Organic farming, medicinal plants A Presentation By Mr Allah Dad Khan Former Director General Agriculture Extension KPK Province and Visiting Professor the University of Agriculture Peshawar Pakistan

2. Organic Farming
of Medicinal
Plants in KPK.
By
Allah Dad Khan,
Former .
Director General
Agriculture
Extension KPK Province
Allahdad52@gmail.com
03329221298

3. Q u ic k T im e ™ a n d a
P h o t o - J P E G d e c o m p r e s s o r
a r e n e e d e d t o s e e t h is p ic t u r e .
SoilOrganicMatter
Bodies of microorganisms involved in
decomposition
3. Byproducts of decomposition
Partly decomposed (unrecognizable)
plant residues

4. C:N Ratio
SOM 10-12:1
Plant Litter 20-400:1
Bacteria 4:1
Fungi 10:1
Soil OrganicMatter
SOM is:
55% C
5% N
0.5% P
0.5% S
Alive
Microbial Biomass (fungi, bacteria) 2-5% of SOM
Dead
Non-humic substances 20-30% of SOM
Humic substances 60-80% of SOM

5. How does Organic Matter Improve Soil?
1) increase water holding capacity
2) nutrients attach to O.M.
3) O.M. improves tilth (aggregate)
 The amount of humus in soil is directly proportional to the amount of
nitrogen in soil
 Soils high in O.M. are easily worked and may be described as having
good tilth.

6. Why Organic Farming
 Organic farming in the form of agriculture includes crop rotation, application of green
manure, compost, bio fertilizers, biological pest and diseases control to maintain soil
productivity and restrict the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Infact the
organic farming rely on the management of the soil. It enhances the chemical,
biological and physical properties of the soil and the increasing amount of nutrition in
soil plays a key role in suppressing weeds, pests and diseases in eco-friendly manner .

7. Techniques for Organic Farmingfor Medicinal Plants
1. Zero cultivation /no till cultivation
2. Practice Clean Culture
3. Integrated Pest Management (IPM).GAP
4. Insect traps, lure and attractants.
5. Use of Biological pest control (natural enemies of pest)
6. Use of Organic Compost fertilizer and bio micro inoculants.
7. Use of Organic Pest and Disease control materials.
8. Use of indigenous resistant plant varieties and strain.
9. Practice crop rotation and following (resting the soil for some time).
10. Growing and inter-cropping of pest repellant and herbal plants.
11. Integrated Weed Management (IWM)
12. Growing the right crop on the right soil, climate and at the right time.
13. Solarization
14. Integrated Nutrient Management ( I NM)
15. Vermipost
16. Integrated Farm Management ( IFM)

8. Good Agriculture Practices
 Guidelines for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) of Medicinal Plants
 Principles and Guidelines for Good Agricultural Practice (GAP)
 1 Seeds and propagation material
 Seeds in use are to be identified botanically, indicating plant variety, cultivar, chemotype
and origin1. The material used should be 100 % traceable. The same applies to
vegetatively propagated parent material. Parent material used in organic production has
to be certified as authentically organic.
 2. Cultivation
 Depending on the method of cultivation e.g. conventional or organic, growers should be
allowed to follow different »Standard Operating Procedures« for cultivation (to be
elaborated). In general, care should be taken to avoid environmental disturbances. The
principles of good crop husbandry must be followed including an appropriate rotation of
crops.
 3. Soil and Fertilization
 Medicinal and aromatic plants should not be grown in soils that are contaminated by
sludge. Furthermore, soils should not be contaminated by heavy metals, residues of plant
protection products and any other unnatural chemicals. It should therefore be
endeavoured to apply the use of chemical products with as minimum negative effect as
possible.

9. Good Agriculture Practices
 4. Irrigation
 Irrigation should be minimized as much as possible and only be applied according to the needs of the
plant.
 5. Tillage should be adapted to the growth and requirements of plants.
 6. Pesticide and herbicide application shoud be avoided as far as possible.
 7. Harvest
 Harvesting should take place when the plants are of best possible quality, according to their different
utilizations.
 8. Primary processing
 Primary processing after harvest includes such processing steps as washing, freezing, distilling,
drying, etc. All these processes, whether for food or medicinal use
 9.Packaging
 After the repeated control and eventual elimination of low-quality materials and any foreign bodies,
the product should be preferably packaged in new, clean and dry sacks, bags or chests. The label must
be clear, permanently fixed and be made of non-toxic material. Information must conform with the
national labelling regulations
 10.Storage and Transport
 Packaged dried materials and essential oils should be stored in a dry, well aerated
building, in which the daily temperature fluctuations are limited and good aeration is
guaranteed. Fresh products (except basil) should be stored between 1°C and 5°C while
frozen products should be stored below –18°C (or below –20°C for longer term storage).

10. Good Agriculture Practices
 11. Personnel and Facilities
 Personnel should receive adequate botanical education before performing tasks that require this
knowledge.
 12. . Documentation
 All parent materials and processing steps, including the location of cultivation, have to be
documented. Field records showing previous cropping and used inputs should be maintained by all
growers.
 13. Education
 It is highly advisable to educate all personnel dealing with the crop or those engaged in the
management of production, in production techniques as well as the appropriate use of herbicides and
pesticides.

 14. Quality Guarantee
 Consultation between producers and buyers of medicinal and aromatic plants, with regard to quality
questions, e.g. active principles and other characteristic ingredients, optical and sensoric properties,
limited germ numbers, plant protection chemical residues and heavy metals, must be based on
nternationally recognized or national specifications and should be laid down in written form.

11. 9. Growing and inter-croppingof pest repellant andherbal plants
There are crops that repel certain insect pests. Intercropping tomato with cabbages and
cauliflower will help reduce the diamondback moth attacking cabbages. Learn what
these crop combinations. You will not only reduce your cost of pest and disease control
but may even increase your income per unit area with the crop combination.

12. 12. Solarization
 It is a non contaminant soil disinfestation technique. It is based on the
sun irradition to provide a temperature rise; and humidity increase this
effect. The use of polyethylene ( usually transparent) to cover the
ground soil (upper layer), increases the thermical effect and avoid soil
moisture loss, raising temperature to letal levels for living soil
organism.

13. ntegrated FarmManagement
 Integrated Farm Management (IFM) involves:
 a commitment to good husbandry and animal welfare
 efficient soil management and appropriate cultivation
 techniques the use of crop rotations minimum reliance on crop protection
chemicals and fertilisers
 careful choice of seed varieties maintenance of the landscape and rural
communities enhancement of wildlife habitats a commitment to team spirit
based on communication, training and involvement.