The use of pesticides in growing vegetables and fruit is increasing day by day, and eating this produce is adding to our health problems. Farmers should therefore control crop diseases and pests by natural means, which will reduce health problems.

There is a simple way to control many kinds of crop diseases and pests naturally. Mix 85 grams of crushed garlic into 50 millilitres of kerosene and leave it for 24 hours.

Then add 950 millilitres of water and 10 millilitres of liquid soap, stir well and keep it in a bottle. Mix one part of this mixture with 19 litres of water and spray it on affected plants with a sprayer in the morning and afternoon.

This mixture is very effective against American bollworm, armyworm, onion thrips, potato tuber moth, root-knot nematode, sugarcane stem borer, bacterial diseases, downy mildew and rice blast.

To control various leaf-eating insects and aphids, crush 1 kg of onion, mix it with 1 litre of water and leave it for 24 hours, then knead it and squeeze out the juice. Mix the extract with 10 litres of water and spray it on the affected crop.

Using natural fertiliser and organic pesticide technology can cut crop production costs by 25-30 per cent. Organic fertiliser produced with high-nutrient technology supplies the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that vegetables and other crops need, along with micronutrients.

Naturally produced pesticides and fungicides control pests and diseases effectively without leaving any long-lasting effect on the crop. Soil health stays good, fertility lasts longer, and the harvested crop is healthy and safe.

To conserve friendly insects (parasites and predators), make sure weedy plants such as tridhara, uchuti and shalinche grow on unused land beside the field. These friendly insects eat other harmful pests of the crop.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.