Green Manure

In News

• Punjab Government is promoting the cultivation of green manure nowadays.

Green Manure

• About:
  • Green manures are crops grown specifically for building and maintaining soil fertility and structure.
  • They are normally incorporated back into the soil, either directly, or after removal and composting.
  • There are three main varieties of green manure, including Dhaincha, Cowpea, Sunhemp, Moong etc.
  • The green manure must be leguminous in nature and bear maximum nodules on its roots to fix large amount of atmospheric nitrogen in the soil.
  • Green manure varieties are incorporated into the soil when the crop is 42-56 days old.
• Obtained in two ways:
  • By growing green manure crops or by collecting green leaves (along with twigs) from plants grown in wastelands, field bunds and forest.

Advantages

• Improves soil structure by enhancing the organic matter in the soil.
• Meets the deficiency of the micronutrients.
• Increases water holding capacity of soil
• Decreases soil loss by erosion
• It decomposes rapidly and liberates large quantities of carbon dioxide and weak acids, which act on insoluble soil minerals to release nutrients for plant growth.

Why is the sowing of green manure important in Punjab?

• High hectare fertiliser consumption, which is around 244 kg, is one of the highest in the country and is also higher than the national average. 
• Growing green manure can curtail this consumption of inorganic fertilisers to a large extent by 25 to 30% and can save huge input costs for the farmers.
• Deficiencies of micronutrients like iron and zinc, especially in the soils where rice is cultivated thus affect productivity. In such a situation, green manuring helps improve soil health and enhance the productivity of the crops.

Source: IE