Seabuckthorn — a multipurpose plant
By Ravinder Sood
Seabuckthorn, locally known as charma, has attracted global attention of scientists, environmentalists, industrialists and various other agencies due to the presence of vitamins and many other substances in its fruits, leaves and bark.

Control of weed in wheat crop
By Hari Om, D.P. Nandal & S.D. Dhiman
PHALARIS minor has become a menacing weed in the wheat crop in the rice-wheat growing belt of north-western India. It is popularly known as “mandusi”, “kanki” or “gulli-danda”. It can reduce wheat yields by 40 to 100 per cent.

Spurious insecticides flood market
By Khushwant Ahluwalia

THE Indian market today is flooded with spurious insecticides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilisers.

The modus operandi of the people who indulge in such activities is very simple. Small companies or a few individuals firstly take a room on rent and tie up with a printing press. Packs of prominent insecticides, fungicides and herbicides are then printed. The imitation is so precise that they even print the batch number on the packs after finding a particular product in the market.

After this exercise is completed, they start packing the fake medicines in new packs.

Proper care is taken to bring similarity with the genuine product. Each fungicide or pesticide has apparent qualities such as smell, texture and colour before and after it is mixed with water.

A price is then fixed depending upon the blend. Later, it is sold at company price by dealers to avoid skepticism.

The dealers buy about 10 to 15 original packs of the fungicides or pesticides and display them in the showcases. whenever an agriculture inspector visits them for collecting samples they show the displayed ones and get a chit.

“These people indulge in mixed sales. For example, they sell original product to one farmer and spurious to another. By doing this they get absolved of the blame of providing fake pesticides or fungicides as they point out the good results of the farmer to whom they have provided the original product,’’ sources say.

Farmers are giving 20 to 25 sprays of fenvalerate and cypormethrin salt. respectively, to kill American bollworm or heliothes on their cotton crop over a span of seven months but with no result. Their cost of sprays has touched a phenomenal Rs 5,000 per acre.

Mr Gurbir Sekhon, a farmer from Mithri village in Muktsar district, says middlemen and dealers exploit the farmer, since they are dependent on the latter for money, by providing them with spurious insecticides purchased from places like Indra Nagar Market in Delhi at very low prices.

These racketeers use various kinds of essences, solvents and colours that are available in the market for giving effect to avoid suspicion by the farmer. For example, matacystox, a pesticide, has a pungent smell, so artificial odour is added to make it smell like the real one. The same goes for M-45, a fungicide marketed by Indofil. Mancozeb, the main salt of this fungicide, has a yellow or greenish yellow colour. They add chalk powder with the main salt to adulterate it.

“Indra Nagar Market in Delhi is a heaven for such activities but it is prevalent all over India’’, discloses a company executive. One can buy any famous brand such as Novartis’ ridomil (fungicide) or excel industries emission (fungicide) or butachlor (herbicide) from some of the shopkeepers there.

“Mostly, such characters look for peers in neglected areas and the people who buy stock from such operators are aware of what they are buying,’’ says Mr Nirmal Singh Bawa, Zonal Manager of Indofil company, who has participated in raids on such dealers.

For instance, they go to a dealer and ask him whether he wants 2 or 4 per cent ridomil. Ridomil originally consists of 64 percent mancozeb and 8 per cent metalyaxyl, which is very expensive. They change the ratio of the expensive salt and so it means that metalyaxyl is only 2 or 4 per cent and not 8 per cent.

The same implies to other pesticides and fungicides.

“What use is it if I get the original insecticide and my neighbour a fake one? Pests in his fields wouldn’t die and my crop will be attacked by them at any time,’’ says a farmer.

Seabuckthorn — a multipurpose plant
By Ravinder Sood

Seabuckthorn (SBT), locally known as charma, has attracted global attention of scientists, environmentalists, industrialists and various other agencies due to the presence of vitamins and many other substances in its fruits, leaves and bark. The medicinal values of this plant were discovered by Tibetan doctors in the early eighth century in Tibet. However, the industrial utilisation of this important plant was started in the former Soviet Union, when Russian scientists discovered its rich vitamins values in 1940.

With the opening of the Soviet Union in early 1980, the Chinese spies discovered in the USSR that the SBT food products and drugs helped in improving the immunities of astronauts in higher spaces in the deficiency of oxygen. Later a Chinese scientist translated a Russian book on the SBT in the Chinese language and consequently active research work on various aspects of the SBT began in several universities and other institutions of China. Developing her own indigenous technology as well as transferring the Russian knowhow today, China has established over 300 industries based on the SBT in 19 states, producing a range of health protection food products, life saving drugs and cosmetics. Learning from the experiences of Russia and China, active research and plantation of SBT orchards was started in more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia and N. America within a short span of four-five years. Besides, a number of other small countries have also taken up research on this plant.

In India, although anti-cancer property of the SBT was discovered in early 1971 by an Indian scientist, it was most unfortunate that since then there is no follow up despite the fact that this plant is available in India in abundance. Seabuckthorn grows naturally along river side and in slopes in Lalaul and Spiti and Chamba districts and other parts of the state. There is also wild growth of this plant in Ladakh and UP hills.

In January 1994, India came to know about the great importance of this medicinal plant when a Chinese scientist delivered a note on the importance and high medical values of seabuckthorn at the first consultation meeting organised by the State Council for Science, Technology and Environment at Shimla. Thereafter the council created lot of awareness about the potential of the SBT in the tribal areas of the state. With an aim to develop and protect the SBT the council has set up a task force on this plant involving the scientists of the two universities of the state. Later the research work on various aspects of the SBT was also taken up at the Regional Research Station of the HPKVV at Kukamserri in Lahaul and Spiti. Nursery and plantation of the SBT was developed by scientists there.

Dr Varinder Singh, Assistant Scientist of Agroforestry Department, HPKV Palampur, has done lot of research on seabuckthorn and also published various papers on this subject in India and abroad. He has also taken up a Rs 5-lakh project on the “genetic diversity and improvement of seabuckthorn — a multipurpose plant”. This five-year project is funded by the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora. Under this project some selections were made from the natural plantation of the SBT grown in Lalaul and Spiti. Dr Varinder Singh says that since the fruit of wild seabuckthorn was quite small, therefore five high yielding Russian varieties of the SBT were introduced.

Keeping in view the research made by Dr Varinder Singh, he was invited by the International Centre on Research and Training on seabuckthorn at Beijing in China in last week of August this year. He participated in various deliberations of this workshop on the SBT. He was selected Editor of the newsletter on the SBT being published from China. This young scientist of Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya was elected Regional Coordinator for South Asia at the end of the session.

Dr Varinder Singh says scientists and other development agencies in India and other South Asian countries have to move fast to catch up with other countries. He worried over lack of coordination among various government agencies and speed of work being executed on the research on the SBT. He says till date no significant afforestation work has been done in the cold desert area of the state. Dr Varinder Singh is of the view that India can learn from the experiences of Pakistan, which started research and plantation of seabuckthorn much later than India. However, Pakistan has made tremendous progress in the research and development of the SBT. Recently Pakistan has sanctioned a Rs 3 crore project for the research and development of the SBT.

It is high time that the government and the two universities of the state encourage and give special attention to the scientists working on the research and development of seabuckthorn. The state government, in consultation with the Vice-Chancellors of the HPKV, Palampur, and Dr Parmar University for Forestry and Horticulture, Solan, should constitute a high-level team of scientists to work on the various aspects of seabuckthorn. There should also be a study for the economic utilisation of this plant and greening the wild deserts of tribal areas.

Control of weed in wheat crop
By Hari Om, D.P. Nandal & S.D. Dhiman

PHALARIS minor has become a menacing weed in the wheat crop in the rice-wheat growing belt of north-western India. It is popularly known as “mandusi”, “kanki” or “gulli-danda”. It can reduce wheat yields by 40 to 100 per cent. At the early stage of the crop, the identification of the weed plant is difficult because of its resemblance with the wheat plants.

The intensity of phalaris minor increases when the wheat crop is sown after mid-November through the month of December. Its infestation is higher in the rice-wheat sequence as compared to other cropping sequences because of its susceptibility to solarisation. Puddling in rice fields helps in deep placement of the seed in soil, hence remains exposed to relatively lower temperature. The viability of the seeds of phalaris minor is retained for prolonged period in rice fields due to its ability to have increased and prolonged activity of alcohol dehydrogenase which is known to play a detoxifying role under anaerobic respiration. The other possible mechanism for anoxia resistance may be the inherent ability of the seed in using nitrate as an alternate electron acceptor in the ETS with the help of nitrate reductase activity.

Now the weed has developed resistance against major herbicides being used in the wheat crop for the past 10 years. Small farmers are more affected by this problem. The problem has become a challenge to the farmers and scientists.

Some of the deterrent measures can reduce its intensity in the field. Diversification in the cropping sequence by taking berseem, sunflower, sugarcane or other crop and vegetables in the sequence has proved effective in minimising its population. Agronomic practices as early sowing, use of zero-tillage machine for wheat sowing, stale-bed preparation, use of new herbicides, etc. are helpful in reducing its intensity in the field.

The results obtained from research studies at the CCS HAU Rice Research Station, Kaul (Kaithal), and on-farm monitoring of farmers favour the possibility of its control with biological means through green manuring of “dhaincha” and sunflower crops raised after the harvesting of wheat and incorporated in-situ before transplanting of the rice crop. The studies clearly indicate the role of certain allelochemicals in inhibiting the germination of the seeds of phalaris minor and arresting their growth.

A majority of the farmers don’t apply any herbicide in the next crop of wheat for the control of phalaris minor where sunflower is grown for seed purpose. On the basis of experimental findings and farmers’ experience it can be emphasised that the control of phalaris minor is mainly attributed to the allelochemicals exuded from the plants/remains of the sunflower crop in these fields.

The fields where green manuring of “dhaincha” was done for four years continuously or sunflower crop was grown in its combination, there was complete control of phalaris minor even without the use of any herbicide or with the use of commonly used herbicide Isoproturon.

The inclusion of green manuring crops of sunflower and “dhaincha” in the rice-wheat system will not only help in replenishment of the depleted fertility of soil and improvement in soil health but the practice would also provide efficient control of Phalaris minor.

ORNAMENTAL

Annuals: After the season is over the winter season annuals seeds may be sown in the raised nursery beds. Small-sized or seeds of some special varieties can also be sown in the big earthen pots or trays. The water should be sprinkled immediately after sowing the seed and thereafter in the mornings or in the evenings. Protect the seeds from ants, etc. Seeds of sweet pea after soaking in the water overnight may be sown directly in the beds.

Permanent plants: Unwanted growth of ornamental shrubs and climbers, etc. may be trimmed out, plants may be staked or tied in position according to the effect or shape required. If some young growing plants look weak, apply well rotten FYM.

Sprouted or developed cuttings of bougainvillea and other shrubs which were planted in the last week of February must be ready now for lifting from the nursery beds to plant the same in polythene bags or in earthen pots for their further growth and development. This is the time for air layering of some ornamental plants which cannot be easily propagated through cutting e.g. rubber plants, variegated varieties of bougainvilleas, etc.

Lawns: The lawns must have gained good growth during the rainy season. Adjust the lawn mower knives in such a way that the lawn is mowed as close to the ground as possible where the lawn growth is not up to the mark, apply 1 kg of CAN or ½ kg of urea per 1000 sq. ft.

Chrysanthemum: Do not alow the rain water to stand in the chrysanthemum pots for a long period, tilt the pots to drain out excess water. Keep on training the plants. Use Bavistin fungicide to control fungal diseases and monocrotophos insecticide spray against the attack of insect.

Roses: In the second half of the month, water should be withheld to prepare the rose plants for pruning in the next month. Planting of new rose plants can also be started in the next month.

Bulbous plants: Well-developed bulbs of gladiolus, nacrissus (nargis), freezia, etc. can be planted now. The soil should be well drained and rich in organic matter. Double dehlia plants can be developed both from the terminal cutting as well as from the bulbs.

HORTICULTURAL OPERATIONS

— It is the optimum time for the plating of evergreen fruit plants like mango, sweat orange, mandrain, lime, lemon, litchi, guava, loquat and papaya as the atomospheric temperature cools down considerably and there is enough moisture in the soil.

— The newly planted fruit plants are very tender and, therefore, operations like irrigation, removal of stock sprouts, training, staking and plant protection measures should be undertaken with extreme care.

— For checking pre-harvest fruit drop, spray the trees with 100 ppm of 2, 4-D and 0.5 per cent zinc sulphate. For spraying one acre of citrus orchard 6 g of 2, 4-D and 3.0 kg of zinc sulphate is dissolved in 550 litres of water. For the control of pathological fruit drop in citrus, spraying the trees with 20 g of Aureofungin in 500 litres of water or Bavistin 500 g in 500 litres of water during this month.

— In citrus, leaf miner and whitefly/psylla can be checked by spraying 625 ml Nuvacron 36 SL or 670 ml of Rogor 30 EC in 500 litres of water per acre. To check withertip or die back and melanose or stem-end rot diseases, spray the plants with Bordeaux mixture 2:2:250 or 50 per cent copper oxychloride ( 30 per cent).

— To the ber plants give first spray at flowering with Karathane 50-80 ml in 100 litres of water for the control of powdery mildew.

To control lac insect in ber, spray 250 ml Rogor or 100 ml Dimecron in 250 litres of water during this month. For the control of leaf spot in ber, spray the trees with Bordeaux mixture 2:2:250 or with 0.3 per cent Copper Oxychloride 50 per cent (300 g in 100 litres of water).

— If there is an attack of mangoscab, the mango trees should be sprayed with 1.25 litres of Basudin (diazinon) or 300 ml of methyl-parathion in 500 litres of water.

— To full grown loquat trees apply 50 kg of farmyard manure along with 2 kg of superphosphate, 1.5 kg muriate of potash in this month.

— Progressive farming, PAU