Pyrethrum

Complete description about Pyrethrum

1. COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE An Assignment Presentation On “PYRETHRUM” Course No.: OTH:6.4 (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants) Present to:- Mr. S.K.Acharya College of Horticulture S.D. Agricultural University, Jagudan , 382710 Presented by: Name :- Shubham Kumar

2. P yrethrum

3. B.N. – Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium Fmaily - Asteraceae Origin -   Greek Plant part used - Flowers Pyrethrum

4. Medicinal use The   pyrethrins  are a class of  organic compounds   normally derived from  Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium that have potent insecticidal activity by targeting the nervous systems of insects. Pyrethrin is synthetically made by industrial methods, but it also naturally occurs in chrysanthemum flowers, thus is often considered an organic insecticide, or at least when it is not combined with  piperonyl butoxide or other synthetic  adjuvants . Their insecticidal and insect-repellent properties have been known and used for thousands of years .

5. What are pyrethrins - Pyrethrins are pesticides found naturally in some chrysanthemum flowers. They are a mixture of six chemicals that are toxic to insects. Pyrethrins are commonly used to control mosquitoes, fleas, flies, moths, ants, and many other pests. How do pyrethrins work Pyrethrins excite the nervous system of insects that touch or eat it. This quickly leads to paralysis and ultimately their death. Pyrethrins are often mixed with another chemical to increase their effect. This second chemical is known as a synergist.

6. Origin and distribution- C. cinerariaefolium is a native of Dalmatia, Herzegovina and Montenegro and is cultivated on a commercial scale in Algeria, Yugoslavia (Dalmatia), Brazil, Bulgaria, Japan, Kenya, New Guinea, Congo, Tanzania, Ecuador, Australia, USA, China, France, Italy, Persia, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, England and India. o Kenya and its neighbours Tanzania and Rwanda produce over 80% of the total pyrethrum produced in the world.

7. Types and varieties- C. cinerariaefolium , grown on the Eastern Coast of the Adriatic sea, is called Dalmatian pyrethrum. While, the Japanese pyrethrum also derived from C. cinerariaefium , is similar to the Dalmatian pyrethrum in appearance. The concentration of active principles ( pyrethrin ) in the Dalmatian and Japanese type of pyrethrum flowers range from 0.38 to 0.58 and 0.58 to 1.21%, respectively. The pyrethrum grown in Kenya and other African countries, known as the Kenya pyrethrum, has a higher pyrethrin content of 1.43 to 1.89%.

8. Soil- Pyrethrum thrives best on well-drained, sandy soil. Red laterite loams and light and medium loam soils are also suitable. The yields are considerably lower in poorly-drained soils. It can grow on mountain slopes and wastelands, but too rich soils and water-logged conditions are unfavourable for its growth.

9. Climate- Pyrethrum is a temperate crop. It grows best in areas which have a mild, cool, dry climate with a short, mild winter and a cool summer. A period of chilling, in which the temperature falls below 17° C, for about six weeks, is necessary for flower-bud initiation. In places where the winters are long (November to March) and the summers are warm, there is only one flush of flowering in May and June. It grows well in places where the annual average rainfall is about 1000 mm and the elevation between 1500 to 2400 m.

10. Propagation- Pyrethrum is propagated by seeds. However, it can also be raised vegetative by splits. The seeds required for sowing should be gathered from selected plants when the flowers are fully mature and the seeds are about to be shed. The seeds tend to lose viability on storage. In case of vegetative propagation, healthy plants are pulled up from the ground, the splits of which are used for planting. In certain areas it is better to plant the splits in nurseries before they are planted in the main field.

11. Planting- The seedlings are planted at a distance of 27-45 cm in rows and 45-60 cm apart. Ridge-planting is preferred to flat-planting as it facilitates inter culture and irrigation and avoids water-logging.

12. Manures and fertilizers- Application of 40-60 kg N, 40-50 kg/ha P and 50-80 kg/ha K is optimum for the good growth of pyrethrum in the first year. The entire quantity of P and K should be applied as a basal dose with 50% of the N at the time of planting and the remaining 50% of N is applied in split doses.

13. Irrigation- Pyrethrum does not need irrigation if the rainfall is well distributed. However, under irrigated conditions, weekly irrigation during the peak season gives better results. Under irrigated conditions, it is observed that the pyrethrum plants start flowering after 1 year instead of 2 years under un-irrigated conditions. The crop should be irrigated frequently during the dry months. The crop should also be irrigated after the fertilizer application.

14. Pests and diseases- Root-rot - caused by Fusarium solani , can be controlled by drenching the nursery with 0.15% Benlate solution or Mancozeb . Damping-off - is caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum . The application of a solution of copper fungicide to the base of the plants can control this disease. Bud disease - is reported to be caused by Rannularia belluniensis and this can be controlled by spraying Bordeaux mixture and pereneox .

15. Harvesting and processing- The plants flower within one year of transplanting. The crop gives a poor yield in the first year and the optimum yields are obtained only during the 2nd and 3rd year. The flowers should be picked when ⅔rd of the disc-florets are pen and the ray-florets are horizontal. The harvesting of immature or over-mature flowers decreases their pyrethrin content.

16. Drying- The harvested flower-heads are usually dried immediately in the sun. They are thinly spread on straw mats and turned over frequently in order to avoid fermentation. At night they are kept under cover. Dehydration is complete in 5-7 days. The ideal method of drying is to use hot-air driers, in which the temperature should not exceed 800C. The loss in weight will be about 65-75%. It is safer to dry it in the sun when the acreage is small and there is no chance of rain during the harvesting season. However, in larger farms, the use of air-driers is essential in order to dry the harvested flowers in time. Mechanical driers have been designed for drying pyrethrum flowers.

17. Yield and pyrethrin content- The average annual yield in Kashmir is about 250 kg/ha, against 700 kg/ha in Kenya and 500 kg/ha in Nilgiris . The yield in the first year, as reported from Kodaikanal , is about 450 kg/ha. The total pyrethrin content is reported to be 1.0-1.5% in India, while the average content in Kenya is 1.4% and the highest is 2.1%.

18. Ref- http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/pyrethrins.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrin#Production file:///D:/Downloads/map%20(1).pdf