Green leaf manures

GREEN LEAF MANURES :-

Green leaf manures are capable of supplying the required plant nutrients (N) with maintaining very good soil health. For instance, in an experiment rice yield was increased significantly due to the application of GLMs. The result of that experiment concluded that application of GLM N at 120 kg/ha from Leucaena and Gliricidia is capable of producing yield and other outputs of rice to that obtained from N at 60 kg/ha from urea. So, GLMs can replace chemical fertilizers and protect the world from numerous hazards the chemicals bring.

• GLM plants add a huge quantity of N to the soil. Around 120 kg N can be added to the soil from 400 trees placed 2 m apart on the bund.

• GLMs ensure balanced nutrition for plants and improve soil fertility to a great extent.

• GLM trees are perennial and supply leaves 2-3 times in a year for manuring; so, they need not to replant.

• GLMs are slow releasing fertilizers and act as plant nutrient source for a long time after their application.

• Soil structure is improved to a great extent due to the application of GLM.

• GLMs encourage the development of earthworms by acting as food material to them.

• GLMs produce very high quality and safe food materials.

• GLMs possess no threat to water and air quality.

• GLMs stimulate the growth of various beneficial microorganisms in soil and thus improve the soil biodiversity.

• GLMs are very useful in reclaiming salinity affected soils.

• The woody branches of GLM trees are used as fuel.

• They are cheap and easily affordable.

• GLMs are readily available and very easy to use.

PLANT SPECIES USEFUL FOR GREEN LEAF MANURES

To produce green leaf manures a number of trees and plants are used; among them trees like- Pungam, Gliricidia, Mahua, Erukku, Subabul, Vahai, Karanji, Wild indigo, Wild dhaincha, Neem, Colatropis, etc.; and weeds like Water hyacinth, Calotrophis, Trianthema, Cassia, Ipomoea, Parthenium, etc. are used widely.