Trichomes: The Real Hero in Natural Farming

Abstract

Trichome is a small hair or other outgrowth from the epidermis of a plant, typically unicellular and glandular. In natural farming, this Trichome hairs are strong enough to defend sap sucking by sucking insects, avoid leaf eating by caterpillar and avoid spore germination of fungus. In chemical farming Trichomes are present on all above ground parts of the plants, but we can’t remove them as they are very smooth. Due to application of urea and other chemical fertilizers, faster vegetative growth makes the natural defending mechanisms of the plants, i.e., Trichomes very smooth, so that they can’t defend against sucking insect, leaf eating caterpillar and could also allow fungal spore to germinate.