Dasagavya, is an organic preparation made from ten products in the form of panchagavya and certain plant extracts. “Gavya” is th term given to cow’s products comprising of cow dung, cow urine, cow’s milk, curd and ghee, which have miraculous effects on plant growth when suitably mixed.

The Horticultural research station, Ooty has identified certain plant species for the temperate regions, viz., Artemisia nilagirica, Leucas aspera, Lantana camera, Datura metal and Phytolacca dulcamera. These are commonly available weed plants in the district, found abundantly along roadsides and in wastelands. The plants recommended for the tropical areas are neem (Azadirachta indica), erukam (Calotrophis), Kolingi (Tephrosia purpurea), notchi (Vitex negundo), umathai (Datura metel), Katamanaku (Jatropha curcas), adathoda(Adathoda vasica) and pungam (Pongamia pinnata). Since management of these can be made best use of in agriculture, as effective agents against certain pests and diseases.

The plant extracts are prepared by separately soaking the foliage in cow urine in 1:1 ratio (1 kg chopped leaves in 1 litre cow urine) for ten days. The filtered extracts of all the plants are then added @ 1 litre each to 5 litre of the panchagavya solution. The mixture is kept for 25 days and stirred well, meanwhile, to ensure thorough mixing of panchagavya and the plant extracts.

Mode of use
The Dasagavya solution is filtered to avoid clogging of sprayer nozzles and is recommended as foliar spray at 3 % concentration. Soaking of seeds or dipping the roots of seedlings in 3 % solution of dasagavya for 20 minutes before planting enhances seed germination and root development.

Periodicity
Weekly sprays during crop growth for all vegetables and plantation crops.

Advantages
• Increases growth, yield and quality of the crops

• Controls pests like aphids, thrips, mites and other sucking pests

• Controls diseases like leaf spot, leaf blight, powdery mildew etc.

Effect of dasagavya on hill crop pests and diseases
Rose
Spraying 3 % dasagavya in rose controls thrips and powdery mildew.

Gerbera
Dasagavya as foliar spray is effective against gerbera powdery mildew.

Tea
Regular spraying of 3 % dasagavya at 15 days interval is effective against blister blight disease.