Ilango, a small farmer, aged 40, owns six acres of land. He has been applying a technology, originally practiced by his grandfather since long for effectively managing pests. This technology, an innovation of a farmer, relies on the rich bio-diversity of the region integrating ecological principles.
Eco friendly technology
A combination of sea fishes, foliages of diverse plant species and cow dung are mixed in specific proportions and the fermented compound is used on crops. The ingredients required to make the compound and their characteristics are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Biological Ingredients essential for preparing the compound
| Sl.No. | Ingredients | Quantity per acre | Farmer perceived functions of each ingredients |
| 1 | Neem Leaves | 2 kg | Insect repellent properties |
| 2 | Mango Leaves | 2 kg | Thuvarpu taste repels insects (one of the six taste types, like Terminalia chebula, classified in Tamil Culture) |
| 3 | Tamarind Leaves | 0.5 kg | Sour taste induces disease resistance |
| 4 | Acid Lime Leaves | 0.5 kg | Acidic property antagonizes insects / diseases |
| 5 | Cow Dung | 5 kg | Source of nutrients for crops and microorganisms for aiding fermentation. |
| 6 | Marine Fishes | 1 kg | Foul smell to repel insects |
Besides these biological ingredients, implements like spade and a crowbar, a pot, iron pan (for closing up the pot) and thin cotton cloth (to use as filter) are essential.
The process
Collect fresh leaves of Mango (Mangifera indica), Neem (Azadiracta indica) and Tamarind (Tamarindus indicus) and Acid Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) in the required quantities. Mix the foliage thoroughly. Collect small fishes to be used without any processing. Prepare the cow dung slurry and filter it.
Dig a pit in the field. Place an empty terracotta pot of 25 liters capacity. Now fill the pot with foliage, small fishes and cow dung slurry, in that order. Mix thoroughly and with care. Thorough mixing and equal distribution of all the three inputs are believed to be critical for good fermentation of the inputs. After mixing the contents, cover the pot with an iron pan taking care to see that it does not slip off.
Bury the closed pot under ground by gently earthing-up with dug soil. Soil should be packed tightly just above the ground level to prevent exposure of buried pot in the event of rainfall.
Keep the pot with the contents buried for ten days. By this time, the mixture of fishes, foliages and cow dung slurry would get fermented with help of the stock of microbial inoculums mixed in the cow dung slurry. After ten days, the pot should be unearthed with utmost care. Filter the mixture using a fine cotton cloth. The product thus obtained is diluted with water in 1:10 ratio, for the purposes of spraying.
Benefits
Ilango used the product to spray rice crop. By using this, the yield increased by 5 to 10 per cent. He could save Rs.165 per acre on chemical pesticides and obtained a higher net return by 59%. He observed that chemical pest control is 149% more costly than this indigenous technology. Moreover, the quality of grains improved-there was lesser chaffy grains. One of the salient features of this product is the strong stink which wards off the insects.
Besides, the formulation was found to be harmless to humans, had no adverse impact on air, water and soil and focused on recycling of wastes.
Conclusion
This technique was practiced for 30 years continuously by Mr.Ilango’s grandfather and was abandoned in the last ten years. Though Ilangos family is reaping benefits, exploring the science involved in it will help in wider spread and benefit.
Acknowledgements
We sincerely acknowledge Dr.K.Saravanan, Assistant Professor (Soil Science), Thiru.S.Parthasarathi, Assistant Professor (Agricultural Extension), and Dr.S.Coumaressane, Assistant Professor (Mathematics) for reviewing this paper and offering valuable suggestions
Anandkumar, S., PhD
Assistant Professor (Agricultural Extension), Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute, Serumavilangai, Nedungadu, Karaikal, 609 603, India
E-mail: anandkumar_s1@rediffmail.com; Ph: 00 91 93 66 666 454
Ancy, R.J,
Under Graduate student of Agriculture from Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute, Serumavilangai, Nedungadu, Karaikal, 609 603, India
