Use of Rotten Bajra Flour for Control of Diseases and Pests in Plants

Name : Devjibhai Sangrambhai Jogajiya, Devkubhai Jivubhai Darbar, Koladiya Vinubhai Harjibhai

District & State :  Bhavnagar, Gujarat

Category : Plant varieties

Award :   Appreciation

Award Function :   4th National Grassroots Innovation Awards

Award Year : 2007

Innovation Description

Practice 1: Use of rotten bajra flour for control of Powdery Mildew disease in Cumin.

Devjibhai Jerambhai Jograjiya, a 39-year old farmer and has studied up to second year graduation in arts. He owns about five hectares of land and mainly grows Bt-Cotton, Bajra, Groundnut, Wheat, Cumin, Lady’s finger, wheat, cumin, brinjal, etc.He informed that broadcasting of ten days old rotten bajra-flour on powdery mildew affected cumin crop provides 50 to 60 percent control of powdery mildew. He mentions that he learnt this method from his father and now all the villagers have adopted this technique.At present this technique is extensively used in cotton and vegetable crops like, chilli, cowpea, brinjal, cluster bean, etc., which provides better control of this disease. He got success for control of leaf-curl and flower dropping abnormalities in chilli and brinjal last year and received higher bloom.

Practice 2: Use of bajra flour, leaves of custard apple and jute bag for control of aphids in crop

Devkubhai Jivubhai Darbar describes the practice wherein twenty kg of rotten bajra flour and five kg custard apple leaves are filled together in jute-bag. This bag is buried in compost pit covered with cow-dung and left for fifteen days. A fortnight later, the mixture of custard apple leaves and bajra flour is taken out and the flour is collected separately. This flour is dusted on aphid-infested plants either through a cloth or through a pump. The dusting should be done according to the proportion of the pest attack.He mentions that traditionally his forefathers had been using the leaves of custard-apple for control of insect-pest in cattle, and this gave him the idea for the present practice. He had observed that ants did not consume three to four days old rotten bajra flour, so he thought that using this would be effective for disease-pest control. Initially he tried it for Lucerne and after getting success, he used it for other crops also.This practice has been in use for the last fifteen years and for a farm of a quarter hectare area, one kilograms of bajra flour is used with twenty-five kilograms. This method is highly effective for minute pests but less effective for larger pest.

Practice 3: Use of rotten bajra flour for control of insect-pest in Cotton

Koladiya Vinubhai Harjibhai used bajra flour for control of pests in cotton. In cotton fruiting starts after three months of sowing. The cotton leaves become reddish, then dry, and drop down and sometimes they get rotten, in such a way it damages the plant. Bajra flour is buried under soil or compost pit for three months then it is broadcasted over the insect-pests affected cotton crop. This destroys the insect-pests and infestation can be controlled to large extent. Five kilograms of flour is broadcasted for a quarter hectare of land.Its efficacy can be seen within two hours and effect lasts for eight days. Plant starts blooming after application of this pesticide, leaves become greenish due to emergence of new buds and thus, higher yield can be achieved. He is using the method since last eight years and about ten per cent farmers in his village are using this method. It has to be noted that the complete plant should be covered before spraying.

http://nif.org.in/innovation/Use_of_rotten_bajra_flour_for_control_of_diseases_and_pests_in_plants/368

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