My experiments and experiences with wonder crop Safed Musli (Chlorophytum borivilianum) : Recent visit to leading Musli farm of India

Research Note - Pankaj Oudhia
© 2001,2002,2003 Pankaj Oudhia - All Rights Reserved

As weed expert, I was aware of the fact that Motha (Cyperus species) is one of the top ten worst weeds of the world but its heavy infestation, I have seen in Safed Musli fields, last week when I was at visit to one of the leading Musli farms of western India, was really shocking. The farm workers informed me that this heavy infestation is damaging the valuable Safed Musli roots and providing entry point for the disease agents and insects. I have seen the infestation of this hydra-headed weed in almost every part of 100 acres farm. Although the owners of this farm, claim that they are growing Safed Musli organically but in fact they have tried different herbicides alone or in combination to eradicate this weed but got no success. The workers informed that now they are using hand weeding method to manage this weed. The collected Motha weed is dried and used for vermicompost preparation. The in-charge of vermicomposting unit told the secret that the vermicompost prepared from Motha weed when applied on Safed Musli fields infested with Motha weed, it suppressed the growth and germination of this obnoxious weed. The autotoxic effect of Motha has not been reported. I am feeling proud to write that the farm workers aware of this fact are using this experimental finding to manage Motha successfully. The farm owners are not from agriculture background, hence they are not aware of worker's experiments. The weed scientists consider this weed very harmful and difficult to eradicate. I am confident that this new field observation will motivate them to start and focus their research on this specific aspect. Although the area under Safed Musli is increasing very rapidly in India but there are still limited growers known as big Musli growers. These growers were the pioneer growers that have taken risk to start commercial cultivation of this hi-value crop. The Musli farm of western India, where visited last week, is one of the well known farms.

To purchase Safed Musli planting material for my farmer at Nagpur city, I visited this farm as unknown person without disclosing my identity. During my visit, I got very shocking information. Through this article, I am disclosing it for the benefit of new Musli growers that are investing big amount for commercial cultivation with big expectations. It is old saying that everything is fair in love and war. I have modified it as everything is fair in love, war and business (specifically in Indian herb business). As herb expert, I am aware that the high cost of planting material due to limited numbers of growers at initial stage has made Safed Musli, the costly crop. In fact it is a crop of poor farmers. As the government agencies particularly the research organisations at India, have not taken good initiative to stop the malpractice of selling Musli planting material at high cost, through providing the similar or high quality material to the farmers at actual (cheaper) rates, the private farm owners are taking advantage. The Safed Musli is among the medicinal crops, on which India owns full monopoly. Safed Musli is not under commercial cultivation as medicinal crop in any part of the world except in India. The policy makers of India can take maximum advantage of this fact through promoting commercial cultivation of Safed Musli. In India, poor farmers own more agricultural lands than the rich farmers. Due to high cost of planting material, only the rich farmers are cultivating this crop in limited areas. As the planting material is in high demand, the growers are focusing on production i.e. Quantity and ignoring the Quality. I always write that in the field of herbs, Quality is more important than the Quantity. Most of socalled the organic herbal forms engaged in commercial cultivation of Safed Musli are growing crop using chemical inputs. Due to lack of scientific recommedations, the growers are adopting the recommended doses for commercial crop like paddy maize and wheat. This heavy use of chemicals is becoming curse for the medicinal crops like Safed Musli. As there is no strict rules and regulations, there is no monitoring agency active in India, to stop this malpractice. During visit to above mentioned Musli farm, I saw heavy infestation of fungal diseases on Safed Musli crop. There were many fungal species attacking this crop. The colour of normal root was changed into white, black and red due to this heavy infestation. There was also a typical rotting smell in infested parts. I was shocked to see that the purchasers (new growers) unaware of these fungal infestations, were waiting for their term to collect the roots (used as planting material). In the name of control, the farm owners were dipping the infested roots in very high concentration of mercury fungicide. In literature provided by this farm, they have clearly mentioned that there materials are best in terms of quality and free from all diseases and for root treatment, they use cow urine based solution but in reality I have found the roots infested upto very high degree and also in place of organic solution, they are using chemical fungicides without any hesitation. The farm workers informed that all plots are very sick. As herb expert, I am aware that crop rotation practice can root out this problem effectively. In this farm, Safed Musli is under cultivation since twelve years. Not a single other crop has been grown since twelve years. The heavy fungal infestation is result of this mono-cropping. The method of soil solarization during hot summer is second promising way to solve this problem effectively but as the purchasers are not technically sound, the owners are not giving importance to this increasing infestation. I am worrying of nation wide spread of these fungal species through planting material. From quality point of view, it is worst material of no use but the new growers are purchasing it at very - very high price and with them it is reaching in every corner of India. Through this article. I would like to request the concerned government authorities to stop this spread of infestation immediately as in future it can cause great damage to not only the medicinal crops but also to other crops. I also suggest the purchasers and new growers to examine the planting material carefully before purchase. I have observed that in most of the cases the farm owners do not allow the purchasers to examine (even to see), the planting material and pressurize them to believe on their promises. This is not good practices and in future, this malpractice can create problem for us to establish India, in leading position in the fields of medicinal and aromatic crops.

I have noted one more fact that the leading Musli growers are not aware of quality parameters for best Safed Musli roots. Most of them consider the white coloured roots as best roots medicinally but in fact there is no relation between the colour and the medicinal value. The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh specialised in use of Safed Musli as medicine confirmed this fact. The estimation of saponin in roots is not a complicated method. I have already mentioned this fact in my previous articles on Safed Musli that there is positive relationship between Saponin content and medicinal properties. Many leading growers believe that the estimation of saponin requires sophisticated equipments. The owner of above mentioned farm, told that the charge for one sample is twenty five thousand. When informed that I can analyse the sample in less than 100 hundred rupees, he accepted the fact that he is not aware of actual method. How when the area is increasing, also the production, more and more growers are eager to sell the dried Musli roots to international buyers. It is very essential to educate them about real analysis and market requirements.

In my articles, I always try to provide latest information developments and observations on different aspects of Indian Medicinal and aromatic crops. My intentions are very clear. The only objective is to aware the common person about the facts and real situations. I am expecting that this latest article in Safed Musli series, will help the new growers to select the genuine sellers as well as good quality planting material for commercial production of this hi-value crop.

Thank you very much for reading the article.