By R. Lal, R. Bourdeix and J. Ollivier, 2018.
Pacific Coconut farmers often spend a huge time and energy fighting fast-growing weeds and weeding them manually. Using an appropriate plant cover can help farmers to reduce this weeding effort, provide nitrogen nutriments to the coconut palm, mitigate soil erosion and improve the composition and activity of soil biota.
Although no specific data is available, three experts (V. Kumar, L. Ollivier and R. Bourdeix) estimate that the use of such plant cover reduces weeding work by at least half.
Two leguminous species, namely Pueraria Javanica and Mucuna bracteata can be used. Mucuna is specially adapted to the most humid and warm ecosystems. In the Pacific region, a main constraint is to find the way of getting seeds (pueraria and mucuna) or cuttings (mucuna).Pueraria Javanica
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| Pueraria javanica |
The roots are shallow with plenty of root
nodules and fix over 100Kg Nitrogen per Ha per annum. Quick establishment and
covering the land in the first year of sowing is the attraction of this plant.
Seeds are small and seed rate is 3 to 4.5 Kg per Ha. Seeds require
pre-treatment either with concentrated Sulphuric acid or hot water treatment.
Biomass generation is 4 to 5 tons per Ha per annum. Javanica is a very popular
cover crop worldwide in coconut but also in coffee, oil palm, citrus and rubber
plantations.
It is a vigorous twine and creeper that can be propagandized by seeds and cuttings. The Plant can stand strong sun and smothers weeds ever farming systems.
Mucuna bracteata
Mucuna bracteata originates from North India in forest areas of the Tripura State. It has green leaf foliage with leguminous nodules producing fixed nitrogen leading to amino acids. The seed of the legume of the Mucuna bracteata weighs about 90–190 mg each and is black in colour. This seed, as it is a legume, provides health benefits on its own, individually, for direct consumption. The foliage of the plant creates a shade covering over the soil it occupies, having a height of approximately 30–50 cm off the ground. This plant is a creeping type which grows rapidly and controls weed population in planted areas
Fiji
Pueraria Javanica is well established in coconut plots of the Taveuni Agricultural center, but is rarely found on farmer's fields. Expert recommendation is to popularize it among farmers. See the publication: Lal, ROHIT. (2013). Influence of mucuna (Mucuna pruriens) fallow crop on selected soil properties and taro yield in Taveuni, Fiji. Unpublished Masters thesis. The University of the South Pacific, Alafua Campus, Samoa.
Samoa
It is a vigorous twine and creeper that can be propagandized by seeds and cuttings. The Plant can stand strong sun and smothers weeds ever farming systems.
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| Seeds of Pueraria javanica |
Mucuna bracteata
Mucuna bracteata originates from North India in forest areas of the Tripura State. It has green leaf foliage with leguminous nodules producing fixed nitrogen leading to amino acids. The seed of the legume of the Mucuna bracteata weighs about 90–190 mg each and is black in colour. This seed, as it is a legume, provides health benefits on its own, individually, for direct consumption. The foliage of the plant creates a shade covering over the soil it occupies, having a height of approximately 30–50 cm off the ground. This plant is a creeping type which grows rapidly and controls weed population in planted areas
 |
| Seeds of Mucuna bracteata |
Pueraria Javanica is well established in coconut plots of the Taveuni Agricultural center, but is rarely found on farmer's fields. Expert recommendation is to popularize it among farmers. See the publication: Lal, ROHIT. (2013). Influence of mucuna (Mucuna pruriens) fallow crop on selected soil properties and taro yield in Taveuni, Fiji. Unpublished Masters thesis. The University of the South Pacific, Alafua Campus, Samoa.
Samoa
Pueraria Javanica is well established in coconut plots of Nuu Research station, but is rarely found on farmer's fields. Expert recommendation is to popularize it among farmers.
Other references and links
Wilmot-Dear, C. M. (1990). A revision of Mucuna (Leguminosae: Phaseoleae) in the Pacific. Kew Bulletin, 1-35.
http://www.covercrops.org/mucunabracteata.php
