Indigenous magical tonic to build resistance in vegetables against insect pests and diseases

Abstract

67-70Vegetables are the major constituents ofIndian diet as majority of the Indians are vegetarian. India is the second largest producer of vegetables after China, producing about 75 million tonnes. The existing area under vegetable cultivation in India is around 4.5 million ha. However, there are several factors that limit the productivity of the vegetables, mainly the insect pests and diseases. Traditional knowledge should essentially be a component of integrated pest management to reduce the dependence on chemical pesticides and ecological deterioration. The insect pests inflict crop losses to the tune of 40% in vegetable production. Menace of pests on vegetables is not a hidden phenomenon and the use of more and more insecticides has not solved the purpose. Traditional practices of biological pest control have recently been the subject of increasing scientific interest as ageold location specific farming practices in general and pest management in particular are followed in different regions for managing crop pests. These practices are environmentally sound, nature friendly and economically feasible. One of the interesting indigenous knowledge has been explored from Akoli Tehshil of Ahmadnagar district in Maharashtra by conducting a survey to explore traditional practice in plant protection under one of the institute's research projects. This indigenous knowledge is locally known as magical tonic which is prepared from homely available materials like pure ghee, neem leaves extract, cow urine, butter milk/chhach, jaggery and bajra flour. A formulation is obtained after fermentation of these ingredients. The formulation acts as plant tonic, which builds up resistance to withstand pests and diseases in vegetables, particularly brinjal, beans, and tomatoes. The growth and development of fruits also get enhanced. Plants with severe wilt got rejuvenated after its application and attained strength and vigour. It helps in reducing the application of chemical inputs. Thus, farmers get economical gains besides keeping the environment safe from the hazardous impact of synthetic pesticides