Panchagavya is a concoction prepared by mixing five products of cow. The three direct constituents are cow dung

Manure

Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...

, urine

Urine

Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

, and milk

Milk

Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...

; the two derived products are curd

Curd

Curds are a dairy product obtained by curdling milk with rennet or an edible acidic substance such as lemon juice or vinegar, and then draining off the liquid portion. The increased acidity causes the milk proteins to tangle into solid masses, or curds. The remaining liquid, which contains only...

 and ghee

Ghee

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....

. These are mixed in proper ratio and then allowed to ferment.

The mixture which is made using yeast as a fermenter, bananas, groundnut cake, and the water of tender coconut, is a potent organic

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

 pesticide

Pesticide

Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...

 and growth promoter.

The Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

 word Panchagavya means "mixture of five products," and it has been used in traditional Indian

History of India

The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from...

 rituals throughout history.

In recent years Panchakavya has found a prominent position in the context of organic farming

Organic farming

Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...

 in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is also employed in the State of Kerala, which has embraced the organic agriculture movement fully.

This method is being adopted all over the world as an alternative to pesticides,herbicides and insecticides. It is a nature friendly method.

Preparation of panchakavya

Panchakavya, an organic product has the potential to play the role of promoting growth and providing immunity in plant system. Panchakavya consists of nine products viz. cow dung, cow urine, milk, curd, jaggery, ghee, banana, Tender coconut and water. When suitably mixed and used, these have miraculous effects.

Ingredients

Cow dung - 7 kg,
Cow ghee - 1 kg,
Cow Urine - 10 liters,
Water - 10 liters,
Cow milk - 3 liters,
Cow curd - 2 liters,
Tender coconut water - 3 liters,
Jaggery - 3 kg,
Well ripened poovan banana – 12 nos.

Mix the cow dung and cow ghee thoroughly both in morning and evening hours and keep it for 3 days

After 3 days mix cow urine and water and keep it for 15 days with regular mixing both in morning and evening hours. After 15 days mix the remaining ingredients and panchakavya will be ready after 30 days.

Panchakavya is an organic product derived from five products evolving from cow. It includes 3 direct cow products dung , urine , milk and two derived products curd, ghee.

Composition

20 litres of Panchakavya contains

5 kg of fresh cow dung
4 litres of cow urine
3 litres of cow's milk
2 litres of cow's curd
1/2 kg cow's ghee

20 litres of Modified Panchakavya contains

4 kg gobar gas slurry
1 kg fresh cow dung
3 litres of cow urine
2 litres of cow's milk
2 litres of cow's curd
1 kg cow's ghee
3 litres of sugarcane juice
12 ripe bananas
3 litres of tender coconut water and 2 litres of toddy (if available).

In scientific terms, Panchakavya contains

growth regulatory substances such as IAA, GA and cytokinin
essential plant nutrients
naturally occurring, beneficial, effective micro organisms, predominately lactic acid bacteria, yeast, actinomycetes, photosynthetic bacteria and certain fungi
beneficial and proven biofertilizers such as Acetobacter, Asospirillum and Phosphobacterium
plant protection substances

Preparation of Panchakavya

Take 5 kg of fresh cow dung, 4 litres of cow urine, 3 litres of cow's milk, 2 litres of cow's curd and half kg cow's ghee.
Stir the solution and keep it in a 20-liter container.
Add honey, jaggery and ripen banana and stir it daily for 21 days.

Storage of Panchakavya

It is stored in a wide-mouthed earthen pot or concrete tank in open. Sufficient shade should be provided, and the contents should be stirred twice a day, both in the morning and the evening. It can be diluted before use on plants and animals.

Field Application of Panchakavya

On the 21st day, mix 1 litre of the Panchakavya solution to 10 litres of water, strain and then apply the solution in the soil.
The Panchakavya is sprayed on crops to get the best results.
Seeds can be soaked and seedlings can be dipped in 3 per cent solution of Panchakavya for about 30 minutes before sowing to get good results from the crops.

Benefits

Panchakavya acts as a growth-promoter and immunity booster.
Safeguards plants and soil micro-organisms.
Increases Crops, vegetable and fruit production.

Various crops such as rice, a variety of vegetables, fruit crops such as mango, banana, guava, acid lime cash crops such as sugarcane, turmeric, jasmine and moringa and plantation crops have responded extremely well to application of Panchakavya.

Plants produce larger leaves, and develops denser canopy. The stem produces lateral shoots and much more sturdy branches to bear heavy yields.

The rooting is profuse and dense, and penetrating to deep layers. Roots helps in better intake of nutrients and water. Plants are able to stand protracted drought conditions, and needed less than a third of the irrigation in regular times.

Other Applications:

Panchakavya is also used for 3 other purposes given below:

Animal feeds. Panchakavya has several beneficial effects on animals and fish as well.
Earthworms grew faster and produces more vermi-compost when treated with this solution.
It has been used in Indian medicine since time immemorial.

Cows/Sheep/Goats

When fed to cows at 200 ml per day, they turned healthier and produced milk with high fat content. Their rate of conception increased, and the various common ailments were completely cured. Similar effects were found in sheep and goats.

Birds

When mixed with the poultry feed or drinking water at the rate of 5 ml per bird per day, the birds became disease-free and healthy. They laid larger eggs for longer periods. In the broilers, the weight gain was impressive and the feed to weight conversion ratio improved.

Fish

In the fishponds, the addition of Panchakavya increased the growth of phyto and zoo plankton, which contributed to improved fish feed availability and thus increased fish growth.