This document discusses various aspects of indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) used in organic farming in India. It explains that ITK is traditional knowledge that has been passed down over generations and varies between communities. ITK practices can help organic farming by avoiding synthetic chemicals and maintaining soil health in a sustainable manner. Some specific ITK practices discussed include using fermented coconut milk or mixtures containing goat products as crop growth promoters, using mulches like tree leaves to conserve soil moisture, and using plants like tulsi or neem for pest and disease management. The document provides many examples of traditional practices for different stages of farming from pre-sowing to post-harvest management.

1. WELCOME

2. Submitted to:-
Dr. G.S.Patel
Associate Professor
College of Horticulture
SDAU, Jagudan
Submitted by:-
Thakar Chirag J.
M.Sc.Horticulture

3. What is ITK?
 Indigenous technical/traditional knowledge in a
community, local and rural in origin. The source of ITK is
our ancestors who learned techniques from their past
experiences and experiments.
 These varies from place to place, and knowledge spreads
through folk songs, stories & scriptures etc.

4. WHY ITK IN ORGANIC FARMING?
 Has great role and scope.
 Avoidance of synthetic chemicals & keep soil alive.
 Stress on sustainability.
 Offers potential to accomplish organic agriculture

5. ITK IN ORGANIC FARMING
 There are many practices of ITK out of which some
are discussed here :
 PRE-SOWING PRACTICES
 SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
 PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT
 POST-HARVEST MANAGEMENT

6. ITK in Good Germination
 Radish seeds are soaked overnight in butter milk
before sowing.
 Cucurbits seeds are kept embedded in fresh cow
dung ‘ball 'which are then buried deep in soil for
better germination.

7.  In desert areas ,chickpea is sown behind camel
drawn ploughs in sand dunes areas.
 Cut end of sugarcane setts are plastered with a
mixture of honey, ghee, the fat of hogs and cow dung.

8. Weed management by I.T.K
 Apply the Neem seeds @ 40 kg / ac as basal to get
more yield as compared to the equal quantity of
Neem cake. to control weed growth.
 Cultivation of sun hemp or daincha helps to control
the nut grass ( Cyperus rotundus ) weed.

9. Crop growth promoter
 5% fermented coconut milk solution(1lit in 20lit of
water mix and use as Growth promoter
 Goat dung- 5kg, Goat urine- 5lit , Goat milk- 2 lit ,
Goat curd- 2 lit, (Cow)Ghee -1lit , Sugarcane juice-
2lit, Banana -10 nos, Tender coconut water-2 lit ,
Toddy – 2 lit/ yeast -800g, Jaggery – 800g, water- 5
lit.
 Mix and use after 20 days as growth promoter.

10. Mulching
 Tree leaves(karanj-pongamia ponnata) and paddy
straw are used as mulch materials .This conservs the
soil moisture and simultaneously keeps the soil cool
which provides favourable conditions
 These mulches act as organic matter to enhance the
crop.
 effective for weed management.

12. Jhum cultivation/Slash & Burn
cultivation/Shifting cultivation.
 well suited to the heavy rainfall areas of the north
east India.
 the trees are slashed & burned and the seeds are
sown only after the 1st rainfall.
 After cultivating for 2 - 3 years, fields go into fallow.
Then, the farmer moves on to the next plot or forest
area to protect the soil and allow for build up of
nutrients.
 soil erosion is controlled and fertility maintained by
constructing contour bunds often May reduce the
incidence of soil born diseases.

13. Terrace or Bund cultivation
 Practiced in valleys and foot hills.
 Bench terraces are made across the slope.
 The vertical interval is not more than 1m.
 This helps to maintain soil erosion and retaining
rain water in the slopes and depositing runoff to the
foothills.
 Widely grown crops are rice and turmeric. Jaintia
hills, the small village of Nongbah, (Meghalaya)
India.

14. ITK and Soil Fertility Management
 In Madhya pradesh, soil fertility is renewed by using
made up of cow dung, sheep, goat, and camel feacal
pellets,
 Wood ash,
 Animal urine,
 Growing nitrogen fixing leguminous crops intermixed/
intercropped with cereals/oilseeds,
 Allowing certain local weeds and xerophytic plants viz.
bui ( Kochia indica ), fog ( Ca lligonum polygonoids ),
kheinp ( Crotolaria burhia ), bordi ( Zizyphus
manuritiana ) to grow undisturbed maintaining adequate
khejri ( Prosopis cineraria ) tree population in the field.

15. Pest & Disease Management in ITK
 TULSI:- Control the Blast of rice Control of insect in
sapota, guava.
 METHI:- Control of insect of okra eg. Fruit borer.
 KAROSENE OIL:- To control of ant in climber To
control of Termite.

16.  CASTOR OIL:- Control of white fly in cotton
stored- grain pest control in pigeon pea.
 CHILLIES:- Dry chilli smoke for rat control of
wheat.

17. Cont…
 MADAR (Calotropis gigantia):- Used to prevent
attack of thrips in paddy nursery Control of insect
pest in ginger, cotton.
 LEMON:- Control of hairy caterpillar Aphid control
in cotton.
 ONION:-Use for pest & disease control in maize
Pest control in sugarcane.

18. Cont…
 GUR OR SUGAR:- Control of insect in cotton
Control of pod borer in pegion pea.
 SALT:- Control of wilt in pegion pea Control of
khaira disease in paddy.
 NEEM:- Neem cake use for termite control Control
of aphids in mustard by neem twings.

19. ITK AND POST HARVEST
MANAGEMENT DRYING
 It is the traditional method for reducing the moisture
content of grain. Method of sun drying are
 1.Field drying
 2.Panicle drying
 3.Drying on mat
 4.Pavement drying

20. Storage
 Traditional storage methods are
 1. In gunny bag
a. Storage of red gram with common salt in gunny
bag.
b.Storage of grain using camphor in gunny bag.
c. Storage of ragi with neem leaf in gunny bag.

21. Cont…
 2. MUD BIN STORAGE example. Storage of grain.
 3.WOODEN BOX STORAGE Example. Storage of
vegetable seeds with cow dung storage of paddy.

22. Panchagavya
 Composition: Ghee, milk, curd, cow dung and
cow’s urine Application:
 3% i.e. 3 kg in 100 lit of water is the best dose for
application. In acre of land 6 lit panchagavya will be
applied.
 provides nutrient to plant.
 gives resistance of plant to insect pest.

23. Conclusion
 It may be concluded that ITK based practices offers
its potential to accomplish organic agriculture where
biological methods are adopted for farming, keeping
away off-farm inputs. Indigenous techniques used in
different components of farming system are mostly
organic, eco-friendly, sustainable, viable and cost
effective.

24.  ITK based practices will help to furthering the
concept of bio dynamics and natural farming where
the soil-health building process is left to the nature,
as the inputs for ITK are drawn from the products of
soil and are returned to the soil in the form of
compost or manure or soil and plant health-
protecting agents.

25. References
 I.C.A.R., New Delhi, Handbook of Agriculture, pg
1418,1420,1433. • Rainwater_harvesting_CBSE.pdf •
Hand book of organic farming,A K Sharma •
http://www.niscair.res.in