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Breakthrough in organic pest control
Seeds treated with BAU-evolved 'garlic tablet' become pest resistant:
Bio-pesticide treats soil
Our Correspondent, Mymensingh
The Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU) has evolved environment
friendly organic methods for treating seed and soil at negligible cost,
which will help increase crop yield and reduce use of harmful chemical
pesticide.
'Garlic
tablet', prepared from garlic and 'allamanda
tablet' made from 'allamanda' (an indigenous
lower) treat seeds and make them pest resistant.
The
seeds thus treated have over 90 per cent germination rate compared to
around 60 percent now at farmers' level.
These
devices have proved effective during experiment at farmers' level.
One
tablet will cost only Tk five.
Their
use is also very simple.
A
farmer will crush either of the tablets and mix the powder with an
appropriate quantity of water.
The
seeds will be kept in the water for about 15 minutes and then dried.
These will be ready for sowing.
The
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Laboratory in the Department of Plant
Pathology (DPP) at BAU evolved the tablets after research for over one
year.
Internationally
reputed scientist and founder of the IPM Laboratory Prof Dr M Bahadur Meah was behind the great achievement.
Seeds
needed for one hectare of land can be treated with one 'garlic tablet' or
an 'allamanda tablet', Dr Bahadur
Meah told this correspondent during a field day
with farmers on the BAU compound.
The
collaborative research project titled 'Development of an Integrated
Approach for Management of Phomopsis
Blight/Fruit Rot of Eggplant in Bangladesh'
was funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Like
seeds, the soil should also be treated before sowing to keep crop free
from pest attack, Dr. Bahadur said.
A
bio-pesticide named "Trichoderma"
evolved at the IPM Lab has proved very effective in treating soil at
farmers' level, he said. This is for the first time in the country that
such an effective bio-pesticide has been evolved, which can be made
easily available to farmers, he said.
To
treat the land, Trichoderma is sprayed in the
field after cultivation. The land is cultivated again so that the
bio-pesticide is mixed with the 'top soil' (six inches).
One
kilogram of Trichoderma can treat the soil for
transplanting over 1000 vegetable seedlings, which will cost Tk 10 only, he said. The cost will be Tk 600 to Tk 800 for one
hectare, depending on the density of seedlings, he said.
The
two tablets and the bio-pesticide have proved "excellent"
during experiment at farmers' level, Dr. Bahadur
said.
Over
100 farmers have so far been trained by IPM scientists on use of the two
methods.
Abdur Rouf,
a farmer from Nandina in Jamalpur
district and Iqbal Hossain
from Laxmipur district who received training
said they are now using seed treating devices with good results.
Sohrab Hossain,
an eggplant grower from Gafargoan upazila in Mymensingh said
his three-acre field is now free from pest attack after use of garlic
tablets and Trichoderma. The yield is also good
and harvest is on.
The
three farmers were at BAU recently to exchange their experience with the
scientists.
Talking
to this correspondent, Dr. Bahadur regretted
that the government has a big programme for IPM
but it research work is not getting the required attention. The
government should give more attention to research, he said.
Being
satisfied with research work at IPM Lab, donors allocated Tk two crore and extended
the project period by five years, Dr Bahadur
said.
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