EX. NO.
6 Indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) for
nutrient and weed management
ITK FOR NUTRIENT AND WEED MANAGEMENT
Indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) is the set of actual
knowledge of a given population that reflects the
experiences with modern technologies (Haverkort, 1995)
FUNDAMENTALS OF ITK
1. Prevention is better than cure
2. Integrated pest management
3. Diversifying cultural and control practices
4. High density of flora and fauna
5. Conserve natural enemies
6. Create unsuitable habitat for pest
WHY ITK IN ORGANIC FARMING:
• Has great role and scope
• Avoidance of synthetic chemicals and keep soil alive
• Stress on sustainability
• Offers potential to accomplish organic agriculture
• It can be an economically viable option for sustainable
development of eco friendly pesticides/insecticides.
ITK FOR NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
Panchagavya, an organic product has the potential
to play the role of promoting growth and providing
immunity in plant system
Preparation
Collect fresh Cow dung, mix it with ghee and keep it in a
plastic barrel separately for 3 days.
On the same day, mix the other ingredients (Cow’s urine,
cow’s milk and cow’s curd) in a plastic barrel
separately.
On the 3rd day, mix the contents in a barrel and keep it
open for 7 days.
Stir the contents with a wooden stick twice a day.
Cover the mouth of the barrel with the wire net or
khada cloth.
After 7 days, filter the product with a khada cloth
store it in closed containers. (Pierce small holes in the cap of
the containers to prevent bursting).
It is then diluted with water and sprayed on the crops, It
is recommended for all the crops as foliar spray at 3%
BENEFITS
• It supplies plant growth regulators
The rooting is profuse and dense. Further they remain fresh
for a long time
• Provides nutrients and helps in increasing crop productivity
• Improves soil fertility
• Plants produces bigger leaves and develop denser canopy,
The photosynthetic system is activated for enhanced biological
efficiency
The key feature of Panchagavya is its efficacy to restore the
yield level of all crops
The harvest is advanced by 15 days in all the crops. It not
only enhances the shelf life of vegetables, fruits and grains,
but also improves the taste
JEEVAMIRTHA
This is a liquid manure prepared by mixing cow dung,
cow urine, jaggery, pulse flour and soil. The mixing ratio is
10:10:1:1:1. It is kept in shaded place for 48 hours with
occasional stirring
BENEFITS
• It adds organic matter to the soil and maintains soil fertility
and improves crop production
• It provides nutrients for crop growth and enzymes for soil
reaction
• It helps in increasing the activity of beneficial microorganisms
AMRITPANI
It is prepared by mixing cow dung, cow urine, jaggery,
gram flour and water. Mixing ratio is 5:5:50:1:1:1. It is kept in
closed container for about 15 days with occasional stirring. It is
recommended at the rate of 200 lit for 1 ac spray
BENEFITS
• It is known as elixir for dead soil
• It contains wide range of nutrients which not only improve the
soil physical, chemical and biological health
• It stimulates plant growth, yield and quality
SANJEEVAK
This is a solid manure prepared by mixing cow dung, cow urine,
water, jaggery, gram flour and soil. They are mixed in the ratio
of 10:10:10:1:1:1. It is kept in a pit for 45 days
BENEFITS
• It enriches the soil with microorganisms and • It helps in
quick residue decomposition
DASAGAVYA
Dasagavya is an organic preparation made from ten
products as in the form of Panchagavya and certain plant
extracts. “Gavya” is the term given to cow’s products
comprising of cow dung, cow urine, cow’s milk, curd and ghee,
which have miraculous effects on plant growth when suitably
mixed. The plants recommended for the taking plant extract
are Neem (Azadirachta indica), Erukam (Calotrophis), Kolingi
(Tephrosia purpurea), Notchi (Vitex negundo), Umathai (Datura
metel), Katamanaku (Jatropha curcas), Adathoda (Adathoda
vasica), Pungam (Pongamia pinnata), Leucas aspera and
Lantana camera.
The plant extract is prepared by separately soaking the
foliage in cow urine in 1:1 ratio (1 kg chopped leaves in 1 lit of
cow urine) for 10 days. Filtered extract is added at the rate of 1
lit each to 5 lit of panchagavya solution. The mixture is kept for
25 days and stirred well to ensure thorough mixing. It is
recommended as a foliar spray at 3% concentration
BENEFITS
Dasagavya and has the potential to promote growth, boost
immunity in the plant system to repel pests and control
diseases.
Enhance seed germination and root development in plants
Increases growth, yield and quality of the crops
Plants sprayed with dasakavya invariably produced bigger
sized leaves and developed denser canopy with profuse
rooting systems, enabled higher intake of nutrients and
water.
FISH AMINO ACID
1 kg native fish is chopped into small pieces and 1
kg jaggery is added to a wide mouthed jar. Shaking is
done properly and water should not be added. It is kept for
30 days. It is filtered using nylon mesh and solution turns to
honey like syrup. It is added at the rate of 5 ml solution for 1 lit
of water
BENEFITS
• It helps to regulate phototropism, photosynthesis, carbon and
nitrogen metabolism
• It enhances nutrient availability in plant growth substrate
• It also increases nutrient uptake and nutrient use efficiency
EGG AMINO ACID
Juice of 25 lemons are taken with 5 eggs and 250 g of
jaggery. It is kept closed for 10 days in a container with
occasional stirring. It can be used from 11th day onwards after
crushing and dilution. 10 – 50 ml of this solution is diluted with
10 l of water
BENEFITS
• When used as spray it enhances growth and flowering
• It can also be used for disease control
• It is used as a nutrient supplier
ITK FOR WEED MANAGEMENT
Mulching or soil surface can prevent weed seed
germination by blocking light transmission and preventing seed
germination. Mulching is very effective against annual weeds
and some perennial weeds Cynodon dactylon.
Mulching materials that are used in ancient times for the
effective weed control are
• Black plastic or polythene
• Waste cotton
• Straw materials
• Composted materials
Among these black polythene mulching is more effective for
controlling weeds .
• Continuous submergence of the field for some time
can effectively control the weeds
• Oilcakes are employed as natural weed suppressants due to
their allelopathic properties, which involves the release of
biochemical substances inhibiting the growth of other plants.
Commonly used oilcakes are Neem cake, Castor cake, Mahua
cake
• In Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK), a soap solution is
often utilized as a natural herbicide to control weeds.
• Dissolve 1 kg of salt and 100g of sarvodaya soap in 10 litres
of water. The solution is then applied to the leaves of unwanted
weeds
Spraying Salt Solutions is used for spraying to control the
weeds.
• Dissolve 200 g of salt in the 1 litre of water and spraying in
the field to control congress weed (Parthenium
hysterophorus)
CROP ROTATION
• Cultivating rice once in three years in the garden lands can
control Cyanodon dactylon
• Growing of Horse gram can control the Nut grass (Cyperus
rotundus).
• Raising and ploughing the green manure crops like daincha,
(Sesbania sp.), Kolingi (Tephrosia purpurea) in the field before
their flowering to reduce weed population.
• Raising Calotropis gigantea as a green manure to check the
growth of Aarai (Mars / tea quadrifolia) weed .
• Growing cowpea or sunhemp as a green manure and often allow
swine into the field to control nut grass.
• Application of tamarind seed @ 250 kg/ ha at last ploughing is
to prevent the Cyperus rotandus infestation.
• Application of the tamarind husk can complimented the
control of rice weeds especially nut sedge, which was reduced
by 61 %.
• Before sowing, farmers sieve rice seeds in order to separate
the seed of weeds
• Since most of the weed seeds are smaller than rice seeds out
in the sieves.
• Summer deep ploughing was practiced to reduce annual and
perennial weeds by exposing the fields to heat of the sun
• Repeated ploughing and hand weeding is the very effective
method of weed control
Stale seedbed is one in which one or two flushes of weeds
are destroyed by harrowing before planting or sowing of the
crop plants
• Mixing of Ash with household waste and human excreta help
in the control of weed
• Dry leaves of pine are spread in mid june in the field where
rice has to be transplanted
• The pine leaves are burnt before transplanting i.e., in the first
week of july. • This practice controls the germinating or
prevailing weeds in the field .
• The Farmers do penning of goats and also rear goats and
allowing them to graze on the weed vegetation
• It controls perennial grasses like Cynodon dactylon and
sedges like Cyperus rotundus.
Other ITK in weed management
Traditional Farmers developed a multi storey farming
system in which they practised intercropping and selective
weeding.
Young crops do not provide ground cover. The farmers
understood that, if weeds are left to grow, they cover
the soil, prevent it from heating up or drying out
excessively, induce a positive competition which
stimulates crop growth, and reduce erosion during rainfall
Later in the season, when the farmers regarded weed
competition as negative for crop growth, they did
superficial hoeing.
They left the weeds on the soil surface as protective
mulch, to recycle nutrients and to allow nitrogen
assimilation through the bacteria decomposing the plants.
The crops could then develop fully
Nirai or godai method is used by the tribal farmers. In
this method, they use khurpi for removal of weeds from field.
Farmers of the research area use ploughing in standing crop. This is the
most common method in low land paddy.
Indigenous communities often use natural predators or organisms to control
weeds. For example, grazing animals like goats can be used to eat certain
weeds, effectively managing their spread.
Planting cover crops, like clover or rye, helps suppress weeds by shading
the soil and occupying space that weeds would otherwise take over.
Solarization : This technique involves covering the soil with transparent
plastic sheets during hot months, trapping solar energy and heating the soil
to high temperatures. This heat kills weed seeds and seedlings
In many indigenous farming systems, crop residues (like stalks, leaves, etc.)
are left on the field to suppress weed growth. These residues act as natural
mulch.
Mixing of coriander seeds with sorghum seeds and sow them or intercrop the
coriander with sorghum will check on Dodder.
The irrigation channel should be free of weeds seeds to control the weed
seeds dissemination.
Indigenous knowledge, combined with modern innovations, can enhance the
efficiency and effectiveness of weed management.
