The new organic pesticides have been named ‘Nanma’, ‘Menma’, ‘Shreya’ and ‘Shakti’. They have been developed by ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, from an active ingredient extracted from tapioca leaves.
‘Nanma’ is effective as a prophylactic measure against banana pseudostem weevil, while ‘Menma’ is a post-infection injection against banana pseudostem weevil. It has to be injected into the infected areas. ‘Shreya’ is effective against mealy bugs and white flies in vegetable crops and‘Shakti’ is used to control sucking pests in vegetables, says a communication from KVK here. The new organic manures include vermicompost, enriched cowdung powder (collected from wild grazed cattle) and urine from wild grazed cows of the local variety. The ‘Desi Gomutra’ is a foliar nutrient spray that can replace the chemical fertilizer urea.
Sales counter
The newly-released products may be purchased at the CMFRI-KVK sales counter inside the CMFRI building near High Court Junction towards the Goshree Road on all working days between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
In addition to these newly-released products, neem cake, neem oil, panchagavya, sea fish extract (Aminoplus), manure from sea fish waste (Fishlizer), tobacco decoction kit, micronutrient mixtures for banana and vegetables, pheromone traps for fruit flies in vegetables and mangoes; neem soap, trichoderma, pseudomonas, beauveria, verticillium, vegetable seeds and fodder seeds are also available for sale.

Source : The Hindu