In India, Panchagavya and liquid organic manures rich in beneficial microbes to restore soil's inherent fertility has been practiced widely as part of natural and organic agricultural practices. Panchagavya is normally prepared using the five products from cow, viz., cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd and ghee. Other ingredients like jaggery, banana, toddy, tender coconut water etc. are also being added to speed up the maturation process.
MCRC had identified a potential microbe (Bacillus sp.) that hastens the Panchagavya maturation process, thus, reducing the preparation time. A standard procedure has been developed to obtain consistent quality of Fortified Panchagavya (FP) with increased microbial population along with the production of plant growth hormone namely, Indole Acetic acid (IAA).
Large-scale demonstrations on the use of Fortified Panchagavya as bio-agri input on different crops such as paddy, black gram, groundnut and sesame resulted in an increased yield in the range of 10 – 15% in majority of the farmers' fields over the conventional fields where FP was not used (control); thus, convincing the farmers to use this bio-agri input widely.
