Detail:

Dahyabhai Puroshottamdas Patel from Sabarkantha district in Gujarat sprays kerosene on the cumin (Cuminum cyminum) crop to prevent it from being affected by blight. Blight is called charmI in local language. Generally, blight in cumin occurs at the flowering or grain setting stage. The grain becomes black and a black powder is seen on the ear head. Farmers believe that the chances of occurrence of disease are high if there is frost and also loudy weather. If any preventive measures are not taken to control or prevent this infection, more than 75% of the crop is lost. To prevent the attack, farmers spray 20-25 L of kerosene per acre even if they feel there is the slightest chance of the disease occurring. They believe that kerosene helps plants to protect against frost. Care is taken to ensure that the nozzle used for spraying has very small holes to obtain a fine spray. This increases the efficiency of the treatment. Most cumin growing farmers in Patels area use this practice. They believe that the practice might have been introduced earlier from North Gujarat which is a major cumin growing region.

Knowledge Provider / Innovator: Dahyabhai Purushottamdas Patel
Agro-Ecological Zone: North Gujarat Agroclimatic zone (GJ-4)
Address: Sabarkantha
District: Sabarkantha
State: Gujarat
PIN Code 383001

Crop: Cumin
Crop Family: Umbellifers
Crop Scientific Name: (Cuminum cyminum)
Crop Vernacular Name: Ajaji, Jiraka, Ajajika, Jira, Sadajira, Jirautmi, Jirn, Jiraugi, Jeeru, Jirun, Safed jira, Jirage, Bilejirege, Safed Zoor
Formulation: Sprays kerosene on the cumin (Cuminum cyminum) crop
Ingredients: Kerosene

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PAS 1:

"Handpick the gregarious caterpillars and the cocoons which are found on stem and destroy them in kerosene mixed water."
https://www.farmer.gov.in/imagedefault/ipm/Cumin%20%20IPM%20package%20(09-08-2014).pdf

PAS 2:

"The Use of Chlorinated Petrol, Petkolin, as a Pesticide"
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/04345546909415322?journalCode=ttpm17