Pest management is universally practiced in traditional and organic farming and traditional farmers have to invest millions of rupees to protect their fields from these hazards. In traditional farming, farmers used chemical sprays to kill insects but with them, some beneficial weeds and pests were also killed which were necessary for soil health so that’s why organic pesticides were introduced.
WHAT ARE PESTS?
Pests are tiny living creatures who ate plants and crops. They are ants, bees, wasps, bed bugs, flies, fleas, rodents, myriapods, cockroaches, etc.
PEST MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIC FARMING
In organic farming, farmers try to protect beneficial pests for soil, plant health and remove harmful pests from fields so this process is known as "Pest Management". All techniques and methods to prevent and protect soil, crops, biota, and plants from harmful pests, weeds, and insects are Pest management.
HOW PEST MANAGEMENT WORKS?
Pest management is not a single process to spray pest killers at crops and your job is done. It is a collective effort from cropping techniques to soil tilling, and seeding to biological control of soil through organic sprays. In pest management, farmers use proper harvesting methods, machine cultivation, mulching, and flaming to manage weeds.
BIOPESTICIDES
Biopesticides are natural extracts acquired from plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, and some minerals and used to boost soil fertility and control harmful pests without damage to the health of soil or other good pests. Examples: a mixture of Canola oil and baking soda, a mixture of red chilies and crushed garlic, paraffin oil, lime mixture, etc. are used as pest control and examples of biopesticides.
BENEFITS
- No harm to the environment
- No harm to good pests
- Harmless to the soil, animals, plants, and humans
- Minimum use
- Target oriented
- Rapid action
- Long-lasting effects on soil health
- Suppress pest population but not abolish
- Less toxic
TYPES OF BIOPESTICIDES
- Biochemicals
- Botanical
- Microbial
- Plant-Incorporated-Protectants (PIPs)
FAMOUS BIOPESTICIDES
1.Neem caramel extract
2.Neemastra
3.Bramhastra
4.Buttermilk fungicide
5.Dashparni
1 Neem caramel extract
Neem is used as the best anti-infectant for many years. They act as suppressing agents against the pest population. Different parts of the neem tree are used in pesticides. More than 300 insects and pests can be managed by neem in organic farming. Neem acts as repellent, antifeedant, and insect growth regulator. It is used to manage brown planthopper, citrus leaf miner, cotton leaf roller, milkweed bug, rice weevil and other harmful pests such as Asian comborer, brown aphid, citrus red mite, cabbage white butterfly, etc. Caramel is mostly made from jaggery or brown sugar and it maintains soil pH because it contains organic acids good for soil health.
2 Neemastra
Neemastra is also a plant-based pesticide acquired from fresh neem leaves. It is used to control rice weevil and other harmful pests such as Asian comborer, brown aphid, citrus red mite, cabbage white butterfly, and many more.
2.1 Preparation
Mix freshly crushed neem leaves 5kg with 50-liter water, 5-liter cow urine, and 2kg cow dung. Stir this solution 6 times a day and place in a warm dry place for 24 hours for fermentation. Filter this solution and dilute it with 100 liters of water for use at crops.
2.2 Use
Use this dilution at 1-acre crop leaves as a sprinkler.
3 Bramhastra
It is also known as Organic Vedic Pesticide. It is used to manage sucking pests, fruit borers, Pod borer, and other pests. It works as fungicide, Insecticide, Viricide, Nematicide, Termiticide
3.1 Preparation
Crush 3 kg neem leaves in 10 lit cow urine and crush 2 kg custard apple leaf, 2 kg papaya leaf, 2 kg pomegranate leaves, 2 kg guava leaves and mix in water. Boil 5 times at some interval till it becomes half. Keep for 24 hours. Filter this solution and squeeze the extract. This can be stored in bottles for 6 months.
3.2 Use
This solution can be used for one acre per week. Farmers can use 3-4 times in a month.
4 Buttermilk Fungicides
Fermented curd water or buttermilk is also used as a pest killer in different parts of the world. Simple curd is prepared and left for a week in a warm dry place for fermentation. When fungus appears at the surface, strain it, and dilute it with water. This is used for the management of whiteflies, jassids, aphids, etc.
5 Dashparni Extract
This is an animal and plant base pest killer. It is antifungal, anti-infectant, and anti-inflammatory. This solution is best for leaf curlers, sucking pests, and fruit borers.
5.1 Preparation
Mix crushed neem leaves 5 kg, Vitex negundo leaves 2 kg, Aristolochia leaves 2 kg, papaya 2 kg, Tinospora cordifolia leaves 2 kg, Custard apple leaves 2 kg, Karanja leaves 2 kg, Castor leaves 2 kg, Nerium Indicum 2 kg, Calotropis Procera leaves 2 kg, with Green chili paste 2 kg, Garlic pastes 250 gm, Cow dung 3 kg and Cow Urine 5 liter in 200-liter water. Place this solution to ferment for one month in a warm dry place. Shake this solution thrice a day. It is ready to use after a month, just crush and filter this mixture properly.
5.2 Use
This solution is enough for one acre.
CONCLUSION
Organic Pesticides are getting popular day by day because pest killers are organic and they are made from biological waste, that’s why their production cost is very low and they are easy to use. Farmers are transferring their inputs from chemicals to organics because they are non-hazardous to human health and for the environment.