Biodynamic Agriculture :-

Biodynamic Agriculture Is A Method Of Farming That Aims To Treat The Farm As A Living System Which Interacts The Environment, To Build Healthy, Living Soil And To Produce Food That Nourishes And Vitalizes And Helps To Develop Man Kind. The Underlying Principle Of Biodynamics Is Making Life-Giving Compost Out Of Dead Material. The Methods Are Derived From The Teachings Of Rudolf Stainer And Subsequent Practitioners.

The Important Components Of Biodynamic Farming Are As Follows:

·       Turning In Plant Materials Such As Green Crops And Straw

·       Not Using Chemical Fertilizers And Pesticides

·       Avoiding Soil Compaction By Machinery Or Animals, Particularly In Wet Weather

·       Keeping Soil Covered By Pasture, Crops Or Mulch Not Destroying The Soil Structure By Poor Farming Practices Such As Excessive Use Of Rotary Hoe Or Cultivation In Unsuitable Weather (Too Wet Or Too Dry)

·       Fallowing The Land By Planting Deep-Rooting Permanent Pasture Species Or Using Green Crops

·       Use Of Preparations Bd-500 And Bd-501

·       Compost Made With Preparations Bd-502 – Bd-507

·       Liquid Manure Made With Preparations Bd-502 – Bd-507

·       Cowpat Pit Manure Made With Preparations Bd-502 – Bd-507

These Biodynamic Preparations Named Bd-500 To Bd-507 Are Not Food For The Plants, But They Facilitate The Effective Functioning Of Etheric Forces. They Are Also Not The Usual Compost Starters, But Can Stimulate Compost Organisms In Various Ways. In Short They Are Biologically Active Dynamic Preparations Which Help In Harvesting The Potential Of Astral And Etheral Powers For The Benefit Of The Soil And Various Biological Cycles In The Soil.

So Far 9 Biodynamic Preparations Have Been Developed, Named As Formulation 500 To 508. Out Of These, Formulation-500 (Cow Horn Compost) And Formulation-501 (Horn-Silica) Are Very Popular And Are Being Used By Large Number Of Organic Farmers. Formulations-502 To 507 Are Compost Enrichers And Promoters, While Formulation 508 Is Of Prophylactic In Nature And Helps In Control Of Fungal Diseases.

Biodynamic Formulation-500 (Bd-500)

·       As Per The Established Norms Of Biodynamic Process While Cow-Dung Is Full Of Astral And Etheral Powers; The Cow-Horn Shell Has The Potential To Absorb Astral Powers. In This Formulation The Inherent Potential Of These Two Components Is Harvested In Making A Biologically Active Formulation.

·       Method Of Preparation – Whip Fresh Cow Dung To Prepare A Thick Smooth Paste. Fill The Empty Cow Horn Shells With This Paste. Now Place These Horns In The Pit In Upright Position With The Pointed Closed End Of Horns Facing Upwards. Fill The Pit With Good Fertile Soil And Compost Mixture (25 : 1) Till Ground Level. The Soil Of The Pit Is To Be Kept Moist For All The Time. If Required Sprinkle Water At Repeated Intervals. As Per The Indian Moon Calendar “Kwar Navratra” (October-November) Is The Most Ideal Period For Placing The Dung Filled Horns In Pits. The Horns Are Kept Buried For Approximately Six Months And Are Taken Out During “Chaitra Navratra” (March-April). Dig Out The Horns At Appropriate Time And Take Out The Bd- 500 Compost. The Compost Should Be Moist And Should Have A Pleasing Smell. Store The Compost In Earthen Pots Till Its Use. Bd-500 Can Be Used In Any Crop Twice, First Dose Is To Be Applied A Day Before Sowing And Second Dose After 20 Days Of Seedling Emergence. For Best Results It Should Be Applied Close To Full Moon Days. Bd-500 Applied During Lowmoon Or No-Moon Days Will Not Be That Effective.

·       Method Of Application – Mix 30 Gm Of Bd-500 In About 13 Lit Of Rain Or Fresh Tube-Well Water. Stir The Solution With Hand For One Hour. Apply This Suspension With The Help Of Knapsac Sprayer On Soil Surface Or As Foliar Spray. The Best Time Of Application Is Close To Sunset. Bd-500 Application Encourage The Growth Of Beneficial Microorganisms And Earthworms, Promote Rooting Process And Harvest Terrestrial Forces For Better Crop Growth And Increased Biological Activity In The Soil.

Biodynamic Formulation 501 (Bd-501)

·       In This Formulation Fine Powder Of Quartz Silica Is Filled In Empty Cow-Horn Shells And Kept Buried In Soil For Six Months During Hot Summer Season. Opposed To Bd-500, The Silica Filled Horns Are Buried During March-April (Chaitra Navratra) And Taken Out During Oct.-Nov. (Kwar Navratra). Bd-501 Is Used As Foliar Spray And Is Known To Be Promoting Photosynthetic Activity Of The Plants, Resulting Into Better Growth Of The Plants And Better Quality Of Grains And Fruits. 1gm Bd-501 Is Sufficient For One Acre. Mix 1gm Bd-501 In 13 Lit Of Water And Mix By Whirling For One Hour. Apply This Suspension In The Field As Fine Mist Spray. Bd-501 Should Be Applied In Early Morning Hours When There Is Mild Breeze. Bd-501 Is To Be Applied First At 3-4 Leaf Stage Followed By Two More Application At An Interval Of 30 Days. Bd-501 Also Acts As Prophylactic Agent And Helps In Prevention Of Many Fungal Diseases Such Mildews And Blights.

Other Biodynamic Preparation

·       Besides 500 And 501 There Are Seven Other Biodynamic Preparations Having Numbers From 502 To 508, But As Their Method Of Preparations Are Difficult, They Are Not Very Popular In India And Are Not Being Used In Large Scale. Their Methods Of Preparation In Brief Are As Follows:

·       Bd-502 – Moistened Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium) Blossom Gathered In Spring, Are Packed Into The Bladder Of Deer Stag Or Hart. The Bladder Is Hung Into The Sun Over The Summer And Buried Into Good Soil Over The Winter. The Contents, Dug Up In The Spring, Will Aid The Compost To Regulate Potassium And Sulphur Processes.

·       Bd-503 – Chamomile Blossoms (Matricria Chamomilla) Gathered In The Summer Are Moistened With Chamomile Tea And Stuffed Into The Small Intestine Of A Freshly Butchered Cow, Made Into Little Links Of Sausages And Buried Into Good Humus Soil In The Fall. The Burial Place Should Be Close To Melt Water Flow Of Snow After The Winter. This Preparation Helps Regulate The Calcium Processes Of Compost.

·       Bd-504 – Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica) Is Buried In The Soil For One Full Year, Enclosed In A Mantle Of Peat Moss. It Aids In Humification Of The Compost.

·       Bd-505 – Scrapings Of The Outer Rind Of Oak Bark (Quercus Robur) Are Placed In The Skull Cavity Of A Domestic Animal Such As Sheep Or Goat And Buried In Fall In Ground That Has Water Percolations Through It (Such As Below Leaking Drain Pipe). The Contents Are Used In The Spring. This Preparation Works On Calcium Processes And Contributes To Making Plants Disease Resistant.

·       Bd-506 – Dried Flowers Of Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) Gathered In Spring Are Moistened And Folded Into The Mesentery (Membrane That Holds Intestines) Of A Cow. This Is Buried In Soil Until The Spring. It Helps To Regulate The Silica Processes In Relation To The Potassium Processes.

·       Bd-507 – Extract The Juice Of Valerian (Valeriana Officinalis) Flowers By Squeezing. The Juice Is Diluted In Rain Water And Sprayed On The Compost Pile. This Preparation Regulates The Phosphorus Processes In The Compost.

·       Bd-508 – Fresh Tissue Of Horse Tail Plant (Equisetum Arvense) Is Made Into A Tea By Boiling With Water For 20 Min. Filtered Tea Can Be Stored In Glass Bottles And Diluted At The Time Of Use. This Formulation Is Used As Prophylactic Agent Against Mildews, Blights And Other Fungal Disorders.

Natural Farming

·       Natural Farming Emphasizes On Efficient Use Of On-Farm Biological Resources And Enrichment Of Soil With The Use Of Jivamruta To Ensure High Soil Biological Activity. Use Of Bijamruta For Seed/ Planting Material Treatment And Jivamruta For Soil Treatment And Foliar Spray Are Important Components. The Use Of Both These Ingredients Have Been Incorporated In The Package Described Above.

·       Jivamruta Has Been Found To Be Rich In Various Beneficial Microorganisms. As Per The Studies Conducted By Bio Centre Bangalore The Jivamruta Contains Following Microorganisms:

·       Azospirillum 2 X 106

·       Psm 2 X 106

·       Pseudomonas 2 X 102

·       Trichoderma 2 X 106

·       Yeasts And Moulds 2 X 107

Natueco Farming

The Natueco Farming System Follows The Principles Of Eco-System Networking Of Nature. It Is Beyond The Broader Concepts Of Organic Or Natural Farming In Both Philosophy And Practice. It Offers An Alternative To The Commercial And Heavily Chemical Techniques Of Modern Farming. Instead, The Emphasis Is On The Simple Harvest Of Sunlight Through The Critical Application Of Scientific Examination, Experiments, And Methods That Are Rooted In The Neighborhood Resources. It Depends On Developing A Thorough Understanding Of Plant Physiology, Geometry Of Growth, Fertility, And Biochemistry. This Can Be Simply Achieved Through:

Understanding Natueco Farming Science

·       Natueco Farming Methods Go Beyond Natural Farming And Organic Farming.

·       In Natural Farming, Farming Is Done Trusting Nature Through The Empirical Wisdom Of Ages. However, Natueco Methods Emphasize Farming By Knowing Nature More And More Through Critical Scientific Inquiries And Experiments. It Is An Ever Growing, Novel, Unique, Participatory Tryst Between Man And Nature. Moreover, Natueco Farming In No Way Related To The Present Commercial Techniques Of Farming.

·       It Has A New Vision Of Infinite Resource Potentials In Nature And Sunlight And Promises Plenty For All Through Harvesting All Available Resources By Increasing The Human Activity.

·       This Depends On Critical Understanding Of Greening And Recycling Of Biomass Within The Neighborhood To Enrich The Structure And Fertility Of Soil In A Calculated Way.

·       It Promises Record Assured Yields In A Mathematic Precision By Understanding Plant’s Geometry, Cycles Of Growth And Canopy (Leaf Area) Management With Little Or No External Inputs And Ensuring Optimum Harvesting Of Sunlight.

·       It Visualizes That In The Near Future, The Present Money Market System Will Have To Give Way To A New Eco-Economic System Of Nature, I.E. Energy Market System.

Natueco Farming Step By Step

·       Soil – Enrichment Of Soil By Recycling Of The Biomass By Establishing A Proper Energy Chain.

·       Roots – Development And Maintenance Of White Feeder Root Zones For Efficient Absorption Of Nutrients.

·       Canopy – Harvesting The Sun Through Proper Canopy Management For Efficient Photosynthesis.      

Basic Principals Of Natueco Farming

·       Harvesting The Sun In All Biological Processes, Energy Input Is Required And Solar Energy Is The Only Available Resource. No Time And No Square Foot Of Sun Energy Should Be Lost By Not Harvesting It Biologically. Lost Sun Energy Is Lost Opportunity. Photosynthesis Is The Main Process By Which Solar Energy Is Absorbed. It Is Of Course The Objective To Obtain A Higher Degree Of Photosynthesis. Although Genetically Photosynthesis Efficiency Is Around 1.5% To 2.5%, We Can Increase Leaf Index [Area Of Leaf For Every Square Meter Of Land] By Caring For Healthy Canopies, Use Of Multiple Canopy Utilizing Direct And Filtered Sunrays.