Green manuring
- Direct
application of green undecomposed leafy material used as manure is known as
green manure.
- It is
practised in two ways: by growing green manure crops in the field site and incorporation
of the same after sufficient growth (in-situ green manuring) or by collecting green leaf (along with
twigs) from plants grown in nearby wastelands, field bunds and forest areas (ex-situ
green manuring).
- In-situ green manuring may take 40-45 days to grow and mature the plants after broadcasting the seeds in the field before incorporation in the same site.
- Green manure crops generally belong from leguminous family. The most prominent green manure crops are sunhemp, dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata and S. rostrate), cluster beans. These crops are capable of biological N-fixation, hence enrich soil fertility.
· N
content of Dhaincha is 3.5%, while its mature plant (23 t/ha) accumulated 133
kg/ha N.
· Apart
from increasing soil fertility, the major advantages of green manuring are:
improving soil structure and water holding capacity and decreasing soil loss by
erosion