE, e-Extn Centre, TNAU
4. ICT Coordinator, AC & RI, TNAU, Coimbatore 2.
Meaning, Importance and Early efforts
a. Expert system meanings

An Expert System is a computer program that stimulates the judgment and behaviour of a
human (or) an organization that has expert knowledge and experience in a particular field. It is
program that emulates the interaction a user might have with a human expert to solve a problem.
An Expert System is a problem solving and decision making system based on knowledge of its
task and logical rules or procedure for using knowledge. Both the knowledge and the logic are
obtained from the experiences of a specialist in the area (Yogesh Kumar et al).
Expert System are recognized as an appropriate technology because they address the problem
of transferring knowledge and expertise from highly qualified specialists to less knowledgeable
personnel. In agriculture, this transfer is always taking place from research to extension, from
extension to farmers, and even from farmers to farmers. Expert system present excellent tools for
relieving the increasing pressure on the limited expertise available in developing nations. It must
be recognized that knowledge, the very foundation of 427 expertise, is a scarce resource in
developing nations. Expert System can help expand this vital resource by making available, in
specific situations, vital knowledge that increase the effectiveness of less experienced personnel (
Rafea et al ,1996 ).
The Expert System uses a hierarchical classification and a mix of the text description;
photographs and artistic pictures. The system involves two main sub tasks, namely diagnosis and
management. The system designed and developed using visual basic as front- end and Microsoft
Access as back- end software ( Vinod Kumar et al, 2008 ).
An Expert System is a computer program normally composed of a knowledge base, influence
engine and user-interface. Expert system in the area of agriculture and describes the design and
development of the rule based expert system, using the shell ESTA (Expert System for Text
Animation). The designed system is intended for the diagnosis of common diseases occurring in
the rice plant. ESTA programming is based on logic programming approach. The system
integrates a structured knowledge base that contains knowledge about symptoms and remedies of
diseases in the rice plant appearing during their life span ( Shikhar et al)
An Expert System is defined as “ a computer program designed to model the problem solving
ability of a human expert ” (Durkin,1994). It is also defined as “a system that uses human
knowledge captured in a computer to solve problems that ordinarily require human expertise”.
Expert System increases the probability, frequency and consistency of making good decisions,
additive effect of knowledge of many domain experts, facilitates real time, low – cost expert level
decisions by the nonexpert enhance the utilization of most of the available data and free the 428
mind time of the human expert to enable him or her to concentrate on creative activities. Expert
System offers an environment where the good capabilities of humans and the power of computer
can be incorporated into overcome many of the limitations (Mercy Nesa Rani et al,2011).
b. Importance of Expert System
The complexity of problems faced by the farmers are yield loses, soil erosion, selection of
crop, increasing chemical pesticides cost, pest resistance, diminishing market prices from
international competition and economic barriers hindering adoption of farming strategies. Expert
System are computer program that are different from conventional computer programs as they
solve problems by mimicking human reasoning process, relying on logic, belief, rules of thumb
opinion and experience.
In agriculture Expert System are capable of integrating the perspectives of individual
desciplines such as plant pathology, entomology, horticulture and agricultural meteorology into a
framework that best address the type of ad hoc decision making required of modern farmers.
Expert system can be one of the most useful tools for accomplishing the task of providing growers
with day to day integrated decision support needed to grow their crops.
c. List of Expert System in Agriculture

The works carried out on Expert System in agriculture and allied field and various software
used to develop an Expert System by authors were collected worldwide and presented as follows.
PROLOG PASCAL SOYGRO