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Should Simple Innovations be Ignored: Milk for Controlling Diseases and Increasing Fragrance |
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There is a long tradition of indigenous innovations involving prophylactic use of milk and its derivative for controlling diseases in plants as well as animals in India and rest of the world. Many of these traditional practices are supported by scientific findings as reviewed in this note. And yet, these findings have not been converted into technological recommendations to enable farmers to reduce their costs and make their agriculture more sustainable. The formal scientific studies are also ad hoc and there is no systematic and sustained research programme to encourage use of milk which has been found extremely effective in controlling certain diseases. In spite of awareness about the hazardous effects of chemical pesticides in the developed countries, recommendations to use milk in controlling diseases are few (Hartman, et. al., 1999). The question arises as to whether simple innovations are to be ignored for the fact that they are uncomplicated. Do scientists find it below their dignity to test and recommend (even if they find them effective)? Following are some of the outstanding practices of use of milk selected from Honey Bee database.
Reduction of Viral Diseases in plants
Significant reduction of viral diseases has been found to occur mostly in infected plants of Solanaceae, Piperaceae and Malvaceae families. Chester, 1934, was first to demonstrate the inactivation of virus by milk. Traditionally, milk plays an important role in curing viral diseases (Singh et. al., 1985). In Honey Bee 1992, it was reported that farmers frequently dip their hands in milk while transplanting tobacco seedlings so as to reduce the spread of Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV). Dr. M. K. Chari and Dr. K. Nagarajan reported that farmers in West Godavari district have successfully reduced TMV symptoms using milk sprays but the practicality and economics of large scale use has not yet been worked out [Honey Bee, 1992, 3(3&4):8]. Fresh milk spray reduces nearly 73 per cent of TMV infections in tobacco, as reported by Patel et. al. (1993, pers. comm). Fermented buttermilk of one litre with 20 litre of water, sprayed on tobacco plants, cure leaf curl disease [Comm: V R Iyappan, Honey Bee, 1995, 6(1):10]. Fresh goat’s milk sprayed over plants like chilli (Capsicum annuum), brinjal (Solanum melongena) and spices like black pepper (Piper nigrum) helps control of fruit and flower abscission and leaf curling that occurs due to cold in winter [Machar Babudiben, Dahod, Comm. Ramesh Taviyal, Honey Bee, 1999, 10(1):14]. A mixture of tobacco leaf extract with equal quantities of bajra flour and buttermilk when sprinkled on chilli crop @ 30-40 kg / acre, twice or thrice at weekly intervals helps to cure leaf curl and fruit and flower abscission [Vasava Maganbhai, Dang, Comm: Baria Balubhai, Honey Bee, 1993, 4(2&3):19].
Seed treatment to prevent Puccinia rust
Milk is particularly effective in preventing rust by the fungal pathogen Puccinia graminis var. tritici and farmers immerse the seeds of wheat in milk before sowing to avoid rust disease [Karmhanbhai Karamshibhai Desai, Banaskantha, Comm: Rathod Balvantsinh P., Honey Bee, 1991, 2(1):18]. The neutral to near alkaline pH of milk not only washes off the fungal spores from the surface but also the adhesive property of milk fat prevents any further invasion by spores and formation of pustules. The low pH of whey milk may prevent germination of fungal spores avoiding possible secondary infection.
Treating Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in animals
For treatment of FMD, fresh milk is poured on the infected hooves of the animals [Chhaganbhai Bhimajibhai Lukarvadia, Amreli, Comm: Thakore Morighi S., Honey Bee, 1991, 2(1): 21]. It has been detected that use of whey milk could reduce the consumption of serum required for growth of FMD virus upto 90% (Saha, et. al., 1989).
Intestinal De-worming
For control of intestinal parasites, a mixture of curd and buttermilk is kept overnight in a copper container which turns blue-green. This is diluted and fed to young calves for deworming
[Sukabhai Kanabhai Gadat, Mehsana. Comm: Mahesh. K Parmar, Honey Bee, 1993, 4(2&3):6].
Treating Bacterial infection in animal
The leaf extracts of Tylophora asthmatica and Capparis brevispina, pepper and garlic is mixed with buttermilk/ goat’s milk and fed to animal suffering from bacterial infection [Jogappa M, Comm: B. A. Anil Koushik, Honey Bee, 1997 8(3):8].
Imparting Nutritive Value for plants
The proteins, fats and carbohydrates present in milk and its derivatives have nutritive value that promote growth of plants and increases the yield. A spray of buttermilk on 25-day-old rain-fed crop of groundnut (var. Gujarat-10) gave higher yield of pods by about 250 kg /acre while fodder yield was almost thrice compared to the untreated ones. Buttermilk sprayed on cotton and sesamum crops helped both to survive the water stress period of about 47 days caused by the delay in the last spell of monsoon rains while the untreated ones failed completely [Vallabhbhai Gothi, Honey Bee, 1996, 7(1): 9]. About 1.5 litre of buttermilk (from cow’s milk) poured at the roots of adult ‘karuvepilai’ or ‘kadipatta’ tree (Murraya koenigii) increases the fragrance of leaves several fold [Comm: P Vivekanandan, Honey Bee, 1996, 7(4):11]. A mixture of one kg ghee (butter-oil made from cow’s milk) with 50 kg dung used per acre of land as manure for 2-3 years has been found to greatly enrich the soil fertility [Purushottam Rao, Comm: B A Anil Koushik, Honey Bee, 1997, 8(3):8]. Milk facilitates in breaking seed dormancy. Seed soaking in milk for a day prior to planting in different varieties of beans, results in healthy growth of plants with good yield [T S Hegde, Comm: Arunkumar and Anand, Honey Bee, 1997, 8(4):10].
The protective property of milk is attributed to the increased lymphocytic activity, which in turn is dependent on the fat-protein ratio of milk, beside antibodies and other factors. Non-antibody antibacterial factors include bifidus factor, complement components, lysozyme, lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, non-antibody proteins, gangliosides and non-lactose carbohydrate factors. Non-antibody antiviral and antiprotozoal protective factors include unsaturated fatty acids and monoglycerides, unidentified macromolecules, alpha2-macroglobulin-like protein, alpha1-antitrypsin, and bile salt-stimulated lipase (Pickering, et. al., 1986). Bacteria (Streptococcus lactis, S. cremoris) present in whey milk lyse various strains of bacteriophages. The pH value of all milk derivatives lie within slightly acidic range but is never lower than the critical value of 5.5. The passive protection rate had not been co-related with the neutralizing activity of milk but greater immuno-globulin quantity is associated with a good protective effect (Shieh, et al., 1987). From this brief synthesis of traditional knowledge, it can be deduced that milk and its derivatives can be used in controlling both viral and fungal diseases, up to a certain extent. While it has been found that fresh milk effectively controls viral diseases both in plants as well as animals, milk derivatives and different kinds of milk reduce diseases caused by fungal pathogens. Scientific evidence of fungal disease control by prior seed treatment using milk, for example bunt of wheat (Winter, et. al., 1997) suggests that pH of milk and milk derivatives play an important role in the destruction of pathogen spores. Bacteria present in milk inhibit growth of fungal pathogen through the mechanism of antagonism (Patel, et. al., 1998) which is equally applicable for controlling animal diseases (Shieh, et. al., 1987). The customary knowledge of different uses of milk and its derivatives call for urgent scientific support since minimal technology is involved and also much externally purchased inputs are not required. The whey milk, which is often thrown away into the gutters by many milk processing plants can be put to much better uses.
References
Chester, K S. 1934. Specific quantitative neutralization of the viruses of tobacco mosaic, tobacco ring spot and cucumber mosaic by immune sera. Phytopathology, 24: 1180-1202.
Hartman,J;Vincelli,PandNesmith,W.1999.Website:http://www.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/plantpathology/PPAExten/homefung.htm
Patel, B N; Patel, J R. 1993. Personal communication, GAU, Anand.
Patel, S M; Patel, B K. 1998. Growth inhibition of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cumini by milk bacteria. Annals-of-Plant-Protection-Sciences. 1998, 6: 1, 97-99.
Pickering, L K; Kohl, S; Howell, R R (ed.); Morriss, F H Jr. (ed.); Pickering, L K. 1986. Human milk humoral immunity and infant defense mechanisms. In Human-milk-in-infant-nutrition-and-health. Pub. Charles C. Thomas; Springfield, Illinois; USA.123-140.
Saha, S N. and Sen, A K. 1989. Milk whey as serum supplement for the growth of FMD virus in BHK-21 cells. Veterinary Research Communications. 13:2, 89-92.
Shieh, Y S C; Dunny, G M.; Ledford, R. A; Walsh, P M. 1987. Sensitivity of Commercial Chedder Cheese starter isolates to bacteriophage associated with wheys. Jour. of Dairy Sci. 70:10, 2022-2031.
Singh, A K; Srivastava, S K and Singh, A K 1985. Effect of Milk on the infectivity of Urdbean Mosaic Virus. Indian Jour. of Mycology and Plant Pathology. 15:3, 311-312.
Winter,W; Rogger, C.; Baenziger, I; Krebs, H; Rueegger, A; Frei, P; Gindrat, D; Tamm, L 1997. Common bunt in wheat: control with skim milk powder. Agrarforschung (Switzerland), 4: 4 153-156. |
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| Volume No. |
Honey Bee: 11(1) 7-8, 2000 |
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