Microbials: Fermented products

Applying Microbial solutions: Insects too get diseases and these are caused by microorganisms like fungi and bacteria. Some of the microbials are isolated and sold in the markets commercially. They are fungi like Beauveria bassiana, Nomuraea rileyi, Metarhizium anisopliae, Trichoderma viride etc.; bacteria like Bacillus thuringiensis, Pseudomonas fluorescens etc.; and viral agents like Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus, Granulosis Virus etc. Some of these are commercially available as formulations. When these formulations are applied, insects become diseased and they die.

(Left to Right) Fig. a. Green Muscardine fungus affected insect and Fig. b. White Muscardine fungus affected insect

(Left to Right) Fig. c. Larva with bacterial infection and Fig. d. Larva with viral infection

1.1.     Cow dung Urine solution:

• Large number of microbes present in the cow dung and urine which are useful for controlling many fungal diseases
• Nutrients present in the solution are useful for effective plant growth
• This can be applied for two to three times in a crop period

Ingredients:

• Cow dung – 5 Kgs
• Cow urine – 5 liters
• Lime –          150 gm

Preparation:

• Store 5Kg cow dung, 5 liters of cow urine and 5 liters of water in a tub
• Cover the tub and allow the solution for fermentation for 4days
• Stir the solution with a stick every day
• After 4 days, filter the solution and add 150 gm of lime to it
• Add 100 liters of water to the solution to spray it in 1 acre

Precautions:

• As this solution is thick use a mesh or gunny bag to filter the solution. (first time)
• After that add water and filter through a thin cloth
• We can store the solution for 1 or 2 days (farmers experience)

Note:

• This solution will improve the resistance power of the crops
• Spraying of this solution will improve the drought resistant capacity

1.2.     Panchagavya:

Dosage:

• 5% or 5 liters in 100 liters of water and spray per acre of rice field.
• For other plants – 3% or 3 liters in 100 liters of water

Ingredients:

• Cow Dung                                        5 Kg
• Cow Urine                                       3 Liters
• Yogurt made from cow milk        2 Liters
• Cow Milk                                         2 Liters
• Ghee made from cow milk           ½ kg
• Coconut water                                3 Liters
• Toddy                                               3 Liters
• Ripened Bananas                          12
• Water                                               3 Liters
• Black Jaggery                                1 Kg

Preparation:

Mix ghee and cow dung. Mix it every morning and evening in a clay pot to incorporate the ghee smell to the cow dung. On the fifth day mix milk, cow urine, yogurt, toddy, coconut water and jiggery well. Then mash and add the ripened bananas to this mixture. Secure the opening of the pot or the drum with a cloth to prevent flies and insects. After 15 days, filter the mixture through a muslin cloth. This mixture can be stored and used for up to 6 months. If the mixture becomes dry, add some water. Panchagavya not only enhances plant growth but also prevents plant diseases caused by pathogens. This mixture can be used on all crops and is beneficial on seed beds.

Some of the traditional practices in Assam and North East India (source: Deka M K, Bhuyan M & Hazarika L K, Traditional pest management practices of Assam, Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge,Vol.5(1),January2006,pp.75-78 & http://kiran.nic.in/E.Publications/Traditional%20_pest%20_manageemnt.pdf )

• A suspended solution of raw cow dung mixed with water is prepared and sprayed on paddy to control thrips. The odour of the cow dung repels the pest. (a suspended solution of raw cow dung)
• Erection of bamboo (Bambusa indica) branches or top or other stick in the rice fields to control paddy stem borer (Scirpophaga incertulas) and swarming caterpillars. The bamboo poles act as bird perches and sap of raw bamboo shoots possess hydrocyanic acid. They have antiseptic and larvicidal properties.
• Steam decoction of neem (Azadirachta indica A. Jus.) seeds and leaves, and spraying of extract onto the rice crop. The extract is prepared by mixing 1 to 3 gm of ground neem seed or leaf in 1L of water (0.1-0.3% concentration) for 12 hours to control paddy stem borer (Bhogayati, 201).
• Keeping slices of Pomelo (Citrus grandis) in the field @ 1 trap per 6 sq. m controls the paddy stem borer. The essential oils present in pomelo repel stem borers.
• Placing chopped leaves of Indian rhododendron or phutuka (Melastoma malabathricum ) in paddy fields controls the population of paddy stem borers. The chopped leaves emit a foul smell which drives away the insect from the field.
• Mixing cow dung with water I the rice field controls Rice case worm & Rice hispa. The rice field mixed with cow dung has oxygen deficiency and the nutrients present in cow dung helps the rice plant to revive from hispa damage.
• Rope dipped in kerosene is stirred in the water of the paddy field to control case worm. Kerosene acts as a toxicant to the case worm.
• Placing ground bark of drumstick (Moringa oleifoera ) in the field to control paddy stem borer.
• Placing few branches of fern (Cybotium sp) or Khira leaves’ pulp to control paddy stem borer as the fern has insecticidal activity. This also controls Maize stem borer (Chilo zonellis).
• Burying the puthi or bard fish (Puntius ) in the soil for 15-20 days and spraying its water extract in the rice field. Fermented fish extract repels stem borers.
• Placing rotten crab or frogs in plastic traps@ 1 trap per 10 square meters to trap gundhi bugs as they get attracted to the smell.
• To control squirrel damage in coconut, fragmented human hair and dry fish mixture are kept in the crown
• To control the rodents in storage, place fresh leaves of Gilmat (Dendocnide sinuate) in between two layers of boiled rice. After 24 hours, put treated rice in possible rat runways.
• Soil application of Calotropis leaf powder @ 100 kg per hectare controls root knot nematodes in redgram/pigeon pea.
• To control defoliators and soft bodies insects on vegetables, domestic ash is applied on the plants.
• Crushing of Jaiur-blai (Zanthoxylum oxyphyllum Egdew) fruits on the body parts before working in the paddy field will repel the parasites like leech, worms, nematodes etc.

1.3.     Amrit jal:

Fig 1.3.1. Amrit Jal preparation

Ingredients:

• Cow Dung –  10 Kg
• Ghee made of cow milk –  250 g
• Honey / Black Jaggery – 500 g

Dosage:

• 200 Liters per acre is applied either through irrigation water or soil spray

Preparation:

• Mix cow dung in a clay pot with ghee and mix thoroughly for 2 hrs.
• Add honey or jaggery with half a liter of water and mix the contents for another 2 hours.
• Add water up to 200 liters and mix it for 3- 4 hours. This can be sprayed on the soil or applied to the field with irrigation water.

1.4.   Jeevamrutham:

Required Material:

• Cow Dung                          10 Kg
• Cow urine                          10 Liters
• Black Jaggery                    2 Kg
• Besan (Chickpea flour)   2 Kg
• Plastic Drum                     200 Liters Capacity

Dosage: 200 liters is applied per acre through irrigation water or soil spray

Preparation:

• Take 200 liters of water in the drum. Add 10 kg of cow dung to it and mix well. Add powdered jiggery and chickpea flour, mix it well. Cover the drum with a jute bag and let it ferment for a week by mixing every two days. This mixture can be used within 2-3 days of mixing.

• After a week, the microbes develop in this mixture which can be used with irrigation water, sprinkler system or drip system. If a large container is not available, this mixture can be made in the soil by digging a hole enough to hold 200 liters, coating with cow dung and drying it for 24 hours before use.

1.5.   Ghana Jeevamrutham:

Benefits: To supply micro and macro nutrients required by crop

Ingredients:

• Cow dung – 100 kg
• Cow urine – little quantity to mix contents
• Sugarcane Jaggery – 2 kg
• Any Pulse flour (except soybean and groundnut) – 2 kg
• Crop field bund Soil – handful

Preparation:

• Mix all the above-mentioned materials slowly with sprinkling the cow urine. Make the material like a semi-solid paste. Now clean the soil below a tree and thinly spread the paste to shade dry. Allow to dry for 7 days and break the dried material into powder.
• Now GHANA-JEEVAMRUTHAM is ready. It can be stored in the gunny bags for 6 months

How to Use/uses:

• Use Ghana-jeevamrutham after every weeding. Apply Ghana-jeevamrutham as broadcasting/furrow application/pocket application method. It can be also applied by fertilizer drill, if it is thoroughly sieved through a mesh.
• Add 10 kg Ghana-jeevamrutham in 200 litres of water and allow to ferment for 4 days and filter to make DRAVA-JEEVAMRUTHAM for foliar application. This can also be given through drip irrigation as mentioned earlier.
• Uncountable microbes in the Drava-jeevamrutham make available to the plants all the micro and macro nutrients from the soil.
• For tree plantation, mulch 6 inches with any agricultural waste material and broadcast 1-2 kg Ghana-jeevamrutham on the mulch when the soil around the tree is moist.
• Ghana-jeevamrutham can be also mixed in the open well. Add 100 kg Ghana-jeevamrutham in the open well if water is sufficiently present for one acre or if water is more (sufficient for 2 acres, then add 200 kg Ghana-jeevamrutham).

Important Note:

• First year apply 100 kg Ghana-jeevamrutham after every weeding. Soils lose their life due to application of chemical fertilizers, thereby we need more, initially, until it restores again slowly (after three years), then use Ghana-jeevamrutham, i.e. only 10 kg for every weeding and the yields will be increased.
• Use cow urine as old as possible and dung as fresh as possible.

Precaution:

• Shade dry the Ghana-jeevamrutham while preparing; don’t use more cow urine while preparing; it takes longer time to dry if more cow-urine is used.

1.6.   Tonic:

This preparation is rich in hormones for good growth and yield of plants. This helps the yield to increase qualitatively and quantitatively

Ingredients:

• Sesamum – 100 g
• Greengram – 100 g
• Blackgram – 100 g
• Cowpea – 100 g
• Redgram – 100 g
• Chickpea – 100g
• Wheat – 100 g

Preparation:

• Firstly, soak Sesame seeds in a container for 12 hours
• Add rest of the seeds in the container and add water till they are immersed
• Soak the seeds for 12 hours
• Bundle the soaked seeds in thin cloth and allow them to germinate and grow till they are 2 inches long
• Grind all the germinated seeds into a paste
• Take 200 litres of water in drum and add the paste to the water
• Add 10 litres of Cow/Buffalo urine
• Cover the opening of the drum with a gunny cloth
• Allow it to ferment for 24 hours
• Stir twice a day during fermentation for 1 day
• Tonic is ready for use

Usage: Without diluting, spray the solution on crop foliage.