Cover Crops/Green Manure Cropsfor Sustainable Coffee Production

摘要

They are also known to provide necessary biodiversity within the field for the natural enemies of insect pests and forage to insect pollinators like honey bees, butterflies etc.In newly planted/ replanted coffee fields soil erosion and excessive weed growth are the major problems that adversely affect the normal growth of young coffee plants. Weeds compete with the main crop for the available nutrients, moisture, - light and also act as hosts for various sucking pests. Since coffee is a widely spaced crop there is amplescope for cultivation of cover crops/ green manure crops in the initial stages of plantation establishment or in replanted fields.