Protecting crop and environment
Herbal pesticide from custard-apple leaves
L-R: Pesticide from custard-apple leaves being prepared. Prepared pesticide being poured in spray bottles.
Human and pests both are dependent on foods from plants. In this sub-continent pests eat up two crore maunds of paddy in a year. There is a continuous fight between pests and human beings in procuring food. So far knowledge goes, in the world number of pests supersedes that of other animals together. But pests cannot increase in number always. Unfavourable weather, destruction by birds and human beings hamper their increase. If all the pests got the opportunity of breeding, then the other animals could not live on the earth due to pests. All the pests are not harmful either. There are beneficial pests also, but small in number. Human beings have been applying different methods to protect crops. Now they depend on pesticides. Pesticides play a helping role in protecting crops on one hand but harm on the other the natural ecology. This is a great challenge to our food security. Use of pesticides is essential in agriculture. But we have been losing our well being and ecology in achieving food security. Particularly the fisheries sector is the worst sufferer. Water and the earth have their own chemistry and power. Chemical pesticides harm the environment and ecology, on the other hand they are equally harmful to human body. Not only the researchers, but the farming communities themselves also have been trying to come out of this harmful way. The pesticides made from the custard apple tree leaves cannot only protect the crop and environment, but generate an abrupt change in agriculture itself. Farmer Kausar Ahmed of Kakiladaha Mollikpara under Mirpur Upazila in Kushtia district has prepared herbal pesticides from the custard-apple tree leaves. Kauser says, he underwent training several months ago under Village Defense Party (VDP). As a fish culture trainer I informed about the technology and requested him to utilise the easy way of making herbal pesticides. Coming back from the training he collected some leaves of custard apple, kept that in an aluminum pot soaked in water and covered the pot tight with polythene so that air could not enter in. After a week he experimented the water on ants and the ants died. Later on under the intensive instruction of the trainer he boiled the water with leaves. Then cooling it sprayed in the bringal field. It was observed the pests of the bringal field had gone. This innovation of herbal pesticide from custard apple leaves has created a good deal of enthusiasm among the farmers. Moznu Mollick of village Kakiladaha whose paddy field was attacked by pests informed it to Kauser and got a bottle of the pesticide. It was observed that after two days of spraying the pests were controlled. Lacking laboratory facility the marginal researcher has been promoting the innovation through the farmers. But this innovation may be a milestone in protecting the crop and environment. The custard apple leaves contain carbohydrate, nicotinic acid, calcium, riboflavin, potassium, phosphorus, thiamine etc. Some ingredients of custard apple leaves are helpful in checking disease of fruits and crops. Every year pesticides worth Tk 30 thousand crore are used in our country which directly or indirectly enter in human body to its detriment. Herbal pesticides like the one from custard apple leaves may help both the exchequer and the human body. Chemical pesticides are frequently used in crop fields that cause disaster to the environment and human beings. If patronisation is extended to those marginal innovators, then the small initiatives can protect our environment, and crops as well as their consumers in a big way. On the other hand crops production will be increased because of its natural effect. It is possible to expand the use of environment-friendly pesticide from custard apple leaves if the government and any other organisations come forward in promoting it.
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