Best cure for Pomegranate diseases by using Arka Microbial Consortium (A.M.C.)

Use Correct and the best method of Pomegranate disease management with ICAR-IIHR Arka Microbial Consortium (AMC)and grow healthy pomegranate.

How should we manage pomegranate diseases with Arka Microbial Consortium

Namaskar

Today I have come before you to tell how farmers should use the Arka Microbial Consortium (AMC) to manage pomegranate diseases.

We receive calls from hundreds of farmers about bacterial blight, wilt and other diseases very frequently. Unfortunately many farmers call us only when the crop is half way through, as well as when the disease has already attacked the orchards. In that time, farmers would have used various fungicides, antibiotics and many other such poisonous chemicals to control the diseases. When those fail, farmers start feeling that the disease is beyond control then they call us for a solution.

We would request farmers not do that, because half way through the crop if we shift the management approach it becomes difficult to get success. So start using the AMC method of managing pomegranate diseases from the beginning so that you get a healthy crop.

Then how best to use AMC for controlling pomegranate diseases?

Please use AMC method from the beginning and just before spraying extremely delicately on the crop for the fruit season. Farmers should understand that all pomegranate diseases originate from the soil. So we must treat the soil first in the beginning itself.

How does it attack plants from soil, you may ask? It is through rain water splash or through irrigation time or spraying time. The soil has the Blight causing microorganisms that enter the plant leaf through this process and causes disease.

Hence drenching soil and spraying AMC on plants will kill these organisms and hence diseases are controlled.

This alone will not help. We must develop immunity in the plant to resist diseases.

How can that be done?

• First, through application of good quality and good amounts of organic matter along with AMC.

• Then through perfect balance in nutrient application and micronutrient application.

• Never use fertilizers containing equal quantities of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium like 19:19:19 etc. Use four parts of nitrogen, 2 parts of phosphorus and 4 parts of potassium and do not forget to spray micronutrients

• After that go only for an integrated insect management. Do not use too many insecticides and weaken the trees.

• Please do not use antibiotics on plants and avoid use of any poisonous chemicals on the plant because plants lose internal resistance and become weak.

We have come across farmers telling us that AMC does not control pomegranate diseases. It is because the farmers haven’t followed the correct instructions while using AMC. Here are a few of the commonly made mistakes by farmers -

1. They just spray AMC once or twice and then stop, expecting control of disease

2. They may drench soil without spraying on the plant

3. They may spray AMC and also spray fungicides and antibiotics. This will kill all microbes of AMC and stop controlling the diseases.

4. They may mix AMC with other fertilizers and chemicals. This also kills microbes in the AMC.

5. They may mix with Jeevamrutha and keep for a long time and use it. This kills microbes in AMC if kept for long due to suffocation.

6. They may mix with jiggery and keep for a long time. This also kills microbes in AMC due to suffocation and becomes useless

Many such mistakes are done by farmers and thus farmers conclude that AMC is not working.

Farmers must understand that the correct and full method of AMC use must be followed for best results. They must understand AMC is organic and its effect is slow but surely better than fungicides and antibiotics. It is also very cheap and almost half the cost of using antibiotics and fungicides. You may, what is the right method of AMC application for pomegranate crop?

Let me explain here the correct method of use of AMC on pomegranate crop step by step

Step 1. Soon after spraying ethereal when you irrigate, at that time after irrigating, drench the soil of each plant with 50 grams of AMC powder or 25ml of AMC liquid per plant in 10 to 15 liters of water so that the base of tree and all roots surrounding the trees must become wet.

Step 2. Repeat this soil drenching application after one month of first application.

Step 3. Regularly without fail spray AMC liquid at the rate of 10 ml per liter from 20 days of ethereal spray, that is when the tree gets its full leaves till the crop is harvested. If there is rain in between, you have to spray again. Do not mix anything with AMC while spraying

Step 4. After fruit setting, spray micronutrients at 20 days intervals for three times at the rate of 5 grams per liter.

Step 5. Spray pomegranate powder at the rate of one packet per 250 liters along with 20kg SOP and one kg Urea, three times after the fruit reaches lemon size.

Step 6. Use Neem soap or pongamia soap for managing insects. If insect problem becomes severe then contact soulofkrishi for proper advice and do not use insecticides indiscriminately

Cautions: If you are using AMC then you must stop using any other poisonous chemicals like antibiotics, fungicides, and stop using any other chemicals for enhancing flowering, fruit size and colour etc. AMC method takes care of all these alone and no need to use any of these chemicals.

In spite of following all these methods sometimes due to continuous excess rains the disease may not come under control as the AMC spray gets washed out. But if this is the situation then even with any number of spray of antibiotics and fungicides, also crop cannot be saved

Rest period management:

Farmers generally do not pay attention to pomegranate trees during resting periods. This is dangerous. It is during this period the disease organisms rests and multiply. If we can control the disease organisms during the rest period then it is easy to manage during crop period. Therefore during the rest period follow these four points religiously.

If resting period is during rainy season from June to September

1. Provide good nutrition to trees during rest period by applying sufficient manure and fertilizers

2. Remove all diseased fruits, leaves and branches and also collect all fallen fruits from the ground and burn them

3. Carry out one time drenching the soil with AMC and one to two spray of AMC liquid during the rest period

4. Remove all flowers and fruits regularly from the trees during the rest period and give a minimum of four months rest period.
   

If resting period is during summer months from February to June

1. Remove all diseased fruits, leaves, branches, also collect all fallen fruits from the ground and burn them

2. Allow the tree to shed its leaves on its own and allow for complete drying till ethereal spray.

3. Do not irrigate and expose the soil & tree to hot sun, till you feel that the plant needs water for survival. This helps in killing the pathogens to a great extent.

4. After summer drying in case only few leaves are on the tree then go for manual removing, avoid ethereal and then irrigate.

So AMC methods give you better control than all other chemical methods. It is organic, it is safe, it produces pomegranate free of residues and produces a healthy yield. Thus use AMC method and produce safe pomegranate.

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Namaskar