Green Manures

Green manures are excellent source of nitrogen, even more micro nutrients. It is low cost manuring so it called as poor farmer's manure. It enhances the soil structure and organic matter in the soil. Excellent remedy for the alkaline and saline soils. It improves the soil fertility. It also prevents the nitrogen from soil erosion. It improves the soil aeration and organic matter content. It improves the soil structure. It stimulates the growth of beneficial microbes and other soil organisms. Green manures are playing effective tool in controlling weeds.

Other objectives of green manures:
It can be used as a catch crops, shade crops, forage, cover crops. So it has the multipurpose uses.

Types of green manuring:
1.Green leaf manuring crops
2.Green manuring in situ crops

Green leaf manuring crops:
It is raised in other location and collected the green biomass and added in to the soil. They have to be incorporated in the soil by fine ploughing. The crops should be cutted during the flowering stage. Some of the green leaf manure crops are ,

  1. Pongamia glabra (Pungam)
  2. Tephrosia perpuria
  3. Calotropis gigantia (Erukku)
  4. Gliricidia maculata
  5. Ipomea carnea
  6. Azadirachta indica (Neem)
  7. Leucaena leucocephala (Subabul)
  8. Cassia pistula
  9. Indigofera teysmannii

Calotropis gigantia (Erukku)

Tephrosia perpuria(Wild indigo)