“There are numerous fruit and vegetable crops with properties that with proper attention I can use to control insects and diseases.
The plants that I have listed below have pesticide properties in their seeds, leaves, stalks, un-ripe fruit, bulbs rhizomes etc., and act by different modes of action. Each one controls different pests including: aphids, caterpillars, green bugs, fruit flies, leaf minors, red spiders, ants, slugs, house flies, mites, white flies, bacteria, scab, bowl-worm, thrips, anthracnose, hoppers, scales, termites, thrips, mosaic virus, powder mildew etc.
The useful part of a plant can easily be collected and used as a natural pesticide on a crop and can of course be established on a small scale in rural areas near farms. Fruit and vegetables with natural pesticide properties include: custard apple (Annona reticulata), basil (Sweet Basil) and Holy Basil, chillies (Capsicum frutes), (Fam. Sollanacea), garlic (Allium Sativum) (F. Lilacae), ginger (Zingber officiate) (fm. Zingiberatase), neem, papaya (Carcia papaya), tobacco (Nictana tabacum, Nicotana, Rustica) and nicotana glutnosa (Fam. Ziberacease).
Insect-controlling plants
Pest control plants should posses the following characteristics:
The plants that I have listed below have pesticide properties in their seeds, leaves, stalks, un-ripe fruit, bulbs rhizomes etc., and act by different modes of action. Each one controls different pests including: aphids, caterpillars, green bugs, fruit flies, leaf minors, red spiders, ants, slugs, house flies, mites, white flies, bacteria, scab, bowl-worm, thrips, anthracnose, hoppers, scales, termites, thrips, mosaic virus, powder mildew etc.
The useful part of a plant can easily be collected and used as a natural pesticide on a crop and can of course be established on a small scale in rural areas near farms. Fruit and vegetables with natural pesticide properties include: custard apple (Annona reticulata), basil (Sweet Basil) and Holy Basil, chillies (Capsicum frutes), (Fam. Sollanacea), garlic (Allium Sativum) (F. Lilacae), ginger (Zingber officiate) (fm. Zingiberatase), neem, papaya (Carcia papaya), tobacco (Nictana tabacum, Nicotana, Rustica) and nicotana glutnosa (Fam. Ziberacease).
Insect-controlling plants
Pest control plants should posses the following characteristics:
- Be effective at the rate of a maximum of 3-5% plant material based on dry weight
- Be easy to grow, require little space and time for cultivation and procurement
- Be perennial, recover quickly after the material is harvested
- Not become weed or a host to plant pathogen or insect pest
- Possess complementary economic uses
- Pose no hazard to non-target organisms, wild life, humans or environment
- Be easy to harvest preparation should be simple, not too time consuming or requiring excessive technical input
- Application should not be phyto-toxic or decrease the quality of crop, e.g. taste or texture
Below is a list of useful agricultural species, their pesticide properties and the method of preparation:
Soursop Custard apple (Annona reticulata)
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: seeds, leaves, unripe fruit
Mode of action: Contact and stomach problem, ovicidal, insecticidal, repellent, antifeedent and antinematode.
Target pests: aphid, caterpillars, green bug and Mediterranean fruit fly.
Preparation: 500 grams of custard apple leaves, boil in 2 ½ litres of water, until only 1/4 of the original is left, then dilute this mixture into 15-20 litres of water. This is good enough for one hectare.
Basil Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilium), Holy Basil (Ocimum Sanctum)
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: leaves and stem
Mode of action: repellent, insecticidal, fungitoxic and mollu scicidol.
Target pests: fruit fly, leaf miners, red spider and mites.
Preparation: 100g basil leaves dipped in to 1 litre of water. This should be soaked overnight in water. Filter the mixture and add 1ml of liquid soap, stir properly. Dilute into 10-15 litres of water.
Chillies
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: fruit
Mode of action: stomach position insecticidal, repellent, antifeedent, fumigant-viroid.
Target pests: ants, aphid, caterpillars and slugs.
Preparation: 500g of chillies, dip into 3 litres of water for 10-15 minutes. Add 30g of soap as sticker. Add 3 more litres of water, filter and then spray the plants. One can add tobacco, garlic, onion, citrus, alcohol, neem and lime.
Garlic Allium Sativum (Fam. Lilaceqe)
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: bulbs
Mode of action: insecticidal, repellent, antifeedent, fungicidalnematocidal and is effective against ticks.
Target pest: aphids, house flies, mites, white fly, bacteria, cucumber and scab.
Preparation: 3 bulbs of garlic, ground finely, add some kerosene, keep for 2 days. Add 1 table-spoon of soap powder, stir and filter and add 15-20 litres of water.
Ginger Zingiber officiale (Fam. Zingiberacae)
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: rhizome
Mode of action: repellent, insecticidal, nematocidal and fungicidal.
Target pests: American bowl worms, aphid, thrips, white fly, and mango anthracnose.
Preparation: 500g of crushed garlic add 10ml of kerosene oil kept overnight. Next day remove outer skin of ginger and make ginger paste. In another vessel add 100g green chillies, mixed with 50ml of water and add 30g of liquid soap as emulsifier. Solution is stirred and filtered and 10-15 ml of water added.
Neem
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: seeds and leaves
Mode of action: insecticidal, repellent, antifeedant acaricidal, growth inhibiting nematocidal, fungicidal, anti-viral. Neem compounds act mainly as stomach poison and systemic.
Target pests: Aphid, American boll-worms, ants, deserts, locust, leaf hoppers, leaf miners, mites, scales, termites, thrips, white fly.
Preparation: 1 kg of neem leaves dipped into 2 litres of water and left overnight. Boil it 15-20 minutes untill 1/4 is left. Dilute with 10-15ml of water.
Papaya Carcia papaya
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: leaves, seed, unripe fruit
Mode of action: flower thrips and fruit fly.
Target pests: mosaic virus and powdery mildew.
Preparation: 1 kg of finely shredded leaves, placed in 1 litre of water and squeezed through a cloth. Take 1 litre of soap solution, dilute it in 10-15 ml water.
Tobacco Nicotana tabacum, Nicotana Rustica, Nicotana glutnosa, and Fam. Solanaceae
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: leaves and stalk
Mode of action: insecticida, repellent, fungicidal, acaricidal contact, and stomach.
Target pests: aphids, caterpillars, leaf miners, mites and thrips.
Preparation: boil 4 litres of water, add ½ kg of tobacco leaves and 1 table spoon of lime. Dilute it with 10-15 litres of water.
Tumeric Curcum domstica (Fam. Zigiberaceoe)
Plant parts with insect controlling propertie: rhizome
Mode of action: repellent, insecticidal and antifungal.
Target pests: aphids, caterpillars, mites and rice leaf hoppers.
Preparation: 500g of turmeric rhizomes chopped and soaked overnight, dilute into 2 litres of water and again dilute into another 10-15ml of water.
The Rationale
The purpose of introducing pesticide free fruits and vegetables is to increase the support and significance of natural crop protection and sustainable organic agriculture. It provides links with approaches and methodologies that allow growers to put basic information into practice. Ultimately this will provide farmers with the experience and confidence needed to make the best use of the resource available to them and to use this knowledge to farm sustainably.
Commercial scale applications
The plant species listed in this article are grown in Pakistan in abundance but have never been tried on a commercial scale. Even neem that is known to control numerous insects, pests, fungi, nematodes and viral diseases is still used and processed in a very primitive manner. A solution has to be found for its commercial scale applications and extraction of pesticide properties of plants on a much larger scale. One solution would be for the market price to be guaranteed by the government so that the private sector can achieve results easily.
Information deficiency
There is demand world over for pesticide free food, but the information on the various natural pesticides is lacking and therefore, these methods are little used in Pakistan and other developing countries. This is partly due to the fact that processing techniques have not been fully understood. The process of extraction is known theoretically, but large scale production has not yet made any headway, although there is great scope for export opportunities.
Nurturing success
In order to produce fruit and vegetables using sustainable locally produced inputs we need to identify constraints of crop production. We also need to develop an appropriate training course on Integrated Pest Management for the target smallholders farming system. Ultimately this strategy will help to boost our economy through the increased export of high value ‘non toxic’ food produce.
Soursop Custard apple (Annona reticulata)
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: seeds, leaves, unripe fruit
Mode of action: Contact and stomach problem, ovicidal, insecticidal, repellent, antifeedent and antinematode.
Target pests: aphid, caterpillars, green bug and Mediterranean fruit fly.
Preparation: 500 grams of custard apple leaves, boil in 2 ½ litres of water, until only 1/4 of the original is left, then dilute this mixture into 15-20 litres of water. This is good enough for one hectare.
Basil Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilium), Holy Basil (Ocimum Sanctum)
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: leaves and stem
Mode of action: repellent, insecticidal, fungitoxic and mollu scicidol.
Target pests: fruit fly, leaf miners, red spider and mites.
Preparation: 100g basil leaves dipped in to 1 litre of water. This should be soaked overnight in water. Filter the mixture and add 1ml of liquid soap, stir properly. Dilute into 10-15 litres of water.
Chillies
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: fruit
Mode of action: stomach position insecticidal, repellent, antifeedent, fumigant-viroid.
Target pests: ants, aphid, caterpillars and slugs.
Preparation: 500g of chillies, dip into 3 litres of water for 10-15 minutes. Add 30g of soap as sticker. Add 3 more litres of water, filter and then spray the plants. One can add tobacco, garlic, onion, citrus, alcohol, neem and lime.
Garlic Allium Sativum (Fam. Lilaceqe)
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: bulbs
Mode of action: insecticidal, repellent, antifeedent, fungicidalnematocidal and is effective against ticks.
Target pest: aphids, house flies, mites, white fly, bacteria, cucumber and scab.
Preparation: 3 bulbs of garlic, ground finely, add some kerosene, keep for 2 days. Add 1 table-spoon of soap powder, stir and filter and add 15-20 litres of water.
Ginger Zingiber officiale (Fam. Zingiberacae)
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: rhizome
Mode of action: repellent, insecticidal, nematocidal and fungicidal.
Target pests: American bowl worms, aphid, thrips, white fly, and mango anthracnose.
Preparation: 500g of crushed garlic add 10ml of kerosene oil kept overnight. Next day remove outer skin of ginger and make ginger paste. In another vessel add 100g green chillies, mixed with 50ml of water and add 30g of liquid soap as emulsifier. Solution is stirred and filtered and 10-15 ml of water added.
Neem
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: seeds and leaves
Mode of action: insecticidal, repellent, antifeedant acaricidal, growth inhibiting nematocidal, fungicidal, anti-viral. Neem compounds act mainly as stomach poison and systemic.
Target pests: Aphid, American boll-worms, ants, deserts, locust, leaf hoppers, leaf miners, mites, scales, termites, thrips, white fly.
Preparation: 1 kg of neem leaves dipped into 2 litres of water and left overnight. Boil it 15-20 minutes untill 1/4 is left. Dilute with 10-15ml of water.
Papaya Carcia papaya
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: leaves, seed, unripe fruit
Mode of action: flower thrips and fruit fly.
Target pests: mosaic virus and powdery mildew.
Preparation: 1 kg of finely shredded leaves, placed in 1 litre of water and squeezed through a cloth. Take 1 litre of soap solution, dilute it in 10-15 ml water.
Tobacco Nicotana tabacum, Nicotana Rustica, Nicotana glutnosa, and Fam. Solanaceae
Plant parts with insect controlling properties: leaves and stalk
Mode of action: insecticida, repellent, fungicidal, acaricidal contact, and stomach.
Target pests: aphids, caterpillars, leaf miners, mites and thrips.
Preparation: boil 4 litres of water, add ½ kg of tobacco leaves and 1 table spoon of lime. Dilute it with 10-15 litres of water.
Tumeric Curcum domstica (Fam. Zigiberaceoe)
Plant parts with insect controlling propertie: rhizome
Mode of action: repellent, insecticidal and antifungal.
Target pests: aphids, caterpillars, mites and rice leaf hoppers.
Preparation: 500g of turmeric rhizomes chopped and soaked overnight, dilute into 2 litres of water and again dilute into another 10-15ml of water.
The Rationale
The purpose of introducing pesticide free fruits and vegetables is to increase the support and significance of natural crop protection and sustainable organic agriculture. It provides links with approaches and methodologies that allow growers to put basic information into practice. Ultimately this will provide farmers with the experience and confidence needed to make the best use of the resource available to them and to use this knowledge to farm sustainably.
Commercial scale applications
The plant species listed in this article are grown in Pakistan in abundance but have never been tried on a commercial scale. Even neem that is known to control numerous insects, pests, fungi, nematodes and viral diseases is still used and processed in a very primitive manner. A solution has to be found for its commercial scale applications and extraction of pesticide properties of plants on a much larger scale. One solution would be for the market price to be guaranteed by the government so that the private sector can achieve results easily.
Information deficiency
There is demand world over for pesticide free food, but the information on the various natural pesticides is lacking and therefore, these methods are little used in Pakistan and other developing countries. This is partly due to the fact that processing techniques have not been fully understood. The process of extraction is known theoretically, but large scale production has not yet made any headway, although there is great scope for export opportunities.
Nurturing success
In order to produce fruit and vegetables using sustainable locally produced inputs we need to identify constraints of crop production. We also need to develop an appropriate training course on Integrated Pest Management for the target smallholders farming system. Ultimately this strategy will help to boost our economy through the increased export of high value ‘non toxic’ food produce.
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