The magic bean

Eng.: Velvet bean
Sans: Kapikachhu, Atmagupta
Tam: Periya poonaikaali

An article on how velvet bean has been used to increase productivity around the world.  It is a good forage crop and good ground cover to prevent weeds from coming up.  It is also used in Ayurvedic medicines.  It has been used to supplement food during droughts in NE India.  The water it is boiled in must be thrown away to remove toxins.

Indigenous Microorganisms

Developed by Dr.Cho of Korea:
natural farming with indigenous microorganisms

Medicinal plants to grow

High demand for:
Sita Ashoka the main ingredient of Ahsokaristha (a key Ayurvedic formulation for gyaenecological disorders). The estimated demand of Sita Ashoka bark is in excess of 2,000 MT, however, the availability in the wild is extremely rare.

Guggal (Commiphora wightii) – a thorny bush which yields gum resin and is used in more than 100 Ayurvedic preparations. Likewise, though more than 1,000 MT of gum resin of Guggal is used by the Ayurvedic industry, more than 90% of this is imported.

Dashmools – used in the most widely used Ayurvedic preparation – Dashmoolarishta.
Bilva root (Aegle marmelos),
Agnimantha root (Premna integrifolia),
http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Premna-serratifolia.htm
Shyonaka root (Oroxylum indicum),
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oroxylum_indicum
Its pollinated by bats and here's an interesting site on bat plants :-)
http://www.batplants.co.uk/brokenbonesfinal.htm
http://theherbs.org/articles/article-87.html
Patala root (Stereospermym suaveolens),
Found in Davanagere Dist.
Kashmari root (Gmelina arborea),
Bruhati root (Solanum indicum),
Kantakari root (Solanum xanthocarpum) kandankattiri,
Shalaparni root (Desmodium ganageticum) pulladi, orilai,
Prushniparni root (Uraria picta),
Gokshura root (Tribulus terrestris)

Interesting article on the sea almond tree and the bat that pollinates it:
http://www.batplants.co.uk/sea%20almond%20tree.htm
And on casuarina:
http://www.batplants.co.uk/casuarina.htm

Michaelia champaka - orange flowers, nitrogen fixing.
Pongam
Arasu
Aala
Coral Tree - Erythrina stricta, nitrogen fixing

Interesting medicinal plants to grow:
Nilappanai Curculigo Orchioides
Poonaikaali Mucuna Pruriens Velvet bean
Bhoomishakkara kizhangu Ipomoea digitata
Ammukkara kizhangu Withania Somnifera Aswagandha
Asperagus Racemosus Sathavari

Links on pruning trees

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-456/430-456.html

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg0628.html

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag29.html

Tree food sources

Need to check if this grows in Karnataka and which part:
http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Tree%20Bean.html

Murungai
http://www.moringafarms.com/growing_it.htm

Coconut

Palmyra Palm, Date Palm

The Mysore Raspberry is an interesting candidate to try and grow.

Barberry fig seeds are a good source of oil. This shrub is a cactus so should grow with very little water.

Impressions from Papua New Guinea

A friend got back after spending an year in Papua New Guinea full of interesting stories about the place. Apparently, folks there value pigs very highly. Men pay a bride price in pigs - and these are events all members of the community pay for with individual pigs or money. If a piglet lost its mother a nursing mother would breast feed it! And they are very superstitious of witchcraft. If someone died people who did not (at least pretend to) cry were liable to be accused of black magic and killed!

And he noticed many similarities between their language and Tamil - they use 'vA', 'pO' for 'come' and 'go', and 'neel eravA' for 'bring water'.  I told him that he should consider doing a Phd on a comparative study of Tamil and languages of PNG :-)

Lost a cow lately? Check if its in Komavaram!

Komavaram, according to T, is the home of heriditary cattle thieves (kallars). Apparently, whenever a resident needed a little bit of cash, he would go over to a village in neighboring Tanjavur at night and steal cattle. He would then tie them up in the forest and inform his chief of the location. The owner, on discovering the theft, would make a beeline to the chief of Komavaram. The chief would assure him that he would investigate the theft. The owner would be asked to pay an investigation fee and could collect the cattle at the specified location in the forest.
A percentage would be retained by the chief and the rest given to the thieves! Legend has it that a couple of them bet some other villagers that they would steal Robert Clive's horse and indeed they managed it. Clive learnt about kallars and their practices and has documented this in official memos from Clive to the viceroy(?).