In agriculture, a green manure is a type of cover crop grown primarily to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Broadly defined a cover crop is any annual, biennial, or Perennial plant grown as a Monoculture (one crop type grown together or Polyculture A nutrient is food or chemicals that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment Organic matter (or organic material) is Matter that has come from a once-living Organism; is capable of Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel Typically, a green manure crop is grown for a specific period, and then plowed under and incorporated into the soil. The plough ( American spelling plow; both plaŹ is a Tool used in Farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed Green manures usually perform multiple functions, that include soil improvement and soil protection:
- Leguminous green manures such as clover and vetch contain nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria in root nodules that fix atmospheric nitrogen in a form that plants can use. A legume is a Plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae or a Fruit of these specific plants Alsike redirects here Alsike Sweden is also a town in the Knivsta Municipality, Sweden. Vicia ( Vetches) is a large genus of about 140 species of Flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Nitrogen fixation is the process by which Nitrogen is taken from its natural relatively inert molecular form (N2 in the atmosphere and converted into This article is about the biological phenomenon for other uses see Symbiosis (disambiguation The term symbiosis (from the Greek The Bacteria ( singular: bacterium) are a large group of unicellular Microorganisms Typically a few Micrometres in length bacteria have Root nodules occur on the roots of plants that associate with Vigna bacteria.
- Green manures increase the percentage of organic matter (biomass) in the soil, thereby improving water retention, aeration, and other soil characteristics. Biomass refers to living and recently dead Biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life.
- The root systems of some varieties of green manure grow deep in the soil and bring up nutrient resources unavailable to shallower-rooted crops. ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN.
- Common cover crop functions of weed suppression and prevention of soil erosion and compaction are often also taken into account when selecting and using green manures. WEED (1390 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Spanish format Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind
- Some green manure crops, when allowed to flower, provide forage for pollinating insects. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also For Bees their forage or food supply consists of Nectar and Pollen from blooming Plants within flight range Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described
Historically, the practice of green manuring can be traced back to the fallow cycle of crop rotation, which was used to allow soils to recover.
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Green manure crops
- Winter cover crops such as oats or rye have long been used as green manures. Oats redirects here It may mean either the common cereal oat discussed here or any cultivated or wild species of the Genus Avena. Rye ( Secale cereale) is a grass grown extensively as a grain and forage crop
- Fava beans
- Mustard
- Clover
- Fenugreek
- Lupin
- Sunn hemp, a tropical legume
- Vetch or Winter tares, including fava beans. Vicia faba, the broad bean, fava bean, faba bean, horse bean, field bean, tic bean is a species of For the prepared condiment see Mustard (condiment. For other uses of the term "mustard" see Mustard. Alsike redirects here Alsike Sweden is also a town in the Knivsta Municipality, Sweden. Fenugreek ( Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a plant in the family Fabaceae. Lupin, often spelled lupine in North America, is the common name for members of the Genus Lupinus in the legume family Common Vetch ( Vicia sativa L also known as Tare or Vetch, is a Nitrogen fixing leguminous plant
- Winter field beans
- Alfalfa, which sends roots deep to bring nutrients to the surface. Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa) is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop
- Tyfon, a Brassica known for a strong tap root that breaks up heavy soils.
- Buckwheat is a rapidly growing green manure in temperate regions. Buckwheat refers to plants in two genera of the Dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, and the North American genus
- Ferns of the genus Azolla have been used as a green manure in southeast Asia. Azolla ( mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss, water fern) is a Genus of seven species of aquatic
- Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) Common in the southern US during the early part of the 20th century, before being replaced by soybeans. Mucuna pruriens ( Syn Dolichos pruriens) is a tropical legume known by a multitude of Common names (see below Popular today in most tropical countries, especially in Central America where it is the main green manure used in Slash/Mulch farming practices.
Green manures in organic farming
Organic farming relies on soil health and cycling of nutrients through the soil using natural processes. Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on Crop rotation, Green manure, Compost, Biological pest control, and mechanical Cultivation Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity Green manures perform the vital function of fertilization, in concert with the addition of animal manures if those are used.
See also
- Fertilizer
- Organic gardening
- Category:Soil improvers
External links
- Overview of cover crops and green manures
- Methods of Green Manuring
- Using green manure to grow rice [1]
- University of California cover crops database
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