MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC CROPS (2+1)

Introduction

The medicinal plants are necessarily to be cultivated organically and there is no other option. The medicinal plants were collected so far from the forest where there was no cultural intervention and plants have grown luxuriously in nature. Such wild gathering phase was over by now and many of the commercially important herbs are to be grown under cultivation owing to its increasing demand. Eg. Senna, Gloriosa, Coleus forskohlii, and Aswagandh.

Microflora Management
Soil microbes are the entities which give life to the soil. They thrive in humus and cause ionic degradation to release the elements for plant growth. The soil devoid of microbes are supposed to be sterile one. The root growth and the canopy growth are the directly influenced by the extent of microbes present in the soil. Few microbes aid in digestion and fermentation of organic matter applied to the soil, some acts against many of the damaging fungi or bacteria and many help to build up the soil.

Sustain soil dynamics
Soil is a living entity. It has the digesting capability. Any organics buried into the soil get digested in no time and converted into humus and minerals. Soil has aerobic and anaerobic respiration through their capillaries. Soil has water movement both against and also the gradient. Soil is capable of reviving a life of a plant either through seed or through plantlets. It regenerates. Digestion, respiration, circulation and regeneration capability keep the soil always in a dynamic state and thus makes it a living entity.

Zero residual toxicity
Cereals and pulses carry less load to human system in as much as they contain only 6-10% moisture where as the fruits, vegetables, spices and plantation and medicinal plants as well carry heavy load of toxins due to the higher water content. The residual toxicity of pesticides, fungicides and weedicides get carried to the human system through food. Organic cultivation primarily aims to get rid of the toxic loads of pesticide chemicals rather than the fertilizers.