Green Manure and Legume Covers in the Tropics

摘要

Green manures and legume covers have received renewed interest as a potential source of biological nitrogen for cereal crops grown in complex tropical farming systems. The report provides an overview of literature describing various legumes and the cropping systems in which they are used in the humid tropics, including rice and green manures, plantation crops and legume covers, root crops and green manures, and some upland crops and green manures. Also included are the results of a survey, performed in 1981, on the use of green manures and legume covers. The report concludes that alternative sources of nitrogen are important in tropical farming systems, and that biological nitrogen should be viewed as a complement to fertilizer nitrogen. The appropriate mix of the two, however, is difficult to assess, and more research needs to be performed.