Indegenous plant extracts for organic farming

Plant extracts for disease management and their preparation

1 Neem kernel extract
3-5 kg of neem kernel required for 1 acre.Remove outer seed coat and use only the kernel.If seeds are fresh ,3 kg kernel is enough.If seeds are old ,5 kg needed.Pound it gently and place in an earthen pot.Add 10 liter water.Tie the mouth of pot with a cloth.Leave for 3 days.Filter.6-7 liters of extract is obtained.Its shelf life is one month.500-1000 ml of it used for a tank of 10 liter capacity.500-1000 ml of extract diluted with 9 ½ or 9 liters of water before spraying.Khadi soap solution @ 10 ml /liter (100 ml /tank)is to be added to help extract stick well to leaf surface.The concentration of extract can be increased or decreased depending on intensity of pest attack.
The extract can be stored for one month.Seeds used for preparing the extract should be at least 3 months old.When less than 3 or more than 8 months old pest control property of seed is less.The extract prepared should be milky white colour.If from aged seeds the extract will be brown colour and not suitable.

Neem cake extract:
5 kg of neem cake is required for an acre land.Powder neem cake well and place it in a cotton cloth and tie it.Soak in vessel containing 10 liter water for 3 days.After 3 days,squeeze pouch well into water.About 7-8 liters of extract obtained.500-1000 ml of it used for 1 tank (10 liter capacity).Dilute 500-1000ml of it I 9-9 ½ liter water.Add Khadi soap solution as mentioned before.10 tanks of extract sprayed for one acre crop.Concentration of extract increased or decreased depending on severity of pest attack.Shelf life is one month.
Neem oil spray
1200-1800 ml neem oil required for one acre.200-300 ml oil required for 1 tank (10 liter capacity).Take neem oil and soap solution of required amount ,mix well.Add required water(9.8 or 9.7 liter)and stir well.
Should be used immeadiately after preparation.Otherwise oil droplets float on surface .Power sprayers used for spraying.
Preparation of Khadi soap solution:- This is a neembased soap without any detergent.Should be soaked overnight in water and used.Soap solution should be sticky and thick.

Ginger,Garlic,Chilli Extract:-
For 1 acre land 1 kg garlic,1/2 kg ginger,1/2 kg green chilly needed.Take each separately and make them into a fine paste.Dissolve in 7 liters water ,mix well.Filter to get 6 liter extract.Concentration increased or decreased from 500-1000 ml (per tank/10 liter)depending on need.Use immeadiately after preparation.Can be stored only for a maximum of 3 days.

Five leaf extract:-
Leaves with different characteristics are used.
Plants with milky latex.Calotropis,Nerium,cactus,Jatropha.
Bitter plants; Neem ,Andrographis,Tinospora and Leucas
Plants generally avoided by cattle:Adathoda,Ipomoea fistulosa
Aromatic plants:-vitex,ocimum
Plants not affected by pests and diseases:-Morinda,Ipomea fistulosa

One plant from each category is taken in equal quantity (1 kg each)and pound well.Take in a mudpot and add twice the quantity of water.To this add 1 liter cows urine and 100 gm asafetida.Tie mouth of pot tightly with cloth.The extract mixed well daily in the evening.
Can be used for a period of one week.As prophylactic 500 ml extract added for tank of 10 liter capacity.Diluted with 9 ½ liter water and used.If pest infestation is severe ,1000 ml extract per tank and diluted with 9 liter water.Stored and used for 25-30 days
Cows urine used for disease control and asafetida prevents flower droppings and enhance yield.
Jatropha leaf extract:
For one acre 5 kg leaves needed.Pound leaves.Take in mudpot.Add 5 liter water.Allow to ferment for 3 days to 1 week.Filter .1/2 liter extract diluted with 9 ½ liter water for obtaining on etank extract.

Kashaayam preparation:
Collect plants without the roots.Cut into small pieces.For 1 acre crop ,2 kg of cut plants mixed with 8 liter water.Take in wide mouthed vessel ,boil until extract reduce to 2 liters.Cool,Filter.300 ml used after diluting with 100 ml soap solution and 9.4 liter water to obtain 1 tank capacity .

Plants used for kashayam Andrographis paniculata Sida spinosa Adathoda zeylanica Panchathiktha kashaayam
Pest/disease controlled. All kinds of larvae Aphids and sap feeders Fungal diseases All kinds of pests

Panchathiktha kashaaya is prepared by using equal quantities of 5 types of bitter leaves.
The kashayam extracts are kept closed ,and stirred daily
Extract sprayed using hand sprayer
Power sprayers for controlling winged pests like green plant hopper ,ear head bug,white flies
For one tank extract 100 ml khadi soap solution added
The extracts sprayed in morning between 7-10 AM.

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Non-chemical methods of pest management

1.Summer ploughing to expose al inactive eggs ,larvae ,pupae etc so that sun and predators destroy them
2.keep bunds clear of grass and weeds where the eggs are laid
3 Plastering of bunds to seal ratholes and water leakage
4.proper space among seedlings
5.Provide sufficient gaps .I ft gap for every 8 feet to enable sunlight to reach the under parts .
6.Planting in right season.This protects paddy from pests.
7 Rope method.Fill field with water upto 5 cms.Mix 1 liter kerosene with 25 gm sand and strewn on field.Drag a string (Rajju)over surface of leaves so that caterpillars fall to water.Kerosene kills them.Drain water to remove dead caterpillars.Dry the field and then irrigate .Practiced oly during the vegetative growth phase of crop.
7 Provision for sunlight
Neekal podum Murai practiced in Chengal pet district is a ancient traditional practice.Women stand in a line in between plants and walk from one end to other of field by pressing the under parts of plants .This enable sunlight to reach lower parts.Kills nymphs of brown plant hopper sticking to under surface of plants .Checks rodent population.
8.Trapping of pests
By yellow sticky trap .An empty tin or plate smeared with castor oil placed 1 ft above the crop camopy in field.Green leaf hopper and brown plant hopper attracted by the bright yellow colour and trapped in oil smear.Wiped out every day and fresh oil applied again.
Light trap is used to monitor and trap adult .Electric bulbs,hurricane lamps,kerosene lamps ,bonfires were used in differet historical times for the purpose..Near the light a largeplate or vessel with kerosene mixed with water kept .The light trap is 2-3 ft above the rop canopy.The trap is set up between 6 PM -9 PM.If kept after 9 PM beneficial insectsalso trapped.Adult moths attracted to light fall in kerosene water.
Pheromone trap are organic compounds secreted by insects mostly females to attract males during mating.Such lures are synthesized in laboratories to attract male adult insects.Thus females are deprived of mates and fail to reproduce.For 1 acre 2-3 traps neded.Tie to a stick and keep 1-2 ft above crop canopy .The lure is effective for 15 days.It has to be changed fortnightly.
Bird perches are T shaped and eructed in fields at rate of 15-20 per acre.1 ft above crop canopy.The birds rest on them and eat the harmful pests.

9.Preventing entry of pests in to field

Use of cycas flowers(Sannampoo)cut into pieces ,wrapped with straw and placed in field.10-15 pieces/acre.Odour prevents earbugs for 2 weeks.By the time milky stage is completed.
Plants with pest repellent properties include neem cake/neem leaves,vitex leaves,morinda leaves,calotropis leaves,Jatropha leaves.Any 2 of these are taken ,pound well ,taken in mudpot and thrice quantity of water added.Mouth of pot tied with cloth ,left for 3 days.The pots are placed on 4 corners of field.In evening mouth of pots opened and stirred well.Unpleasant odour from pot prevents entry of pests into field.
Neemcake is for pest control as well as for manuring and bags with it are placed in irrigation canals so that slowly the neem cake dissolves and flow to entire field.Once in 15 days the bags are replaced with fresh neemcakes.
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Biological methds using egg cards of parasitoid Trichogramma japonicum is a new method and is a commercial modern method.The previous methods are well tested by Indian farmers over centuries and are cost effective so that this new method is not mentioned in this article.(Reasons: cost .And being new its suitability to Indian conditions is doubtful and we will have to wait and see the side effects it brings later just like chemicals.)