Natural crop protection
in the Tropics
by
Gaby Stroll ,
1986 ,
Copyright
Margraf Publishers Scientific Books
COW URINE
Methods of Use
When cow urine is used for plant protection, adequate facilities for its collection must be provided. In Sri Lanka the cows were penned overnight on a concrete floor which sloped to a tank. For 3 cows a tank 0.75 m x 1.35 m proved sufficient . The collected urine was allowed to stand for 2 weeks. Being exposed to sunlight during this time is considered beneficial. As a general guideline PERIES dilutes the urine with 6 parts water. But the right proportions are to find out by the farmer. Tender garden vegetables for exanple, require a less concentrated solution than fully grown citrus trees.Too strong a solution can produce a burning of the leaves (115).
In his first trials RANKIN applied sprays at 1 parts urine : 2 parts of water. Aphids were killed up to 60 % and the american bollworm (Heliothis armigera) up to 10 %. Undiluted urine killed 95 % of the aphids, 67 % of the caterpillars and 83 % of the mites. RANKIN suggests a mixture of 1 : 1 because undiluted urine causes slight damage to the plants (127).
Various plant ingredients can be added to the urine. PERIES has employed assofoeitida, turmeric, neem and tobacco. Such spray prepararions can be used preventively. Thus infestation pressure may be reduced if sprayed in regular intervals. JATRANZA suggests 2-3 sprayings of cow urine at weekly intervals against mosaic virus disease (66).
In the case of uncertainly about the proper concentration, one should try different dilutions at few plants. The right dilution can also be found out by the odour – it should smell mildly.