How to use chilli pepper as pesticides.

How to use chilli pepper as pesticides. Chili peppers are very strong and insects (as well as other animals) have a very powerful sense of smell and taste. The chili works to basically fry their senses and causes them pain. They learn from their mistakes and do not bother your produce. Use 20 chili peppers and dry them out. Grind the chili in to a fine dust. Fill a pot with 2 liters of water and add the chili dust. Boil this mixture for roughly 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and add another 2 liters of water then allow it to fully cool. Strain the water through a cheese cloth then add potash soap to it (soft). This allows the spray to stick to the vegetation without hurting it. Fill a spray bottle with this liquid and apply to your plants once a week and twice if there is rain. A chili pepper can be an insecticide as well as a deterrent for other animals to ravage your crops. Many of us have to worry about groundhogs, rabbits and skunks. You can create a barrier that these animals will not willingly cross. As soon as they get a scent or a taste they will be disgusted and made ill. It will not kill them but will make them feel incredibly unpleasant. Get dried chili peppers and grind them to dust. Sprinkle the dust around the vegetation.more

How the bumblebee coincidentally saved the greenhouse industry.

How the bumblebee coincidentally saved the greenhouse industry.Bumblebees, beneficial insects and mites are probably the most loyal residents of a grower's greenhouse. The Belgian veterinarian who made this discovery was Roland De Jonghe. He had always been fascinated by the world of bumblebees and was breeding them in his living room, backyard and garage as a hobby. One day, De Jonghe saw a bumblebee accidentally pollinating a tomato crop in one of his friend's hobby greenhouses in the early eighties. The veterinarian immediately realized that if he succeeded in bringing more bumblebees into a greenhouse, growers could make a giant leap forward and replace manual pollination. De Jonghe became the first to breed and produce bumblebees year-round, and soon after his company Biobest was born. Thirty years later, the Belgian company operates more than fourteen international subsidiaries and has distributors in over sixty countries. On a weekly basis, about 700,000 bumblebees leave their production facilities in Westerlo, on their way to help a desperate greenhouse grower pollinate his crops somewhere on the other side of the world. more

AGRIBUSINESS :Biopesticides and the benefits in agribusiness.

AGRIBUSINESS :Biopesticides and the benefits in agribusiness. Biopesticides and the benefits in agribusiness. Greenhouse growers are using biopesticides in conjunction with commercially purchased natural enemies as a part of their integrated pest management (IPM) programs. Biopesticides are pesticides derived from natural materials, including animals, plants, fungi and microbes. The Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, which registers biopesticides in the U.S., classifies biopesticides into three categories: biochemical, microbials and plant-incorporated protectants. AGRIBUSINESS :Biopesticides and the benefits in agribusiness. Biopesticides offer numerous advantages to growers, including lower risk to employees, minimal (or no) re-entry and pre-harvest intervals, and compatibility with biocontrol programs thus promoting agribusiness. AGRIBUSINESS :Biopesticides and the benefits in agribusiness. Biochemicals are derived from naturally occurring substances such as plant extracts. This includes insect repellants, insect attractants and repellants, pheromones, and non-pest management class—plant growth regulators. Examples 1 )Azadirachtin (broad-spectrum insecticide). 2) Capsaicin (compound from chili peppers) (broad-spectrum insecticide, nematicide and fungicide). 3) Clove, rosemary and peppermint oil (broad-spectrum fungicide). Microbials are products containing micro-organisms or their fermentation by-products. Examples 1)The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis for use against caterpillars. 2)The fungus Beauveria bassiana for use against whiteflies, aphids and thrips. Plant-incorporated protectants are pesticidal substances produced by plants as a result of genetic manipulation. There are no plant-incorporated protectant compounds registered for use in greenhouses. source.

Elephantiasis.

Elephantiasis also called lymphatic filariasis causes extreme swelling in the arms and legs. The disease is caused by the filarial worm, which impairs the lymphatic system and can lead to the abnormal enlargement of body parts, causing pain, severe disability and social stigma. The infection occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans when mosquitoes bites causing hidden damage to the lymphatic system. The painful and profoundly disfiguring visible manifestations of the disease, lymphoedema, elephantiasis and scrotal swelling occur later in life and can lead to permanent disability. These patients are not only physically disabled, but suffer mental, social and financial losses contributing to stigma and poverty. Elephantiasis is caused by several different types of parasitic worms, including Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori, with Wuchereria bancrofti responsible for 90% of cases and transmitted by the female culex or aedes mosquito. The B. malayi and B.timori responsible for about 10% of cases are usually transmitted by female anopheles or mansonia mosquito. When an infected female mosquito bites a person, she may inject the worm larvae into the bloodstream. The worm larvae reproduce and spread throughout the bloodstream, where they can live for many years. The parasites accumulate in the blood vessels and restrict circulation and cause fluid to build up in surrounding tissues. The common symptoms are 1) fever 2)swelling of arm,legs. 3)swollen testicles(hydrocele) more

Hydroponics a more superior option to organic farming.

Hydroponics a more superior option to organic farming. With the majority of the world population growing concerned with what they consume and what are the actual constituents of the food that makes it to their plates, the debate of food safety and crop growing practices has never been more intense. Individuals are inclined to eat more healthy produce, even when they are dining out, giving rise to a host of restaurants that promise 'organically grown' food ingredients in their cuisine. Indeed, organic farming methods have gained immense popularity over the past few years and are often compared to Hydroponics to ascertain which is a more viable and healthy form of agriculture. There is a growing body of evidence that seems to indicate that closed-loop water recirculation systems like hydroponics and aquaponics (the coupling of fish production with vegetable production) may in fact offer an advantage over soil-based organic growing since the water chemistry of both these systems can be manipulated to boost natural plant bioactives for health benefits. Thus plants grown through Hydroponics have better nutritional value. It has been proven that vitamin content is 50% more in hydroponically grown plants as compared to conventional ones. Hydroponics uses 90% less water than traditional agriculture hence conserving the world's most important resource from depletion. It also manages to prevent soil from degradation, preserving valuable top soil for plants that cannot be hydroponically grown. Given all the added benefits of Hydroponics, the bottom line when it comes to the organic farming and Hydroponics debate is the fact Hydroponics manages to better the former in numerous ways making it a considerably more attractive agricultural method of growing plants. more

Samuel Eto'o and tomatoes.

Samuel Eto'o and tomatoes . Yüksel Tohum has named its latest heirloom specialty tomato after Samuel Eto'o, the world famous Cameroonian footballer. According to Yuksel, the tomato variety has a lot of vigor and it is very long-lasting, just like the 36 year old top scorer of Antalyaspor. While being very active on international markets too, Yüksel Seeds still has a leading position on the domestic market in Antalya. For them this was reason to pay tribute to their local football team and give one of their recent tomato strains the name of the soccer player who's career got a new boost after being hired by Antalyaspor. source

USDA introduces cost-effective broiler production for farmers.

USDA introduces cost-effective broiler production for farmers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has introduced the "Ghana Poultry Project" aimed at increasing the competitiveness of domestic production and processing of poultry meat and eggs in the country. The project has the objective of producing broilers at an average live weight of 2.50kg per bird within 6 weeks, as opposed to the usual 8 weeks. Another objective of the programme is to investigate key factors at the production stage and to showcase more efficient methods of production to increase profitability and to attract more investment into the poultry sector. As part of the programme, USDA together with the Veterinary Services Department (VSD) of Ghana, conducted a cost-effective broiler production demonstrations in Accra at AMAS Farms in Oyarifa to showcase how the project will work. more