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Details Of Innovation
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Rice hispa is a dreaded plant disease that causes immense loss of rice yield in South and South-East Asia. Panyam Sitaramaih, a tribal farmer from Andhra Pradesh in India, has been practicing biological control of the rice hispa pest (Dicladispa armigera) through his innovative use of poisonous plants for the last twelve years with effective results. This plant, locally called kodisa (Cleistanthus collinus), is found abundantly in the forested areas all along the Eastern Ghats. He learnt of the use of kodisa from his father- a cattle rearer by profession- who was a repository of knowledge on poisonous plants. However, a traditional practice of using the crushed leaves of the plant had been in use for quite some time, by the Khoya tribe of Andhra Pradesh, to which Sitaramaih belongs. The paste made out of these leaves is used as an external application to cure ulcers on animals and humans. Further the pulp of the bark is used to treat the wounds of domestic animals. Sitaramaih first learnt about the pesticidal property of the plant when he noticed dead rice hispa larvae along the water channel where the leaves of the plant were floating. Since then, he started putting branches of this plant in his rice fields and observed that the damage caused by the rice hispa pest had reduced considerably. The cost of controlling the pest has also gone down compared to the cost of chemical pesticides, on which he used to spend Rs 1000 per acre. Sitaramaih is a small farmer with 2.5 acres of land, which he plans to utilize more profitably by growing rice on two acres and using the remaining half acre for growing sesame, lentil and other crops. He gratefully acknowledges the contribution of his wife Raktamma, who helps him on the farm and suggests areas where kodisa branches are to be fixed. Other than in India, the kodisa tree occurs widely in Africa and Malaysia. Although there exists ample scope for developing it into a herbal pesticide, Sitaramaih admits the main constraint in using this technique is that it is effective only when used in the early stages of the disease.(Farmer: Panyam Sitaramaih, Thummaghoda mandalam, Chinnalguda, Khammam, comm: Comm: Vijay Chandra,ITDA, Agricultural Officer, Bhadrachalam, Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India)
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