Discussions regarding green manures for high elevations (2000m)
(7/3/01 - 7/10/01)
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postings: 8
countries: Nicaragua, United States (Minnesota, New York), Philippines
organizations/institutions/companies: Proyecto Catie MIP Nicaragua, Cornell University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Minifarms, ILRI-SEAT
Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001
To: MULCH-L@cornell.edu
From: Martha Rosemeyer
Subject: green manures for high elevations (2000m)Dear Mulchers--
Does anyone know of any sources of green manure seeds of CIDICCO's recommended high altitude (1500-2500m) varieties: choreque (Lathyrus nigrivulus (spelling?) and Vicia? Also I may need Chinapopo (Phaseolus coccineus) if not available through CIDICCO.
Any other suggestions of green manures that can be used for forages at high altitudes? Thanks for your consideration and time in answering this.
--Martha Rosemeyer
Dept of Agronomy
University of Wisconsin-Madison
______________________________________________________ From: Steven John Vanek
MULCH-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Re: green manures for high elevations (2000m)Martha, I am doing some work here at Cornell with Lana Vetch, Vicia villosa ssp. dasycarpa or just Vicia dasycarpa as a living mulch/green manure between rows of pumpkins. I have seen in the literature that this has been proposed as a forage green manure for high elevations in bolivia and ethiopia; I'm doing some stuff in growth chambers to map out its growth response to temperature; lana vetch seems to do well at a wide range of temperatures up to about 22 C or so, average day/ night (I haven't looked at the details yet). It's not frost hardy and I use it as a summer annual in my trial systems. Vicia villosa, hairy vetch, is frost hardy, as you may already know and is a popular fall seeded cover in temperate areas. Both species are slow to emerge and establish cover so I've found its best to combine with a nurse crop, winter rye in my case; best to sow the nurse crop sparingly or it dominates. Details on both of these can be found in SARE's book Managing Cover Crops Profitably. The Bolivia/Ethiopia stuff came out in the Journal of Mountain Research.
Seeds for both can be found at Peaceful Valley farm supply, www.groworganic.com
Hope this helps,
Steve Vanek
Cornell University
______________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 08 Jul 2001
To: MULCH-L@cornell.edu
From: Chuck Staver
Subject: Re: green manures for high elevations (2000m)Martha,
Alfalfa is used in Ecuador and Peru in the Highlands. Also faba beans, lupins, and peas are part of local cropping systems.
Chuck Staver
Nicaragua
______________________________________________________ Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001
To: MULCH-L@cornell.edu
From: H. David Thurston
Subject: Re: green manures for high elevations (2000m)Hi Martha,
Here are some more references on vetch as a green manure for your reading pleasure.
1. Abdul-Baki, A., J.R. Teasdale, and C. Prince. Year. Winter annual legumes as mulches in vegetable productionMid-Atlantic Vegetable Workers' Conference. Univ. of Delaware:
hairy vetch, slash/mulch, tomato, organic matter, polyethelyne mulch, HDT File
2. Abdul-Baki, A. and J.R. Teasdale. 1993. A no-tillage tomato production system using hairy vetch and subterranean clover mulches. HortScience. 28(2): 106-108.
Abstract. A novel approach is described for using two winter annual legumes-hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L. Roth.) and "Mt. Barker" subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) as cover crops and plant mulches in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) production. The approach calls for sowing the cover crops in the fall in prepared beds, mowing the cover crops with a high-speed flail mower immediately before transplanting the tomato seedlings into the field in early May, and then transplanting the seedlings into the beds with minimal interruption of the soil or mulch cover. Plants in the vetch treatment with no tillage produced a higher yield than those grown under black polyethylene, paper, or no mulch in conventional systems. Both plant mulches delayed fruit maturity by about 10 days relative to black polyethylene mulch. The proposed approach eliminates tillage, reduces the need for applying synthetic fertilizers and herbicides, and is adapted to large and small-scale tomato production in a low-input, no-tillage system. It also may be used to produce other vegetables. hairy vetch, slash/mulch, tomato, organic matter, paper mulch, polyethelyne mulch
3. Abdul-Baki, A.A. and J.R. Teasdale. 1994. Sustainable production of fresh-market tomates with organic mulches. U.S.D.A., Farmers' Bull. FB-2279, Washington, D.C. 10 pp.
Beds are established and used for 2-3 years. Hairy vetch produces 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of dry matter/acre and fices 100-200 llbs. of N/acre (plus other nutrients) - enough for tomato crop without additonal fertilizer. Use a high-speed flail mower to mulch the vetch. Tomates planted mechanically or by hand in small areas - into mulch. "This no-tillage system with a winter-annual cover crop has consistently yielded greater total fruit than traditional bare soil or black polyethylene mulch treatments. It eliminates the use of preemergence herbicides, nitrogen fertilizer, and polyethylene mulches, resulting in economic savings and environmental conservation. By reducing tillage and adding a cover crop, it builds soil quality and contributes to the sustainability of production for future generations." hairy vetch, slash/mulch, tomato, organic matter, polyethelyne mulch, cover crop,
4. Abdul-Baki, A.A. and J.R. Teasdale. Year. Establishment and yield of sweet corn and snap beans in a hairy vetch mulchFouth National Symposium on Stand Establishment of Horticultural Crops. Monterey, California: Dept. of Vegetable Crops, Davis, CA.
yields in mulch similar to that in conventional systems hairy vetch, slash/mulch, maize, snap beans, organic matter, polyethelyne mulch, cover crop, HDT File
5. Ingels, C., et al. 1994. Selecting the right cover crop gives multiple benefits. California Agriculture. 48(43-48): .
has list of selected characteristics of important cover crops fro California cover crops, green manures, nitrogen, legumes, vetch, cowpea, C/N ratio, grasses, wind and water erosion, organic matter, weed control, sustenance of beneficial insects, biological control, rotation, mulch
6. Merwin, I.A., W.F. Wilcox, and W.C. Stiles. 1992. Influence of orchard ground management on the development of Phytophthora crown and root rots of apple. Plant Disease. 76: 199-205.
Influence of orchard ground management on the development of Phytophthora crown and root rots of apple, organic matter, straw mulch of apple trees caused a significant increase in Phytophthora crown and root rots (35% infection). Apple trees growing in the sod grass and crown vetch "living mulch" remained free of these diseases, where as apple trees growing in the other 5 ground cover vegetation management systems had up to 6% infection incidence (Abawi)
7. Raver, A. 1991. Now, for politically correct tomatoes: all hail the hairy vetch In New York Times. December 8, 1991. p. 85. New York: 85.
An article in the New York Times by Anne Raver (1991) recently described a slash/mulch system that a U.S.D.A. researcher - Aref. A. Abdul-Baki - developed for mulching tomatoes. The article noted that the total amount of plastic used in the world for vegetable production could circle the earth more than 40 times. Abdul-Baki tested the legume hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) as a means to enrich and hold the soil. The vetch was planted in the fall of 1990 and in April of 1991 it was about four feet tall. The vetch was slashed as follows: "We have designed a mower that runs right over the vetch, chops it up and dumps it right in position. Then we drill a three-inch hole and stick the seedling in." Beds mulched with vetch averaged 45 tons of tomatoes compared to 19 tons per acres where no mulch was used and 35 tons per acre where plastic mulch was used. organic matter,
8. White, K.D. 1970. Roman Farming. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. 536 pp.
organic matter/manure/rotations Romans knew value of wood ashes (p. 141). Burned crop stubble of some crops. Extensive literature on fallow, use of legumes in crop rotations - peas, vetch, lupine, alfalfa (p.113). Manure was main resource for soil fertility. Composting well known to Greeks and Romans (Varo quote, p. 133) Green manuring used lupine, broad bean and vetch which were plowed under in May for October cereal planting (Cato, p.136).
Dave
Dept. of Plant Pathology
Cornell Unversity
______________________________________________________ From: The Bileks
To: MULCH-L@cornell.edu
Subject: RE: green manures for high elevations (2000m)
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001Martha,
Vetch seed is available through the Buckwheat Growers at $1.20/lb FOB Wadena MN. http://www.buckwheatgrowers.com
DeEtta
Minnesota
______________________________________________________ From: Ken Hargesheimer
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001
Subject: vetch seedAvailable from PVFS at http://www.groworganic.com for 40¢ per lb. to $1.40 according to variety.
Ken Hargesheimer
______________________________________________________ Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001
To: MULCH-L@cornell.edu
From: Martha Rosemeyer
Subject: Re: green manures for high elevations (2000m)Dear Mulchers--
Thank you so much for your ideas-- its been great to receive the diversity! Has anyone had experience with Lotus at about 2000m in the Andes? They are combing it with a native Panicum for grazing.
Thanks.
--Martha
______________________________________________________ Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001
From: Pezo, Danilo
Subject: RE: green manures for high elevations (2000m)
To: MULCH-L@cornell.eduDear Martha,
Several years ago (late 60's, early 70's) the National Agrarian University-La Molina and the North Carolina State University Mission to Peru tested Lotus among other legumes in the Highlands of Peru (about 3,800 masl). You could get some of the info they collected on adaptation and yields contacting Prof. Efrain Malpartida , through the following e-mail address: ppastos@lamolina.edu.pe
Regards,
Danilo A. Pezo
Animal Nutritionist
ILRI-SEAT
Metro Manila, Philippines