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Cover crops provide a living carpet of perennial plants for orchards. A living mulch of low-growing legumes can provide many advantages, especially compared to grass, which aggressively competes with your fruit trees for water and nutrients. Cover crops can:
Plant species should be selected for suitability to climate, ease of establishment, perennial habit, nitrogen-fixing capacity and shade tolerance. Avoid climbing legumes such as Lablab. Aim for a flowering meadow in your orchard rather than sterile, bare earth or a grass ground cover. Pueraria Phaseoloides (Javanica), Mucuna Bracteta, Centrosema (Kattupayar), Mimosa Invesya (Thottavadi), Calopogonium (Manjapayar). Green manure seeds [ Top ] Green manures are a cornerstone of ecologically sensible agriculture. They can provide outstanding benefits for the soil, crop and you, the gardener by:
Casia Alatta (Ponnan Thakara). Forest planting seeds [ Top ] Grevelia Robusta (Silver ock), Albizzia Mulucana, Swietinia Macrophylla (Mahagani), Acrocarpus Fraxinifolius (Korangatti), Tectona Grandis (Teak), Hevea Brasiliensis (Rubber Seeds). Pueraria Phaseoloides (Javanica) [ Top ] ENGLISH: Kudzu, Tropical kudzu , kudzu vine, AUST: Puero. Origin: Pueraria phaseoloides is native to Malaysia, although it is widely distributed throughout the world in the wet tropics. Uses: Pueraria phaseoloides is often used as a nitrogen-fixing green manure or grown as a cover crop in coffee, oil palm, citrus, and rubber plantations. Pueraria phaseoloides leaves and stems are rich in protein (about 19%) and palatable to livestock and so are used widely as animal fodder. It may also be used as a pasture crop when grown with a suitable grass such as Guines grass (Panicum maxima). The very deep and extensive root system not only provides edible tubers, but also helps minimize soil erosion. The plants rapid growth also helps suppress weeds and protect the soil from rapid run of water. The stem contains exceptionally strong fibers which are used in rope-making. Pueraria phaseoloides is also reported to be a trap crop for Striga gesnerioides; it stimulates high germination of the Striga without bearing a host. Cultivation: Pueraria phaseoloides is an exceptionally vigorous legume with runners up to 25 feet (8-9 meters) long. Propagation is either by seed or cutting, but seed must scarified in hot water before planting. Seedling will grow somewhat slowly (though much faster than other cover crops) for the first 3 to 4 months. Growth is very vigorous once established. Complete establishment and use as a ground cover will require several years of growth. Pueraria phaseoloides is best adapted to hot and wet conditions. It thrives in areas with an annual rainfall in excess of 1525 mm (60 in). Pueraria phaseoloides tolerate high water content in the soil - even occasional water logging but also grows well the dry season, producing an abundance of pods and flowers. It is also tolerant of acid soil and shade. Harvesting and seed production: While Pueraria phaseoloides is slow to establish, it can be cut repeatedly once established. It grows so well, in fact, that it may need to be grazed or otherwise controlled to keep it from becoming a pest. Usually it is grazed on site in mixed pastures, but it can cut for hay, silage, or fresh stall forge. Pests and diseased: Pueraria phaseoloides is remarkably free from diseases and pests, although leaf-eating caterpillars can damage ungrazed sections and pod borers may reduce seed production Human consumption: The plant leaves and stems generally are not used for human consumption, although in some countries the plant is used in traditional medicine to cure boils and ulcers. The tuberous roots are edible. [ Top ] |
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