Bangalore: Prof. Dr Basavaraj Madhusudhan, Kuvempu University says that Indian farmers are five years away from the nanotechnology revolution.

Speaking at the technical session ''Nano Food & Agriculture'' at the second Bangalore Nano,  organised jointly by the department of IT, BT and Science & Technology, Karnataka, Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research and M M Activ Sci-Tech Communications.

The various topics that are being addressed at the Bangalore Nano 2008 are nano biotechnology, health and pharma, industry and manufacturing, nano food and agriculture, chemicals and nano materials, ICT and electronics energy, environment and greentech.

"Nanotechnology promises immense possibilities for agriculture," said Prof Dr Basavaraj Madhusudhan. ''Nano sensors in plants can detect disease and can provide nano medication. Nanotechnology can reduce agricultural waste and thus pollution. Nano lamination can improve the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. These applications should reach farmers in India in five years.''

At a session chaired by Dr Seetharam Annadana, Avesthagen, Dr R Kalpana Sastry, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management said, ''There are 44 countries working on Nanotechnology in the food and agriculture field. But most of the activities are in the early stage.''

The technical sessionsbegan today with the opening address by Professor C N R Rao, chairman of the Science Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister of India, followed by highlight lectures and scientific presentations by Prof. Pulickel M. Ajayan, Rice University and Prof. Dipankar Chakravorty,  Indian Association for The Cultivation of Science.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Rao, said, ''In India, in spite of the economic slowdown, science & technology has done well and has shown steady growth. In the past year or so many positive developments have taken place in the NanoTech field. Even though science is not very attractive monetarily, many youngsters have shown great interest in R&D. The future seems very exciting with large scale applications waiting to happen in NanoTech.''

Prof. Pulickel M. Ajayan, said, ''The major challenge facing the Nano industry is nanoengineering. One of the best examples is the carbon nano tube. The various approaches that have been taken to develop applications using carbon nano tubes are a blend of the traditional top-down approach and the bottom-up approach, but there are several bottle necks in that approach.''

Prof. Dipankar Chakravorty spoke on his recent findings on composites containing nanocore shell, nanowires and nanosheet structures.