Estimation of Indole Acetic Acid in Panchakavya that is Responsible for the Increase in Mitotic Index in Allium cepa

Panchakavya is a concoction used in traditional Indian system that comprises of five major substances, obtained from cow, which includes cows urine, dung, milk, ghee and curd. All the five products possess medicinal properties against many disorders and are used in various treatments. Panchakavya is used as organic fertilizer and pesticide. The indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides resulted in environmental pollution. An alternative to the chemical pesticide is panchakavya. Panchakavya isa single organic product that act as a fertilizer, pesticide and growth promoter. The present study focused on the evaluation of growth promoting factor by studying the mitotic index in Allium cepa and also by quantifying the content of indole acetic acid (IAA). Onion bulbs were grown in various concentrations of panchakavya and the results show that at 1 % concentration the panchakavya could enhance the rooting up to 2 times. The quantification of IAA proved the growth promoting efficiency. The present study clearly proved that panchakavya has growth promoting activity which was proved from earlier pot experiments and field studies.