UTILIZATIONOFLOCALALTERNATIVEMATERIALSIN COWHORNMANURE(BD500)PREPARATIONS:ACASE STUDYONBIODYNAMICVEGETABLECULTIVATION

K.PERUMAL&T.M.VATSALA ShriA.M.M.MurugappaChettiarResearchCentre Tharamani,Chennai,600113,w:st="on"India Email:energy1@vsnl.com

ABSTRACT

At the Shri AMM Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre apart from organic farming practices, biodynamicagriculturepracticeswereundertakenbetween19771980byfollowingthecombination ofFrenchIntensiveGardeningTechniquesandbiodynamicprinciplesinavillagenearChennai.The experimentalresultswerequitepromisingandwellappreciated. The studies on biodynamic agricultural practices with scientific observation, identification of microbial diversity and its interaction in soil with different vegetable crop cultivation was undertakeninamodelfarmatSevapur. Threedifferentvegetablecropssuchascarrot,onionandokrawerecultivatedinsoilamendedwith differentmanuressuchasorganicandbiodynamic.Thevegetablescultivatedintheexperimental plots with organic and biodynamic manures produced comparable yield, less pest and disease attack,improvedsoilphysicalchemicalandmicrobiologicalproperties. The studies on biodynamic preparations such as BD500, CPP and biodynamic compost were periodically evaluatedforits compost/manurematurity.Chromatographictechniques,microbial identificationenumerationanditsphysiochemicalpropertieslikepH,moistureandtheavailable NPK were critically evaluated on these preparations. Further the possibilities of developing indigenoustechniquestothelocalneedsbyidentifyingandcharacterizinglocallyavailableplant materialswereevaluated. IngeneralBD500ispreparedbyusingalactatingcowhorn.Inw:st="on"India,theavailabilityof cow horn is becoming an issue. According to RudolfStainerthe clay is the mediator between calciumandsilicaprocess.Theclaysoilcanthereforebeusedasoneofthesourcematerialsin Biodynamics. Instead of using cow horn for BD500 preparation, the horn shaped mould was fabricatedwithclaysoil.Thesemudhornswereburiedalongwithcowdunginthesamewayandat thesametimeasthehorncowdung. Thequantityandqualityofmudhornmanurewasevaluatedcritically.Thealternativeplant materialsuchasflowersfromcompositaesuchasTridexprocumbens,

AgeratumconzyzoidesandleavesofCasuarinasp.wereexploredforitspotentialsinbiodynamics. Theresultsofthesestudieswillbeelaboratedatthetimeofpresentation.

INTRODUCTION
BIODYNAMICagricultureisanadvancedorganicfarmingsystemdevelopedoutofeightlectures onagriculturegivenbyRudolfSteiner1in1924attherequestofGermanfarmers.Thisagricultural systemisconsideredtobetheoldestorganizedagriculturemovementintheworld.Likeorganic farming,biodynamicfarmingneedsnosyntheticpesticides,fertilizers.Itemphasizesbuildingup thesoilwithbiodynamiccompost,animalandgreenmanures,croprotationsandlivestocks.The importantdifferenceisthatthebiodynamicfarmersuseeightspecificpreparationsuchascowhorn manure(BD500),cowhornsilica(BD501)andherbalpreparationsBD502507totheirsoil, compost,specialfoliarspraysandpepperingforpestcontroltothecropswhichcouldenhancefood quality,quantityandsoilhealth. Forty years of investigation conducted by comparing biodynamic and conventional farms or researchplotsindifferentcountriesindicatedthatthebiodynamicfarmingsystemgenerallyhave bettersoilquality,cropyieldandequalorhighnetreturnsperhectarethantheconventionalfarming practices2. Inw:st="on"Indiastudies on organic management with and without addition of biodynamic preparations showed improved biological soil properties and increased crop root growth3.Recentlytherehasbeenincreasinginterestinbiodynamicfarmingandnewgardening system derived from the teaching of Rudolf Steiner and by subsequent practitioners. Inw:st="on"Indiathebiodynamicfarminggohandinhandwithorganicfarmingpracticeswhich werefollowedfromancienttimes.Manyofthepracticesincorporatedinbiodynamicfarmingare thetraditionsofw:st="on"India.Bytheintroductionofgreenrevolutioninw:st="on"India,mostof theIndiantraditionalagriculturalpracticesweretakenoverbychemicalfertilizercropproduction. Even then,w:st="on"Indiahas achieved selfsufficiency and good degree of stability in food production. However,selfsufficiencycanbeachievedonlywhenthepopulationisassuredof a balancedqualitydiet.Thesebalanceddietsfortheindividualsincountrycouldbeachievedonly through a qualitative and quantitative sustainable cropping system by adapting to organic and biodynamic sustainable agriculture inw:st="on"India. The varied agroclimatic conditions inw:st="on"Indiamake it possible to grow a wide variety of crops and vegetables. Inw:st="on"Indiavegetablesaregrownin20%ofthetotalcroppedareaofwhich50%isconsumed locallyand,beingthesecondlargestproducerofvegetablesintheworldcouldcontributequality balanced diet to the consumers. Among the vegetables cultivated inw:st="on"India, the root vegetablecarrotisanimportantcontributorofvitamins,mineralsandaminoacidstotheconsumers. Thiscroprequiresanoptimumtemperatureof1523Cfortheirgrowthinsoilsamendedwithrich decomposedorganicmatter. Thepresentstudywasconductedtoknowtheefficacyofbiodynamicmanagementofcarrot,okra andonioncultivationintheplainwherethetemperatureremainsabove28C.Furthertotestthe qualityofvegetablesgrownbiodynamicallyandcompareitwithcommerciallygrownvegetables, bybiodynamiccircularpaperchromatographictechnique.

MATERIALSANDMETHODS
ThepresentresearchactivitieswereundertakenatthefieldlaboratoryofShriAMMMurugappa ChettiarResearchCentre(Extension),Sevapur,KarurDistrict,TamilNaduduringAugust2000 July2002.Theclimateofthesite,ingeneralissubtropicalcharacterizedbyhotsummerandmild

winter. The temperatureduringthecultivationremainedat3528+2Cduringdayand night respectively.

Biodynamiccompostpreparation&alternatives
ThevermicompostwaspreparedaspertheinstructionoutlinedintheOrganiccompostingtraining manual published by Shri AMM Murugappa Chettiar Research centre, Chennai (1999). The biodynamiccompost,cowhornmanure(BD500),andcowpatpit(CPP)weremadeandappliedto thesoilbyfollowingtheinstructionlaiddownbyProctor3. Themudmouldhornmanure:Theclaysoilwasusedtoprepareacowhornshapedmould.Instead ofusingcowhornforBD500preparation,thehornshapedmouldwasfabricatedwithclaysoil. ThesemudhornswerefilledinwithlactatingcowdungandburiedalongwithregularBD500in thesamewayandatthesametimeasthehorncowdung.Atimescalestudieswerecarriedoutto determinethequantitativeandqualitativechangesoccurringduringmanurematurity. TheflowersofPeltophorumferrugineumwereusedalongwithlactatingcowdung.Thefollowing3 combinationssuchasflower,flower&cowdung1:1W/W)andcowdungweremade,filledinthe cow horns individually, buried and periodically evaluated for its physiochemical and microbiologicalproperties. The above mentioned manures such as vermicompost, biodynamic compost, Cow horn manure (BD500)andCPPwerefurtherusedforthefollowingstudiesonvegetablecultivation.

Vegetablecultivation
Seeds: The seeds of okra (Abelmochusesculantus), onion (Aliumcepa) and carrot (DaucuscarrotaL)werepurchasedfromtheDepartmentofAgriculture,TamilNadu. PlotDesign:Thevegetablesokra,onionwerecultivatedinarandomizedblockdesignwiththree replicateseachwith1.5centplotarea.Thecarrotwascultivatedintheexperimentalplotsizeof1m X1mofwelldrained,slightlyalkaline(pH8.0),siltloamandhavingtheavailablenitrogen(N), phosphorus(P)andpotash(K)at73,6,89kg/harespectivelywereselected.

Treatment:

CarrotCultivation:

Thesoilwasinitiallyamendedwith7kgofvermicompost,7kgofbiodynamiccompostand1kgof cow pat pit manure (CPP) which were previously prepared and thoroughly mixed. The carrot seedswerepropagatedonarootsignday(11thNovember2001:Thesunpositionwasoppositeto LibraandthemoonwasoppositetoLeoVirgo)attheexperimentalplot.Oncein3daysirrigation wasdone.Onthe15thdayaftersowingthinningprocess(5cmbetweenplants)wasundertaken. Fortydayaftersowingearthingupandtopdressingwereundertakenwithanapplicationof7kg eachofvermicompostandbiodynamiccompostmanures.Weedingwasdoneon20thand40thday aftersowing.Onthe60thand80thdayaftersowingvermicompostextractpreparedbymixing3kg ofvermicompostin2000mlofwater.Anextractof500mlwascollectedandagaindilutedwith 500mlofwater.Thisextract(100ml)wasappliedasfoliarsprayinadditiontocowurine(3% V/V).Onthe80thdayaftersowingafoliarsprayofBD501wasgivenand50gramsofgypsumalso appliedtothesoil.Onthe95thdayaftersowingcarrotcropwasharvested.

Okra&Onioncultivation:
The okra (Abelmochusesculantus),onion (Alliumcepa)were cultivated on fruit rootsign day during May August2000attheexperimentalplotsandacomparisonwasmadebetween four farmingsystemsuchasFarmerspractice(T1consistsoffarmyardmanure15kg,Urea1.5kg,super phosphate9kgasbasalandUrea1kg,potash0.5kgwasappliedduringtopdressing),Biodynamic (T2treatmentconsistofbiodynamiccomposteach40kgappliedduringbasalandtopdressing), Organic(T3treatmentconsistsoffarmyardmanureandvermicomposteach20kgwereapplied duringbasalandtopdressing),andinorganicpractice(T4treatmentconsistsofurea2.5kg,super phosphateandpotasheachat1.5kgrespectivelyappliedasbasalandtopdressingtothesoil.)were undertaken. Duringthe25thand50thDayafterplanting,plantprotectionmeasureswerefollowedforokraand onionandthedetailsaregivenbelow:

Treatment T1 T2 T3 T4

5thDay(mlspray)
Endosulphan(25) BD501,CPP Cowurine(300) Endosulphan(25)

50thDay(mlspray)
Monocil(10)

Cow urine (300) &Daturaextract(1000)

Daturaextract(1000) Monocil(10)

BIOMETRICALANALYSIS
Theokrasbiometricanalysissuchasplantheight(shoot&rootlength),Noofflowers/plant,No.of fruit/plant,No.ofseeds/fruit,fruityieldandstackyieldwererecordedat10daysinterval.The onionbiometricanalysissuchasplantheight,drymatterproduction,Noofbulbs/plant,weightof bulb/plant,bulbyield(Fresh&dried)andstackyieldwererecordedTheobservationonthecarrot growthparameterslikeplantheight,rootlength,rootgirth,drybiomass,andtotalrootyieldwere recorded at every 10 days intervaluptothe90thDAS (at the time of harvesting). At each observation20plantswererandomlyselectedandrecorded.

Soilphysicochemicalanalysis
Thesoilfromvarioustreatmentssuchasinitial,preharvestedormanureappliedandpostharvested soilwereanalysedforphysicochemicalpropertiessuchaspH,EC,N,P,KandOC(organiccarbon) by following standard soil & manure analysis methods as described byMuthuveland Udayasoorian4.

Microbialanalysis
Themicrobialanalysisofsoils(suchasinitial,manureappliedandpostharvested)weredoneby using standard dilution plate count techniques5. The media such as nutrient agar, yeast extractmanitolagar,Azospirillumisolation medium,Azotobactor isolation agar medium and roseBengalnutrient agar medium were used for the enumeration of the total bacteria,Rhizobium,Azospirillum,Azotobactorand fungi respectively. All the experimental analyseswerecarriedoutintriplicatesandtheaveragevaluewasusedinthesestudies.

Biodynamiccircularpaperchromatographicanalysis
Samplesofonegrameachofsoilsfrominitial,manureappliedandpostharvestedareasand2.5 gramofcarrots(biodynamic,commercial)wereindividuallyanalysedforqualitativedifferencesby biodynamiccircularpaperchromatographictechniques6. CircularWhatmanNo1.Filterpaper15cmindiameterwastakenandatthecentreaholeabout 1/16inchdiameterwasmade.AwickwaspreparedwithWhatmanNo.1filterpaperbycutting inch square and rolled them tightly into a cylinder. The wick was placed in the centre hole, protrudingoneithersideofthedisc.Apencilmarkwasmadeat3cmand6cmdistancesfromthe centreofthecircularfilterpaper.Silvernitrate(0.1%)solutionwaspreparedandstoredinbrown bottle.Twomlof0.1%silvernitratewaspouredintothePetridishandthefilterpaperwasplaced inthePetridish.Thesolutionofsilvernitratebycapillaritymovesoverthefilterpaper,andradiates inalldirectionandwasalloweduptothe3cmpencilmark.Thepaperwasremovedimmediately fromthePetridishandthewickremovedatonce.ThepaperwasthenplacedonanotherPetridish fordryinginadarkroomorcompartmentforcompletedrying.Testsamplesofbiodynamicallyand commerciallygrowncarroteachof2.5gramsweregroundintoafinepastebyusingmortarand pestle and individuallyplacedinto250mlErlenmeyerflaskseachcontainingfiftymlof 0.5% sodiumhydroxidesolution,mixedthoroughlyandkeptonanorbitalshaker(100rpm)for3hrs. FivemlofsampleextractwasplacedintoaPetridishthenputthepreparedfilterpaperwithanew wickoverthesolutioninthePetridish.ThewickmusttouchthebottomofthePetridish.The solutionwasallowedtospreadupto6cmpencilmark.Removedthediscandwickandplacedthe discagainonaPetridishforcompletedryinginashade/darkcompartment.Aftercompletedrying thediscwasexposedtoadiffuseddaylightinordertodeveloppatternandcolour.Thedifferences indistance(Rfvalue),colour,patternandshapeofthecarrotchromatogramswereanalysed.

Results&Discussion
The fundamental concept of biodynamic agriculture is to raise a qualitatively ornutritionallysuperiorfoodbyincorporatingbiodynamicpreparationandBDmanurestothesoil to ensure sustainable soil health. The soil health can be improved by advocating biodynamic compost,BD500andCPPtothesoil.Inourresearchactivitiesweprepareddifferentcompostsuch as BD compost, CPP, and BD 500. Thecattledungwere subjected to physio chemical and microbiologicalanalysis(Table1&2).

 Table1.Microbialanalysisinvariousdung Dung LactatingCow Carryingcow Bull w:st="on"Buffalo TVC* 144 29 137 129 Rhizobium* Nil Nil Nil Nil Azospirillum* Nil Nil Nil Nil Azotobactor* Nil Nil Nil Nil Fungi 11X105 9 12 21

TVC=TotalViableCount,*=X106 Table2.PhysioChemicalAnalysisofDifferentDung Dung Carrying Lactating Bull

w:st="on"style ="fontsize: 12pt; line height: 24px; "Buffalo

Ph 7.5 7.7 8.2 7.6

EC 0.33 0.34 0.37 0.37

N 0.84 0.79 0.82 0.87

P 0.62 0.60 0.64 0.68

K 1.08 1.15 1.19 1.20

OC 58.23 59.8 60.3 60.13

Moisture 90.13 89.13 87.30 86.4

C:N 33.60 37.72 36.74 34.63

N,P,K,OC(%),EC=m.mohs

Cowhorn Raw Steamed Hydrolyzed

Table3.ChemicalanalysisofCowhorn TotalNitrogen(%) Protein(%) MajorAminoacids(%) 14 13.5 12 87.5 84.5 75 Cysteine1, Lysine2.35 Methionine0.47

Authentic cow horn manure was received from Kurinji biodynamic farms, Batlagundu, Tamil Nadu,w:st="on"Indiaandcomparisonwasmade.Afreshcowhornandcowdungfromalactating cowwereindividuallyanalysed.Thefreshcowhorncontains14%oftotalnitrogenand87%of protein. The hydrolyzed cow horn contain amino acids likecysteine(1%), lysine (2.35%)

andmethionine(0.47%)(Table3).Themicrobiologicalanalysisofdifferentdungispresentedin Table 1, and is recorded that the absence ofRhizobium, AzotobactorandAzospirillum. The physiochemicalpropertiesofdifferentdungarealsoreportedinTable2. Thepresenceofdifferentbeneficialmicrobessuchasbacteriaandfungirecordedinthecowhorn manurematurationwasassessedoveraperiodof90daysisanimportantcontributortothesoil whenitisappliedatlowconcentration(25g/acre)(Table4a&4B). Table4A.TimeScalestudiesonmicrobialanalysisof cowhornmanure(BD500) Days TVC* Rhizobium* Azospirillum* Azotobactor* Nil 9X103 26X106 80X106 Nil 23X105 45X106 96X106 Nil 42X104 29X106 45X106 Fungi 11X105 9X103 11X104 21X106 0 144 30 27X106 60 131X106 90 138X106

120 242X106 128X106 178X106 98X106 45X106

TVC=TotalViablecount,*=X106 Table4B.TimeScaleStudiesonPhysicochemicalAnalysisofCowHornManure(BD 500) Days 0 30 60 90 120 PH 7.2 6.4 6.9 7.2 7.6 EC 0.25 0.28 0.33 0.25 0.25 N 0.84 1.22 1.02 1.53 1.62 P 0.62 0.87 0.53 1.0 1.10 K 0.08 1.47 1.09 1.72 2.50 OC(%) 58.33 53.37 36.75 35.0 24.50

N,P,K(%),EC=m.mohs Thephysiochemical,microbiologicalandchromatographicalpropertiesofcowhornmanure(BD 500),cowdungmixedwithflowerpasteandfloweralonestuffedintothelactatingcowhornsand buried as per the procedures and all these manures were periodically evaluated for its physio chemicalandmicrobiologicalproperties(Table5A,5B,6Aand6B) Table5A.TimeScaleonPhysicochemicalAnalysisofBD500CombinationManure(Cow horn+Cowdung+Flowermanure) Days 0 PH 7.7 EC 0.34 N 0.79 P 0.50 K 0.80 OC 69.8

30 60 90

7.4 7.6 6.2

0.30 0.30 0.26

0.91 1.03 1.32

0.52 0.54 1.02

0.98 1.38 1.42

64.17 52.31 29.56

N,P,K,OC(%),EC=m.mohs Table5B.TimeScaleonmicrobiologicalanalysisofBD500Combinationmanure(Cow horn+Cowdung+Flowermanure) Days 0 30 60 90 TVC=TotalViablecount,*=X106 Table6A.TimeScaleonphysicochemicalanalysisofBD500Combinationmanure(Cow horn+Flowermanure) Days 0 30 60 90 PH 7.7 6.75 6.06 EC 0.34 0.26 0.25 N 0.79 0.73 0.81 P 0.50 0.53 0.61 K 0.80 1.12 1.26 OC 69.8 65.13 59.3 26.14 TVC* 144 71 77 223 Rhizobium* Nil 17 12 166 Azospirillum* Nil 156 119 121 Azotobactor* Nil 56 41 133 Fungi* 11 13 24 21

6.30 0.28 1.23 0.91 1.27 N,P,K,OC(%),EC=m.mohs

Table6B.TimeScaleonmicrobiologicalanalysisofBD500Combinationmanure(Cow hornFlowermanure)

Days 0 30 60 90

TVC* 5 36 121 87

Rhizobium* Nil 17X105 14 3

Azospirillum* Nil 36X104 43 9

Azotobactor* Nil 36X104 47 16

Fungi* Nil 10 7 11

TVC=TotalViablecount,*=X106

Themudhornmanure(equivalenttoBD500)wereequallycomparableandreportedtobethesame quality (Table 6C & 6D). Theapplication to the soil haveto be studied for its effect and the influenceofcosmiconthecropproductivityandsoilhealth. Table6C.TimeScalestudiesonphysicochemicalanalysisofMudhornBD500 Days 0 30 60 90 PH 7.7 7.0 7.9 7.9 EC 0.34 0.31 0.31 0.36 N 0.79 0.68 1.06 1.23 Table6D.TimeScalestudiesonmicrobiological analysisofMudhornBD500 Days 0 30 TVC* 144 95 Rhizobium* Nil 20 Azospirillum* Nil 31 Azotobactor* Nil 36 Fungi* 11X105 11 P 0.6 0.53 0.83 1.34 K 1.15 1.23 1.41 1.58 OC 59.8 63.28 26.52 21.25

N,P,K,OC(%),EC=m.mohs

60 90

197 239

110 250

90 89

170 178

120 147

Table6.ConsolidatedMicrobial&physiochemicalanalysisofdifferentBDmanures (90thDay) BDmanure TVC* Rhizo* Azos* Azoto* Fungi pH EC BD500 MD500 F+horn 138 239 87 80 250 3 166 Nil 96 89 9 121 Nil 45 178 16 133 Nil 21 147 11 21 9 N P K OC Moisture C:N 52.0 55.0 58.0 58.0 27.64 26.52 21.25 22.3

6.7 0.28 1.09 0.78 1.38 30.1 7.9 0.31 1.06 0.83 1.41 28.1 6.3 0.28 1.23 0.91 1.27 16.14 6.2 0.26 1.32 1.02 1.42 29.56

F+horn+dung223 InitialDung 29

7.5 0.33 0.84 0.62 1.08 58.23 90.13 33.60

TVC = Total viable count,Rhizo*= Rhizobium,Azos*= Azospirillum andAzoto*= Azotobactor,*=x106 TheregularBD500,BDcompostandCPPpreparedbyuswereincorporatedtotheexperimental plotstocultivatevegetables.TheotherBDherbalpreparations(BD502507)usedinourstudies werepurchasedfromKurinji. Therootvegetablecarrot(DaucuscarrotaL.,)wasalsocultivatedintheplainwithbiodynamic agriculturetechniqueswherethetemperatureremainedat3528C.Therewasnooccurrenceof pest anddiseasesduringcarrotcultivation. The yield of 18.938 tons per of carrot hectare was achievedbythesepractices.Thesoilhealthconditionduringandaftercarrotcultivationimproved tremendouslybytheadditionofbiodynamiccompost,vermicompost,cowpatpitandcowhorn manuretothesoilandcowhornsilicatothecropasfoliarspray.Thequalityofcarrotgrown biodynamicallywhichwassubjectedtochromatographicanalysisrevealeddifferencesincolour, patternandthespikeswhicharetheindicatorsofactivesubstances. Thegerminationofcarrotseedswerenoticedduring6thto8thDAS.Therewasnooccurrenceof pestanddiseasestilltheharvest.Thecarrotyieldanditsyieldattributessuchasbiomass,girthand shootrootlengthswererecordedasfreshweightbasisandaretabulatedinTable.7. Table7.Yieldattributeofcarrot grownbiodynamically Biomass(leaves) TotalRootyield 4285kg/ha 18,928kg/ha

AverageRootlength AverageRootgirth

8.5cm 12cm

Table8.Physicochemicalpropertiesofcarrotgrownsoil Soil pH EC N(Kg/ha) P(Kg/ha) K OC(%) Kg/ha ) 89 92 87 0.28 0.45 0.31

Initial Manureapplied Postharvested

8.0 7.2 7.0

0.34 0.29 0.27

73 82 72

6.3 6.7 6.2

By organic and biodynamicagriculturemanagementpractices 18.938tonnes/haofcarrot was harvestedattheexperimentalplotwherethetemperatureremainedabove28C.Thecarrothaddeep orangecolour.GenerallyinHillareaswherethetemperaturerangesfrom1520Candtheaverage yieldof2530tonnes/hawasreportedbyDepartmentofHorticultureandplantationcrops,Tamil Nadu. Inw:st="on"Indiacarrot is cultivated in 20124 hectares with 2870007 tonnes carrot production.Theaverageproductivitywas14.26tonnes/ha7.Thusthepresentexperimentalresult indicated that an increased yield of 4.668 tonnes/ ha than the expected average yield in the plains.FurthertherootvegetablecarrotcanbegrowninSevapurareawherethetemperatureranges from3528CduringtheNovemberFebruaryseason. Thesoilmicrofloraplayavitalroleinplantnutritionandspeciallythefungiactivelystimulate synthesisofaminoacids,proteinsandotherplantnutritivefactorsinadditiontotheirsymbiotic benefits and nutrients specially phosphorus8. The present experimental result on quantitative distributionofmicrofloradeterminedinthesoil,manureappliedsoilandthepostharvestedsoil revealed an increased quantity of beneficial microbes such asRhizobium,AzospirilliumandAzotobactorandfungi.Thephysiochemicalcharacteristicsofpost harvested soil were significantly improved by its available nutrients (Table 8) and beneficial microbialactivity(Table9).Bythebiodynamicagriculturemanagementoncarrotcultivation,not onlyanincreaseofyieldandanimprovementinthesoilconditionareobserved. Table9.Quantitativedistributionofmicroflorain carrotgrownsoils Soil Initial** TVC* 10 Rhizobium* Azospirillum* Azotobactor* Fungi* 12

Manureapplied Postharvested

207 280

93 180

150 128

62 184

125 182

In addition to the standard methods available to determine quantitative estimation of mineral, proteinandstarchcomponents,thequalitativeanalysisoffood/soilarehighlyessentialandthese werereviewedbyLampkin9inorganicfarmingpractices.Thesequalitativemethodologiesinclude image forming techniques such as certain types of copper chloride crystallization and chromatograms;physicochemicaltechniquessuchascountingphotonemissionsfromsampleof food/soilandmicrobiologicalbiochemicaltechniques.Ofthesemethods,thecrystallizationand circularpaperchromatographytechniquesseemtobegainingwiderrecognitiontotestthequality determinationofecologicallygrownfoodsinsustainableagriculturesystem10,11.Inourstudiesthe chromatographic images of soils indicated the improved condition of soil health. The chromatogramofsoil(initial)indicated absence of the outer zone which reflected the lack of colloidalsubstances.Themiddlezonewasfaint,brownincolourandlackofformsthatweremainly due to the availability of less organic material. The inner zone was comparatively larger and containshardlyanymineralsign(Figure3.A).
Figure2Circularpaperchromatographicimagesof(A)commercial carrot&(B)biodynamicallygrowncarrot

Figure3.Circularpaper chromatographicimagesof (A)soilinitial,(B)manureapplied soil&(C)postharvestedsoil

 The manure applied soil possessed a natural,stablehumusandfriablestructure that contributed to soil health. Attention is drawn to the medium brown edge zone of the chromatogramwithlightbrownspots.Themiddlezoneprotrudedwithspikeintotheouterzone. Thepatternofradiatingformsfromthemiddlezonewasharmonious.Theinnerzonewaslight brownincolourandhasawidthof3.3cmwhichindicateditsquantityofavailablemineral(Figure 3.B).Thefigure3CandTable10showedqualitydifferenceofthepostharvestedsoilwherean increasedamountofavailabilityoforganiccarbonandproliferationofmicroflorasuchasbacteria andfungiareapparentineachthreezones. Thequalitativeanalysisofbiodynamicallygrowncarrotwasundertakeninordertoseparatethe different fractions in 0.1% alkali water solutions (sodium hydroxide), which were subjected toWhatmanNo.1filterpaperanalysis.Thepaperchromatographicanalysisofcarrotrevealedavery cleardifferenceincolour,patternandshapeofthespikesineachzone,whichispropositionaltothe qualityofcarrotbetweenbiodynamicmanagementandtheconventionalpractices(Table11,Figure 2A).Inthechromatogramsofcarrotstherewerethreezonesinner,middleandtheouterreflect thepresenceofmineral,starchandproteinsrespectively.Thechromatogramsofbiodynamically grown carrotshowedaprominentinnerzone(3.5cmdiameter)thanthatoftheinnerzoneof commercialcarrot(2cm),whichclearlyindicatedqualitativeandquantitativedifferencesinthe

availabilityofminerals.AccordingtoPfeiffer(1984)thewidthofzonescorrespondstotheamount ofcharacteristicsubstancesavailableinthetestsample.Thespikesprotrudingfromthemiddlezone towardstheouterzonearecausedbyproteins.Anotherimportantfeatureinthischromatogramis thesmall,roundbellshapedspotwhichislightoliveincolourthatappearedoneachspikeatthe outerzone.Thisbellshapeappearedonlyinbiodynamicallygrowncarrot(Figure2B). Table10.Chromatographicanalysisofcarrots ChromatogramZones Innerzone(Minerals) Width(cm) Rfvalue Colour Pattern&No.Spikes Middlezone(Starch) Width(cm) Rfvalue Colour Pattern&No.Spikes OuterZone(Proteins) Width(cm) Rfvalue Colour Pattern&No.Spikes Biodynamiccarrot 3.5 0.58 Deepyellowtoorange RegularSpearingspike,60 1.0 0.75 Darktolightbrown Circularstrongband 1.5 0.97 Lightbrown Commercialcarrot 2.0 0.3 Deepyellowtogreenish Circularthickband,0 1.0 0.5 Lightpink Lightband&weekspikes,45 2.2 0.87 Darkbrown

50, Thick and regularspikes45,Thin andregularspikes projectedoutwards projected

 Table11.Chromatographicanalysisofsoil ChromatogramZones Inner(Minerals) Width(cm) Rfvalue Colour Pattern Middlezone(AvailableC, N) Width(cm) Rfvalue Colour Pattern 3.4 0.56 Initialsoil 3.3 0.55 Basalmanure application 3.5 0.58 Lightyellow Radiatingspikes protrudedoutward 1.0 0.75 DarkyellowishGray Thick60radiating spikesprojected outward Postharvestsoil

Lightyellowish Lightbrown brown Ringtype,No forms 0.8 0.70 Faintbrown Radiatingspikes protrudedoutward 1.2 0.75 DarkGray

Irregular,Ring Thick64radiating typethickband spikesprojected outward

OuterZone(Watersoluble Humus) Width(cm) Rfvalue Colour Pattern

Nil Nil Nil Nil

1.3 0.95 LightBrown

1.0 0.98 LightBrown

Light64radiating Regularwavelike spikesprojectedinward spikesareprojected inward

Table12:PostharvestbiometricalplantcharactersofOnion(T1FarmersPractice,T2Bio dynamic,T3Organic&T4Inorganictreatments) Sl.No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11 12 PLANTCHARACTERS AreainCents DateofSowing DateofHarvest Shootlength(cm) Rootlength(cm) No.ofbulbs/plant Weightofbulb/plant(gm)/ Totalstalkyield(kg) Drymatter/Production(gm)/bulb Totalbulbyield(kg) Productivity(ton/ha) No.ofplants/sq.m. 1.5 10.5.01 11.8.01 25.0 06.3 7 18 11.7 2.05 74 12.17 32 T1 1.5 10.5.01 11.8.01 24.5 07.6 6 17 12.5 2.31 78 12.82 33 T2 1.5 10.5.01 11.8.01 26.0 07.5 6 21 10.8 1.99 74.5 12.25 32 T3 1.5 10.5.01 11.8.01 25.0 06.6 7 21 12.3 2.19 73 12.0 36 T4

AverageNationalproductivity11.32ton/ha Table13:Okrapostharvestbiometricalplantcharacters(T1Farmerspractice,T2Bio dynamic,T3Organic&T4Chemicaltreatments) Sl.No. PLANTCHARACTERS T1 TREATMENTS T2 T3 T4

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Areaincents Dateofsowing DateofHarvest Shootlength(cm) Rootlength(cm) No.ofFruits/plant No.ofBranches/plant Fruitlength(cm)

1.5

1.5

1.5

1.5

05.05.01 27.08.01 61.0 19.0 14 03 13.2

05.05.01 27.08.01 60.3 29.5 17 03 14.1

05.05.01 27.08.01 60.5 24.0 16 02 13.3

05.05.01 27.08.01 74.3 26.3 18 05 13.9

9. 10.

No.ofseeds/Fruit Drymatterproduction Perplant(gm)

56 72

58 70

58 82

53 124

11. 12. 13. 14

Stalkyield(kg) Fruityield(kg) No.ofplants/sq.m. Productivity(ton/ha)

61 52.5 08 8.64

58 64.5 08 10.61

57 60.5 08 9.95

68 69.3 08 11.40

AverageNationalproductivity6.28ton/ha Table14.Physicochemicalpropertiesofsoilfromokraandonionexperimentalplots(unitsin %) Soil Inorganic (T4) BD(pre harvest) BDpost harvest Table15.Microbialdiversityinsoilfromokraandonionfromexperimentalplots Soil Inorganic(T4) BD(preharvest) BDpostharvest TVC* 21 280 310 Rhizobium* Nil 148 210 Azospirillum* Nil 194 214 Azotobactor* Nil 162 194 Fungi+ 16 128 137 pH 8.3 7.0 6.8 Ec 0.18 0.15 0.10 N(Kg/ha) 64 85 78 P(Kg/ha) 7 8.5 8 K(Kg/ha) 35 90 48 OC 0.3 0.5 0.5 Zn 0.52 0.67 0.6 Fe 6.94 8.14 8.0 Mn 7.4 10.4 8.4 Cu 2.95 4.17 3.27

OC=%,Zn,Fe,Mn,Cu=ppm,EC=m.mohs

TVC=Totalviablecount,*(X106),Fungix105 TheaverageokrayieldofdifferenttreatmentsuchasT1,T2,T34,andT4were8.64,10.61,9.95and 11.40tonnes/harespectively.Thechemicalfertilizerappliedplot(T4)showedanincreasedaverage

yieldof0.79ton/hathanthebiodynamic(T2)plot.(Table12).Thoughthereisamarginalincrease of 780 kg/ha,thesoilfertilityandmicrobialdiversityinthepostharvestedsoilwaspoor thus indicating the significance of biodynamic agriculture system (Table 14, 15). Over a period of continuous biodynamic cropcultivation activitiesproportionatelyincreasethe yield and the soil healththanthechemicalfertilizerappliedsystem. Theaveragebulbyieldofonioninthebiodynamicplot(T2)wasalmostsameasthatoforganic (T3),whereasahigheryieldwasachievedthanthechemicalfertilizerappliedsystem(T4).Thereis a significant increase of onion productivity (12.82 ton/ha) than the expected national average productivity(11.32ton/ha)Table13.

Ingeneralbiodynamicallygrownfoodsarenutritionallysuperiorbecausesuchfoodcontain higherlevelsofvitamin,mineralsandaminoacids.Thefutureoforganicallygrownfood marketismoreappropriateanddependsontheviabilityofthesustainablefarmingsystemas

analternativeagriculturepracticethatofferseffectivesolutionstothedetrimentaleffectsonthe environmentalandnonsustainingaspectsofchemicalfarmingpractices.Thehealthyfoodsgrown onhealthysoilsareunderstoodtoplayanunderlyingroleinhumanhealthandfurthersuchfoods containanimportantlifeforceseparatefromitsmineralorchemicalconstituents.Thesedifferences in life force can be differentiated by circular paper chromatograms. In order to evaluate the economicalsustainabilityofbiodynamicagriculturemanagementoncarrotcultivationanextensive largescalefieldtrialshastobecarriedoutinvariousplacesinsubtropicalregions.Aqualitative analysisofdifferentvegetablesthatmaynotgrowinplain(potato,beetroot)ondifferentsoiltypes are to be carried out to have a clear insight on thequalitative difference existing on different cultivationpractices.

Acknowledgement
WethanktheScience&SocietyDivision,DepartmentofScience&Technology,Governmentof India,w:st="on"class="GramE"NewDelhiforprovidingfinancialassistancetocarryoutthiswork throughamajorresearchproject(SSD/SCP/42/98).

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7.Sidhu,A.S,CurrentstatusofvegetableresearchinIndia.,2001,pp.122. 8.Hornick,S.B.,Am.J,Alt.Agric.,1992,7,(12)6368 9.Lampkin, L., Organic farming.,1990 Farming press,w:st="on"Ipswich,UK, pp557573and608610 10.Konorr,D.,Biol.Agric.Horti.,1982,1,2938 11.Knorr,D.,andVogtman,H.Qualityandqualitydeterminationofecologicallygrown foods,1983,pp.352381,InKnorrDietriched.Sustainablefoodsystems.TheAVI PublishingCo.Westporty,CT.