Modified panchagavya in sugarcane cultivation

Introduction
The Sanskrit word “Panchagavya” means “Mixture of five products” and it has been used in traditional Indian rituals throughout the history. It is a well established fact that Panchagavya is a product prepared by mixing five products of cow. Three direct constituents are cow dung, cow urine and cow milk and two derived products are curd and ghee. It is a mixture of indigenously available bio-products and has the potential to play the role of promoting growth and providing immunity in plant system. Normally, Panchagavya is prepared with five ingredients, but the field survey in Villupuram district revealed that the farmers in Melakonthai village add three more ingredients to Panchagavya and it is a common practice and it exists for a longer period in this area.

Description
Shri. Subramaninan of Melakonthai village of Villupurum district prepares panchagavya by adding three additional ingredients along with the traditional five ingredients viz., cow dung (5 kg), cow urine (3 l), cow milk (3 l), cow ghee (1 kg), curd (1 l), ripened banana (12 Nos.), jaggery (1 kg) and tender coconut water (2 l).  Cow dung and cow ghee are thoroughly mixed and kept for three days. After 3 days, cow urine and
water are mixed and kept for 15 days with regular mixing both in morning and evening hours. After 15 days, the remaining ingredients viz., cow milk, curd, tender coconut water, jaggery and ripened banana are added and mixed. The content is stirred twice a day and the stock solution is ready after 30 days. For sugarcane, Panchagavya is applied @ 2% spray solution (2 litres of Panchagavya is added to every 100 litres of water).

Farmer’s perspective
The farmer reports “the production procedure of modified Panchagavya is almost similar to normal Panchagavya production. Several variants are available to produce Panchagavya. The benefits of Panchagavya are more and I am not applying any inorganic fertilisers in the field for the past 10 years”.

Scope and utility
The following are supporting the scope and utility of Panchagavya in crop production.

F      The  Panchagavya  mixture  is  used  for  treating seed  material.  Turmeric, ginger rhizomes or sugarcane setts are soaked for about 30 minutes before planting. It was found very useful in the development of crop (On a Panchagavya mission, The Hindu, July 27, 2004).
F      The formula is now being used with some minor modifications for treatment of animals and even for treating human physical ailments (On a Panchagavya mission, The Hindu, July 27, 2004).
F      Panchagavya  is very effective for Psoriasis in human beings. The lesions disappear within six months. In eczema and other allergic skin disorders, healing is even faster. It can be given in addition to the regular anti-TB drugs for treating TB affected people (Organic farming – TNAU Agritech Portal –http://www.agritechtnau.ac.in).

Rationality
F      Panchagavya application increases the leaf area and gives scope for enhanced photosynthesis and higher yield. Due to application of Panchagavya, the plants produce larger leaves and develop a denser canopy. The rooting is profuse and penetrates deeper, helping the plant withstand drought conditions. Roots help in better intake of nutrients and water (On a Panchagavya mission,The Hindu, July 27,
2004).

F      In  more  scientific  terms,  Panchagavya  contains  growth  regulatory  substances such as IAA, GA and cytokinin, essential plant nutrients, effective micro organisms, predominately lactic acid bacteria, yeast, actinomycetes, photosynthetic bacteria and certain fungi (http://www.navadarshanam.org/).

Present status
It is a well known fact that Panchagavya helps in crop growth and development. Even though the organic farmers in Tamil Nadu are adopting the practice for longer time, adoption rate is still at 15-20%. It may be due to the reason that the production process involves more labour and time. Due to dwindling cattle population, there is a huge demand for cow dung and cow waste in rural area. If institutional arrangements are made to produce Panchagavya and supply to the farmers at subsidised rate, then the adoption rate will be higher for this practice.