Cow urine as a low cost alternative to chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Cattle urine can be a good alternative to replace chemical fertilizers. When the urine is fermented for 15 days along with neem (Azadirachta indica), it can be sprayed over agricultural field to repel insects. Sap-feeding pests and foliar insects can be better controlled by spraying cattle urine and with fewer adverse effects than those presented by traditional pesticides. A recent study suggests that cattle urine has antifungal properties against Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium rolfsii, the organisms responsible for the major fungal diseases one usually encounters out in the field. A research study suggests that rhizome rot pathogens Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. zinziberi, Pythium aphanidermatum and Ralstonia solanacearum can be efficiently managed using cow urine extracts. According to H.P. University, entomology laboratory, cow urine along with Vitex negundo and Ferula asafetida can be an eco-friendly way of controlling insects and pests that affect wheat and paddy crops. The same laboratory also concluded that cabbage aphids can be drastically reduced using an ash and soil mixture along with cow urine. Diluted cattle urine can also be used as organic fertilizer by adding 10 parts of water per unit part of urine Organic fertilizers use cattle dung and urine in ample amounts. It may be due to the fact that cattle urine is a good source of urea. A study from Vishwa Ayurvedic Parishad (VAP) shows that cattle urine consists of 95% water, 2.5 % urea and the remaining 2.5 % a mixture of minerals, salts, hormones and enzymes. Nitrogen makes up 46% of urea. Demand for nitrogen, a necessary and most often abused nutrient can be significantly reduced using cattle urine as fertilizer. Furthermore, the salt and minerals found in urine help to compensate the micro nutrient deficiency in the plants. When this fertilizer is supplied through drip irrigation ,it brings the additional benefit of efficient absorption of nitrogen by plants. Countries like Nepal and India have been using cattle urine and dung as a fertilizer for thousands of years. However, with the advancement of science, farmers are now more innovative.