Meghalaya: NEHU develops indigenous semiconductor chip to combat Red Spider Mite in tea plantations

North-Eastern Hill University has created indigenous semiconductor chip designed to repel Red Spider Mite, a devastating pest responsible for severe yield losses and declining tea quality across the country's plantations.

The breakthrough addresses a critical agricultural challenge, as the mite has long plagued tea gardens in the Northeast and other growing regions, forcing farmers to rely heavily on chemical pesticides that harm the environment and increase production costs.

Researchers at the university's Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering developed the chip entirely in-house. Dr Pankaj Sarkar, Dr Sushanta Kabir Dutta, Dr Sangeeta Das, and Bhaiswajyoti Lahon led the collaborative effort, with fabrication handled by the Semiconductor Laboratory in Mohali, a government facility for chip manufacturing.

The Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology received the chip on 28 November, marking a significant moment for the university's involvement in the national semiconductor ecosystem under the India Semiconductor Mission.

The technology offers tea growers a sustainable alternative to conventional pesticides, potentially reducing chemical dependency whilst maintaining crop protection. This eco-friendly approach could benefit both agricultural productivity and ecological balance in tea-growing regions.

University officials said the innovation directly supports regional needs through advanced research, with field testing and validation planned to assess real-world effectiveness in tea gardens.

The development demonstrates how semiconductor technology can extend beyond traditional electronics applications to solve pressing agricultural problems, whilst strengthening the rural economy and advancing the Northeast's role in India's technology sector.