Surya Anjani Kumar Sarva and Archana Giri
Chitin from Fresh water Crabs is observed to have appreciable effect on cucurbitaceae specifically. When the plant is smoked with dried powder of chitin, plant showed good response in its Growth, Maturation, Disease Resistance, Color, and Size of the Fruit and Leaf. The topic was extracted from an ancient book Vyrukshaveda written by an eminent sage Surapala in 1000 B.C. According to Surapala when plants are smoked with Crab shell powder plants show good sprouting and healthy growth. From the literature it is evident that Chitin is active against viruses, bacteria and other pests. Fragments from chitin are known to have eliciting activities leading to a variety of defense responses in host plant. Based on these and other properties that help to strengthen host plant defense, interest has been grown in using the technique in agricultural systems to reduce the negative impact of diseases on yield and quality of crops. Taking these as focus points for research the present work emphasizes on crab shell smoke’s mode of action on plants, yield studies and Disease Resistance specifically in cucurbitaceae. The use of this simple technique by farmers will help them in improving their yield and in turn their profits.