Professionals, businessmen, retired persons, and children in the State are hooked on to an interesting activity these days: Preparing seed balls.
The balls are made with seeds of fruit-yielding plants specific to regions and a mixture of local fertile soil, dung, and urine of desi cow. They are thrown on grazing land, hills and other areas after the monsoon catches up for the plants to grow naturally.
The seed ball campaign under the banner Uttishta Bharatha, which began on a low-key in the State two years ago, has spread to 16 districts in the State so far this year.
“About 10,000 seed balls were thrown on Madhugiri Betta near Tumakuru in 2015. With zero maintenance the ‘hunase’ (tamarind) and ‘honge’ (Indian beech) plants grown there are two-and-a-half feet tall now,” said Neeraj Kamath, volunteer coordinator, Uttishta Bharatha.
The seed balls were thrown in six districts in 2016 — Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Chikkamagaluru, Kalaburagi, Chitradurga, and Ramanagaram. “The survival rate of the seed balls seeds is between 20% and 30%,” he said.
The volunteers select seeds having germination capacity beyond two months.
It is because the balls are prepared in April and May. Therefore, seeds of all local varieties of plants and fruits specific to regions cannot be added in the balls.
For example, jackfruit seeds will have to be sown within two days of cutting the fruit and hence, cannot be added in the ball, said Mr. Kamath.
Mr. Kamath said that each ball has seeds of only one local variety such jamoon, guava, custard apple, and mango. “We have also used the seeds of Subabul, which is used as fodder,” he said.
According to Mr. Kamath, who is a HR professional in Bengaluru, 12 lakh seed balls prepared in 13 districts since two months are ready for use from June.
The campaign will begin in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada in May.
