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Honey bee publish details |
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BIG & Little ScienceG & Little Science |
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The advantages of spices, like rosemary, thyme, clove and mint as a means of pest control by organic farmers are being recognised by the top scientific bodies. However, the neglect of the plants like, 'guuduchi' (Tinospora cordifolia L) which help in controlling malaria significantly in the public health programme is completely incomprehensible. The fact that Masai children in Tanzania know a great deal about local medicine is very encouraging. How long will they keep this knowledge alive is an open question. |
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A Naturopath Nursing Mumbai’s Only Nursery of Natural Plants
Naturopath Raj Merchant’s nursery has over 500 common and exotic plants, bushes, herbs, creepers, flowers and fruits; each with unique medicinal properties. Nurturing his beloved nursery and protecting his 1.5-acre property from land mafia are the two aims of his life. His garden known as Merchantwadi apparently appears to be an unkempt thick jungle, which is in itself a rare sight for Mumbaikars. Pointing to an ordinary creeper of money-plant in his nursery, Merchant says that with that plant he cured a 12-year old boy’s deep wound in one fortnight; the boy had a deep gash on his wrist from a broken glass bottle. The boy’s father was advised to crush a few leaves and apply them on the wound. Merchant works round the clock and his half a dozen clinics in Mumbai and Thane attract patients who are exhausted from trying other treatments. Several prominent Bollywood personalities have also approached Merchant as ‘the last resort, after everything else has failed.’ Former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi invited him as a special guest to the
parliament in 2003. His many speciality areas are hypertension, diabetes, skin ailments, asthma, tuberculosis, spondylitis and arthritis.
Having treated over 3000 patients for thyroid and migraine, he claims that he can cure different types of cancers too. His daughter, Kavita, is a qualified naturopath and they are jointly writing a book on Nature, leaves and herbal cures for future generations. Merchant says: “I believe that just as Nature
creates diseases, it also provides a cure. Let us hope that few decades from now, there is enough greenery on our planet to sustain human life.”
Source:http://www.jansamachar.net/display.php3?id=&num=53241&lang= English&PHPSESSID =571f6e73a647e9e8ebf199401814c789, downloaded on 3.11.2009.
‘Killer Spices’ as Eco-Friendly Pesticides for Organic Fruits and Vegetables
Well-known spices like Rosemary, thyme, clove and mint are now becoming organic agriculture’s key weapons against insect pests. In a study presented at the American Chemical Society’s 238th National Meeting, scientists in Canada are reporting exciting research on these ‘killer spices’ as a relatively new class of natural insecticides that show promise as an environment-friendly alternative against conventional spices. These new pesticides are generally a mixture of tiny amounts of two to four different spices with pest-killing and repellent properties diluted in water. Isman and colleagues from University of British Columbia, Canada tested many plant essential oils and have reported a range of insecticidal activities against agricultural pests. Some farmers have already shown success in protecting organic strawberry, spinach and tomato crops against destructive aphids and mites using spice-based commercial products. Isman explains: “These products expand the limited arsenal of organic growers to combat pests. Insects are less likely to evolve resistance. They are also safer for farm workers.” But these pesticides will have to be applied more frequently and in higher concentrations to achieve the desired level of pest control. Researchers are trying to make the natural pesticides longer lasting and more potent. Some of them can also be used as eco-friendly repellents against mosquitoes, flies and roaches. Manufacturers have already developed spice-based products that repel ticks and fleas on animals, while researchers in China are exploring the anti-microbial property and insect-fighting potential of lavender, basil, bergamot, patchouli and other oils from exotic plant sources. Funding for this study was provided by EcoSMART(R), a botanical pesticide company based in Alpharetta, Georgia in USA.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090816170910.htm, downloaded on 3.11.2009.
Sustainable Fertilizers: Urine and Wood Ash
The first study evaluating the use of human urine mixed with wood ash, as a fertilizer for food crops, has found that the combination can be substituted for costly synthetic fertilizers to produce bumper crops of tomatoes without introducing any risk of diseases for consumers. Surendra Pradhan and his colleagues have pointed in the study that urine, a good source of nitrogen,
has been successfully used
to fertilize cucumber, corn, cabbage and other crops. The use of wood ash, which is rich in minerals and also reduces the acidity of
certain soils, has not been investigated much; nor have scientists commented on the combination of urine and wood ash, they say. The study has appeared in an issue of American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/acs-sfu090209.php, downloaded on 3.11.2009.
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| Volume No. |
Honey bee 20(4), 38, 2009 to 2010 |
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