Green Manuring

Green Manure

         Green undecomposed plant material usedas manure is called green manure .

Green Manuring:

   Green Manuring can be defined as practice of ploughing or turning into the soil undecomposed green plant tissues for the purpose of improving physical structure as well as fertility of soil.

Leguminous green manures:

1) Sesbania 

2) Dhaincha 

3) Moong 

4) Cowpea

5) Sunhemp

6) Cluster bean

7) Urid 

8) Berseem

Non leguminous green Manuring crops:

1) Jower

2) Maize 

3) Sunflower

Characters of a good green Manuring Crops:

1) It should yield a large quantity of green material with a short period.

2) It should be quick growing, especially in the beginning so as to suppress the weeds 

3) It should preferably be a legume 

4) It should Succulent & has more leafy growth 

5) It is easy to incorporate.

6) It is quickly decomposable .

Advantages of Green Manuring:

1) It adds the organic matter to the soil & stimulate the activity of micro- organisms 

2) It improves the structure of the soil , thereby improving the water holding capacity of soil decreasing runoff erosion.

3)It improves aeration in the rice soils by stimulating the activities of surface film of algae and bacteria.

4) It fixes the nitrogen from atomosphere 

5) It suppresses the growth of weeds.

6) It takes nutrients from lower layers of the soil and adds to the upper layer in which it is incorporated.

7) Many green manure crops have addtional use as a sources of food,feed and fuel.

8) Certain green manure like Pongamia and Neem leaves are reported to have insect control effects 

Disadvantages:

1) Incidence of pest & diseases may increase 

2) Loss of one crop

3) Depletion of moisture which affects the growth of the succeeding crop.

Limitation in raising Green Manure Crops:

1) Non - Availability of water resources may restrict raising of green manure crops.

2) Non -Availability of good quality seeds.

Types of Green Manuring:

1)Green Manuring in-situ: 

   In this system, green manure crops grown and buried in the same field ,which is to be green manured , either as a pure crop or as a intercrop with the main crop .

Examples

The most common green manure crop grown under this system are

Sunhemp, Dhaincha ,Gaur

2) Green leaf Manuring:

Green leaf Manuring refers to turning into the soil green leaves and tender green twigs collected from shrubs and trees grown on bunds , wastelands and nearby forest areas.

Common shrubs and trees uses are:

Glyricidia , Sesbania , Karanj

Nutrient Content of Important green manure and green leaf manure crops:

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