Guest guest Report post Posted June 7, 2006 Deodar — A Wonder Tree The Nature's gift which is of a great help to human beings, Dr. M P Gupta/Dr. Nafees write on the significance of Deodar tree Owing to varied climatologically conditions, our country is rich in flora and fauna, in general and Jammu & Kashmir State in particular. It is estimated that India having 45,000 plant species represents about 7% of world's flora besides 6.5 % of the world's fauna, respectively. Forests are spread over 64 m hectares or about 19% of land area of the country. Champion and Seth (1968), divided forests in India in six major groups which includesmoist-tropical, dry-tropical, montane sub-tropical, montane temperate, sub-alpine and alpine. In J&K alone, forests cover 20,433 sq km of area as against 6, 40,107 sq km in India. Thanks to nature which has endowed the State with rich tree diversity but not much attention has been paid to the protection, conservation and promotion of this natural wealth. Deodar is mainly found in Himalayan temperate and is considered as one of the very useful tree species from timber and agriculture point of view. Versatile Use of Deodar Deodar is a tree of public interest which can be put to a number of excellent uses in agriculture and allied fields besides provides a quality timber wood. Deodar Oil: It is locally called "Chilu Oil". The oil is extracted from old branches of deodar tree which may be applied against various disease infections and infestations of insect-pests in crops and plants. It also acts as repellent to insect-pests. The oil is also used to cover the arms up to elbows and legs up to knees during hand weeding operations in the rice crop for protection against irritation due to fertilizer and herbicides. Storage Bins: Among other storage structures, bins made up of deodar wood are useful for safe storage of paddy grains for considerable period of time. Such bins because of oil content, acts as a strong repellent and prevents infection of insect-pest. Besides, these storage structures can be used for controlling of stored grain pests in maize and other grain crops. Check Paddy Weeds: Deodar branches along with leaves are evenly spread over the paddy field. When the weeds come in contact, the oil present in the branches and leaves works as a weedicide and eliminates the weeds in paddy field. Treatment of Maize Seed: Cutworm is the major insect-pest of maize crop. When maize is taken after sarson crop, the infestation may go as high as 74%. The coating of maize seed with deodar oil helps to keep insect-pests away. Control of Insect- Pests in Paddy Nursery: A stick with one end covered with cloth is soaked in deodar oil and then applied on the foliage of nursery plants. This causes the insects to crawl the foliage and the insect on coming in contact with treated foliage is killed. The technique is quite useful specially to check caterpillar in paddy. * Cure of Animal Infected with Ticks: Deodar oil is effective against fungus, insect-pests and worms of various kinds. It is commonly used against the ticks' infestation in animals. For this purpose, deodar oil may be diluted in water and a little of "Hukka water" mixed with it. The prepared solution is externally applied and works as antiseptic for the animal skin. Besides, deodar oil may be used to message animal's skin which helps in curing skin diseases such as scabies. It may also disinfect the animal and check various insects. Above all, deodar is a quality timber wood and is extensively used in construction work and furnishing. The sawdust of deodar wood is also used for giving finishing and shining to marble-fixing in various establishments. Conclusion Undoubtedly, the people living in hills and forest areas in Jammu & Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, etc. generally, follow traditional methods of "agriculture,agro-forestry" and adopt conventional technologies based on locally available materials in controlling problems of insect-pests, diseases in farming as well as live-stock The rich flora available in hill states serve as store-houses for most of the problems faced by the farming community in their Pradesh. It is high time that indigenous technologies as evolved through farmers' innovations are tested, validated and documented in each State (zone -wise). Some pioneer efforts have been made by ICAR, New Delhi in documenting the indigenous technological knowledge (ITK) in agriculture but much remains to be done especially about trees. The validated technologies viz. "multipurpose use of deodar" may be popularized by the concerned departments/agencies among rural masses to drive maximum benefit in agriculture and other sectors. (The author is Former Director of Extension Education, SKUAST-J)http://www.greaterkashmir.com/Full_story.asp?Date=8_6_2006&ItemID=3&cat=12 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
