Royal Messages Related to Vetiver*

His Majesty the King’s Initiative of the Use of Vetiver Grass for Soil and Water Conservation

Since His Majesty’s accession to the throne in 1946, King has devoted himself toward improving the prosperity of the people of . His Majesty is dedicated physically and mentally to development work for the sake of the nation. Both Thai people and other nationals recognize and are inspired by His Majesty’s enduring commitment. His Majesty heads the nation not only in constitutional terms, but also in moral terms. He considers himself to be a Thai who must share the nation’s sorrows along with its joy and who believes that all people, regardless of races, sex, age, religion or occupation, are entitled to a decent quality of life. Lke other Thais, he also believes he has an obligation to protect the country’s sovereignty and territory. From His Majesty’s perspective, this involves caring for the well-being of the people and enabling them to be self-sufficient. All people have a right to food, and ensuring household food security goes hand-in- hand with eliminating poverty. Keenly sensitive to this correlation, His Majesty has a strong interest in rural and agrarian issues, particularly for sustainable food production – of which soil conservation is essential. Indeed, rich fertilel and too often has become a wasted resource due to unsustainable humand interventions jeopardizing the future of the nation. For several decades, Thailand has experienced severe degradation of its natural resources – such as land and water – due to a veiety of reasons: deforestation, improper uses of soil resources and in general a lack of awareness for conservation and sustainable development. Consequently, soil erosion is a critical issue with 127 million rai (20.32 million ha), or almost 40 percent of Thailand’s total land area of 321 million rai (51.36 million ha), experiencing soil destabilization problems. Despite our knowledge of these adversities, deforestation, for instance, is still evident around the watershed areas in most regions of the country. The clearing of forests through logging results in open and unprotected land unable to absorb rainwater and leaves water catchment facilities shallow. The clearing of trees also deprives the land of its source of nutrients. Finally, during the rainy season, floods swoop up the topsoil and the land becomes totally unproductive. All this deterioration directly affects agricultural productivity, ecological systems and environmental conditions. Without the soil’s water-holdig properties, organic matter and other nutrients are washed away with the rain. Consequently, poor soil conditions hinder proper crop growth and sufficient yields. His Majesty’s work on development has focused on the conservation of natural resources in order to provide optimal sustainable benefit to human beings. His Majesty first prioritized the problem of topsoil loss in the northern part of Thailand. For many years, the King directed projects to conserve topsoil using different methods – planting large trees on high steep slopes and in some areas planting ground-cover crops. However, topsoil loss remained a problem. When His Majesty learned about vetiver, he became interested in its potential for conserving soil and water in Thailand. Vetiver is a grass with a fibrous root typically used for handicrafts and making perfume but also is recognized by indigenous peoples for its medicinal applications, thatching, and, most important in the present context, for soil moisture conservation. The vetiver root system penetrates deeply into the ground to form a net-like barrier capable of filtering silt and containing topsoil. Growing vetiver grass requires simple technology, low maintenance and is low cost, making it easy for farmers to utilize.

* Text of the illustrated booklet, Glory to the Land – Third Edition, published by FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, to celebrate World Food Day 2003, October 2003.

2 His Majesty first conveyed the idea of using vetiver grass to Sumet Tantivejkul, Secretary- General of the Chaipattana Foundation and the Royal Development Projects Board on 22 June 1991. He recommended that experimentation in growing vetiver grass to protect soil erosion be carried out at the Royal Development Study Centres and other areas across the country. His Majesty later added more ideas to the programme and followed the progress of the projects, as demonstrated in the following chronological compilation of royal messages dealing with research and development of what is regarded as a “miracle plant”.

The Royal Messages

The following text is a compilation of the royal messages delivered by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand concerning the use of vetiver grass for soil and water conservation. Generally, the messages were conveyed to senior advisors and research officials during royal visits to various projects sites around the country from 22 June 1991 to 21 February 2003.

22 and 29 June 1991: His Majesty’s initiative concerning vetiver grass was first received by Sumet Tantivejkul, Secretary-General of the Chaipattan Foundation and the Royal Development Projects Board, and other concerned persons at Chitralada villa, in Bangkok, with the following royal commands: Vetiver grass is a plant that has deep root system penetrating straight into the soil and spreading like on underground fence capable of filtering sediments and protecting soil surface runoff. Given these favourable characteristics, studies and experimentation on the cultivation and use of vetiver grass should be conducted at the Royal Development Study Centres and other appropriate locations on a wide scale, consistent with topographical conditions of the areas. On mountainous locations, vetiver grass should be planted as horizontal contour hedges across the slopes and gullies for protection against soil erosion and slippage and for the maintenance of moisture in the soil. On the plains, vetiver grass should be cultivated around or on cultivated plots, in one or two contour lines. When intercropped with field crops it should preserve moisture in the soil, absorb nitrogen and prevent toxic and other chemicals from flowing into rivers and canals. Moreover, vetiver grass should be planted around reservoirs to prevent the soil from collapsing into and filing up the reservoirs, as well as preserving the soil surface and the upper part of the reservoirs and accelerating tree growth in forest areas that receive adequate water. In addition, there should be a study on efficiency of vetiver grass in controlling the spread of the cogon grass. At the slope areas, vetiver grass should be planted to trap sediments and absorb chemicals and toxic substances before flowing into waterways. These substances are then stored in the root and stem until they transform to nutrient, which are utilizable by plants. It is important to photograph the vetiver grass before and after the experimentation. Additionally, the results should be recorded with respects to vetiver’s growth, i.e. stm and root, and its capability in conserving soil, increasing soil fertility and preserving soil moisture, as well as studies on different species and ecotypes of vetiver.

3 4 July 1991:

His Majesty the King summoned Pramote Maiklad, Director of the Special Affairs Office, Royal Irrigation Department, and Police Colonel Theeradej Rodphothong, Director of the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre, to in , Prchuap Khiri Khan province, to discuss using vetiver grass as a natural method for surface soil conservation. For years His Majesty the King has studied natural method for surface soil conservation. In many localities, crop cultivation often takes place on exposed surface soil, then working to losen the soil. This is not a natural way, and it may cause problems in the future. The royal advice to the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre was to farm without damaging the natural condition. This means to avoid tilling. Every project under the Centre’s supervision must use natural methods as a model. His Majesty studied World Bank documents on the use of vetiver for surface soil conservation and hence instructed the Huai Sai Royal Development Centre to experiment by planting and multiplying vetiver in different types of habitats, such as around the edge of the gullies, in the cashew-nut plots, on sloping land, along natural waterways by putting stones to form small weirs and planting vetiver on the lower front or on farm land by mixing it with maize cultivation. The royal instruction also included taking photographs of the situations before and after the vetiver trials to provide the evidence. All projects under the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre must do everything accordingly to provide a case for demonstration.

7 July 1991:

Their Majesties the King and the Queen visited the site of the Suan Hat Sai Yai Project under His Majesty’s initiative at Pran Buri district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. His Majesty suggested the project officials to: Grow vetiver as it is valuable for soil erosion prevention. It is particularly beneficial on steep slopes where it can conserve surface soil as well as accumulate organic matter in the soil. In addition, its young leaves can be fed to livestock. Following His Majesty’s recommendation, the project researchers started to collect native ecotypes of vetiver growing in natural habitats in the nearby areas. A few ecotypes were received from other places. They were multiplied and tested at various sites in the project area beginning in October 1991.

19 February 1992:

During a dinner reception at Bhubhing Palace in Chiang Mai, His Majesty summoned the Commissioner of the Border Patrol Police General Headquarters and instructed him to: Plant vetiver at various operational sites under the supervision of the Border Patrol Police and also in the nearby villages, and then try to spread the cultivation throughout the country as vetiver has characteristics suitable for the soil conservation system. This could be done by planting it as a hedgerow along the contour. Successful results have already been obtained from the experiments conducted in several other countries in Asia. It was also found that the yield of the crops grown between hedgerows of vetiver had been dramatically increased.

20 February 1992:

Their Majesties the King and the Queen, together with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, visited the Royal Project headquarters in Chiang Mai. The royal family observed the collection plot of vetiver ecotypes collected from various locations in 4 Thailand, as well as several imported ecotypes, and experiments such as planting vetiver across the gullies to form a natural check dam. Later in the day, the royal family visited the 6th Land Development Regional Office in Chiang Mai. His Majesty made the following comments: Vetiver is a plant with a deep root system that penetrates vertically into the soil as a semi-solid wall-like structure. This formation helps trap debris and prevents erosion of surface soil. It should be investigated further to verify the preliminary findings. Vetiver should be planted as a single row with plant spacing of 10-15 cm. Such a spacing not only requires less area, but also is easy to take care of. In particular, it should be planted in gullies as well as on steep slopes in order to prevent soil erosion. As vetiver planting is a new practice, His Majesty urged that the growers should not expect too much of it in terms of returns. However, the indirect benefits would be enormous. Moreover, there is no need to plant vetiver in the farmers’ cropping areas. The first attempt should be made in the experimental stations of the Land Development Department for demonstration, as well as to select for the best ecotypes, the characteristics of which include non-flower formation and drought resistance. In this way, the farmers in the vicinity will see the results and decided for themselves to use the same method.

24 February 1992:

Their Majesties the King and the Queen and H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited the Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Centre, Doi Saket district, Chiang Mai province. After planting vetiver in the experimental plots, His Majesty gave the following comments: Vetiver cultivation should be extended as it helps in the conservation of both soil and water. Its extensive fibrous root system will absorb large amounts of water which helps in moistening the surrounding soil, thus making it cultivable to other economic crops, both annuals and perennials. Another good quality of vetiver is its ability to trap organic matter, as well as other toxic materials and chemicals, thus preventing them from flowing along with the water into streams and rivers. They should then be accumulated and slowly disintegrate in the soil. Conduct trials on different ecotypes and concurrently select those which are adaptive to the locations in order that they may be used in extension programmes after multiplication, particularly on mountain slopes with severe soil erosion, such as at Khao Cha-ngum land reclamation study project, as well as Wat Yanasangkhawararam. His Majesty advised that vetiver should be planted three months prior to the onset of the rainy season in order to allow the vetiver plants to be vigorous enough to withstand the damage in the rainy season. His Majesty also suggested conducting an experiment in growing vetiver along gullies as a check dam, as well as on steep slopes with barren soil along highways in order to prevent soil erosion.

14 March 1992:

Their Majesties the King and the Queen, together with HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited the Mae La Noi Royal Project Development Centre, Mae La Noi district, Mae Hong Son province. His Majesty summoned the Hmong villagers who are growing cabbages as a summer cash crop and recommend: Interplant vetiver along the cabbage rows in the dry season, in order to obtain the benefit of sprinkler irrigation given to the cabbage plants. Slips of locally collected ecotypes of vetiver were also planted by the royal family for demonstration and multiplication.

5 19 March 1992:

Their Majesties the King and the Queen visited the Pang Tong Highland Agricultural Development Centre, Mueang district, Mae Hong Son province. His Majesty made the following remarks: In growing vetiver for the purpose of soil and water conservation, the time of planting should take place three months before the onset of the rainy season and preferably in the area where water is available to be given to the young vetiver slips in order to induce their growth to withstand the impact of the falling rain.

14 May 1992 :

His Majesty summoned His Excellency, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, to Chitralada Palace for the following advice: Cultivation of vetiver must be extended and accelerated on a nation-wide scale within two years. Although the implementation may cost some budget, it is worth getting started. The vetiver ecotypes selected for dissemination should be those unable to propagate by seed. In planting vetiver, dividing the clumps to obtain planting material should be done when roots are about 15 cm in length. Transplanting can be done without cutting the bottom of the polybag because the vetiver roots can penetrate out of the bag. Vetiver should be planted in the cropping areas, around farm ponds and in forest areas. It could also be planted in the gullies to trap sediments and hence prevent them from flowing into the reservoirs. Its dense fibrous root system would also help holding soil moisture. At the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre, vetiver is to be planted in hedges in the Muslim village areas to build up top soil. At the Khao Cha-ngum land reclamation study project, vetiver is to be planted in single rows on the upper area adjacent to Khao Khiao. Here, topsoil had to be added to the area from the beginning. However, when vetiver grows adequately, it would help build up the topsoil.

8 June 1992:

His Majesty visited the Khao Cha-ngum land reclamation study project, Photharam district, Ratchaburi province, on which occasion the following royal remarks were made: In selecting vetiver ecotypes for multiplication, extreme caution must be taken in selecting those which do not produces seeds, as they should not spread easily and become noxious weeds. In the watershed area of the reservoir, vetiver should be planted on the contour lines along the reservoir edges. These contour lines should be made: (i) at the water level, (ii) 20 cm above water level, and (iii) 20 cm below water level (as water rarely reaches the specified level). In so doing, the following benefits are expected: ƒ Soil erosion into the reservoir, causing sedimentation, will be prevented. If soil is needed for other purposes, digging can be done by using machinery which could run over vetiver plants, causing no damage whatsoever to them. ƒ Surface soil along the watershed area of the reservoir will be conserved, thus becoming more fertile and beneficial to forest growth which will take place at a faster rate. Experiments to grow vetiver in lateritic soil should be made to see how deep its root system can reach. Initially, hardpan layer should be broken before planting vetiver by making a hole through it. After two or three years of growth, observation should be made on how well the root system develops through the hardpan layer.

6 To prevent gully erosion, two planting methods are suggested: ƒ In the shape of an inverted V in the gully (sharp point on higher level): Vetiver planting should be extended along the length of the level line in a fish-bone pattern, with vertical interval of one meter in order to stop gully erosion and to force water to penetrate vertically downward into the soil at the front line of the vetiver. ƒ As straight line across the gully: Through this method debris would accumulate on the gully bed which ultimately would be filled up. Vetiver should be planted in areas with Ya Kha or cogon grass (Imperata cylindrica), in order to see how well it can control this noxious weed. The best method is to plant vetiver encircling Ya Kha. After vetiver is well established, set fire to Ya Kha in order to see if vetiver can prevent the spread of fire to other areas as well as to keep Ya Kha under control. Vetiver should be planted around a fruit tree. This would prevent the area around the tree from sinking. At the same time the cut leaves used as mulch would ensure moisture conservation for the fruit tree. As for cropping areas, three methods can be practised: ƒ Along the boundaries of the cropping area. ƒ Interplant in the cropping area with one or two rows of vetiver ƒ In the grove between two raised rows of the field crops. On mountainous areas, vetiver should be planted along the contour and in the gullies in order to conserve soil moisture.

6 July 1992:

Their Majesties the King and the Queen revisited the Suan Hat Sai Yai project under His Majesty’s initiative. The royal couple examined the performance of vetiver in the multiplication plot and on the slope. His Majesty suggested that: Closer spacing should be attempted, especially as the ecotypes and their characteristics were not yet determined. Their Majesties then planted a locally-collected ecotype from Khao Tao in the experimental plots. Five days after the visit, His Majesty sent an expert to examine the ecotypes planted at the project. It was verified that the local ecotypes planted were excellent. Consequently, His Majesty commanded that multiplication of these ecotypes be made for use in other projects.

22 July 1992:

His Majesty visited the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre, Cha-am district, . After planting vetiver in the experimental plot at the reservoir area, His Majesty gave the following advice: Planting of vetiver for soil conservation should be encouraged as it has so many virtues, especially for soils of similar structure as that of Huai Sai. It can act as a living natural check dam to help improve physical and chemical properties of the soil. In planting vetiver along the contour, the spacing between rows should be extended to 1-2 m vertical intervals in order to save planting material, but the spacing between plants should be closer to hasten the effective period of vetiver. A semi-circle hedge of vetiver should be established around the fruit trees. Vetiver should be planted on the watershed area of the reservoir in order to trap organic debris and chemical and toxic materials carried along by the water into the reservoir. This will prevent them from entering and polluting the water. Once absorbed into

7 the vetiver plant, they will slowly disintegrate, and thus become non-toxic to the environment, and even be released as nutrients.

28 August 1993:

His Majesty summoned Sumet Tantiwejkul, Secretary-General of the Royal Development Projects Board at Chitralada Villa, Dusit Palace in Bangkok, with the following royal commands: Vetiver grass must be planted 15 cm apartfor large clumps and 2-3 cm apart for small clumps. However, if latter approach using small clumps at 2-3 cm spacing isbelieved to be more effective as it will economize the planting slips and form a dense hedge within a few months. By using large clumps with wider spacing, it may take about two years for the hedge to become effective. This time frame is too long. The plantings at development project are rather expensive because vetiver grass is planted in a close dense hedge. However, the project is intended to be an experiment with rapid results. In conclusion, planting smaller clumps at closer spacing is appropriate. The vertical interval between rows should be 2 m according to the authjorities; the interval being measured vertically along the slope of 2 m descending from top to bottom. The interval might not always be 2m distance, but cann be 1.5 m as practical. At 1.5 m apart, it might be more “comfortable” since it is approximately the height of a person. If it is 2 m, a person would have to stretch, but this is also practical, as it would enable the person to view the second row more easily.

15 July 1996:

His Majesty, together with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited the Khao Cha-ngum land reclamation study project, Photharam district, Ratchaburi province, on which occasion the following royal remarks were made to Sumet Tantivejkul, Chari Tulyanond, Sawat Wattanayakorn, Rungruang Chulachart, Pramote Maiklad, Sitthilarp Wasuwat, Sima Morakul, Payung Nopasuwan, and other officials who came to greet His Majesty. The issue of planting distance for vetiver was emphasized by His Majesty. Slips should be planted very close to each other, leaving a distance of only 5 cm between plants. The planting of vetiver to conserve soil moisture for fruit trees and other perennial crops using circular strips around the trees may create some problem as the root system of vetiver may be quite extensive and thus competing with the trees for some nutrients. A semi- circular hedgerow may be made at the lower side of the trees in order to solve this problem. In this way, vetiver will perform its function in effectively conserving soil moisture for the trees afterwards. In planting vetiver in the shape of an inverted V in order to prevent the formation of gully erosion, vetiver should be planted along contour lines across the gully, having the upper hedgerow (at the tip of the V-shaped configuration) resting on higher ground level than the lower hedgerow. When runoff water flows along the slope of the area reaching the vetiver hedgerow, the latter will reduce erosion caused by running water in the gully. This system quite effectively will help debris and sediment to accumulate in the gully. Planting vetiver in a hole made by drilling deep down to the level of lateritic soil should be experimented. Fill the hole with good soil and plant vetiver in it. The vetiver roots will rapidly penetrate deep down to the level of lateritic soil. Vetiver planting throughout the entire area of the Khao Cha-ngum land reclamation study project should be implemented.

8 6 August 1996:

Their Majesties the King and the Queen, together with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, visited to the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre, Cha-am dDistrict, Phetchaburi province. His Majesty admonished Sumet Tantiwejkul, Pravit Tabtim-on, Chaichan Chalothorn, and other officials as follows: In planting vetiver, if its hedgerows were placed so close to the strips of field crops or quite close around fruit trees, they may cause a water deficit to the crops or fruit trees as vetiver consumes quite large amounts of water. This would make it difficult for water to reach the root systems of the crops since vetiver roots form a living wall beneath the soil. Therefore, planting vetiver in a semi-circle around fruit trees with close spacing of tillers is correct. In the reforestation area on the foothills of Khao Thong, do not use the "peeling" method, as nutrients, together with soil and water, are moving downward from the mountain. Meanwhile, vetiver hedgerows should be extended further, in the shape of an inverted-V. Sooner or later, the gully will be filled with sediments. In a deep gully, a ridge of soil or rock should be first made across the gully to form a check dam. Do not plant vetiver in the gully directly. In addition, the space between vetiver contour hedgerows will have better soil quality. Suggestions should be made to farmers to grow cash crops in this space. In planting vetiver by using a drill into the soil, the drill should be hand-operated, and drill only a certain spot as in the area of Khao Cha-ngum land reclamation study project. The idea is to make a hole in the hardpan soil so that vetiver roots can penetrate into it. The procedure in planting vetiver to fill empty spots along hedgerows on hardpan soil is to use a drill along the empty spots and fill the hole with compost. To cut vetiver clumps one might use large scissors up to the height of about 30 cm. The soil along hedgerows of vetiver will be fertile, full of plant nutrients, thus suitable to be planted with annual crops or fruit trees. His Majesty then demonstrated how to grow vetiver to fill empty spots along the hedges. This was done by digging a ditch along the empty spots and filled it with a mixture of soil and compost. Vetiver slips were then planted close together, with a distance not exceeding 5 cm along the empty spot, then cut the leaves off, leaving 30 cm stock so that the new plants along the side receive full sunlight. His Majesty thengave the following advice: Water should be provided regularly until the vetiver plants are well established. The soil deposited along the upper hedgerow is quite good, with a depth of 30 cm. Accelerate vetiver planting on the empty spots in order to make the hedgerows effective for soil fertility improvement.

3 April 1997:

His Majesty visited to the Huai Sai Development Study Centre, Phetchaburi province. He first visited a trial near the reservoir where vetiver was planted on the soil having hardpan layer underneath. Then His majesty made the following remarks: Try to find a method to make a hole through the hardpan, then fill the hole with good loamy soil to accommodate the vetiver growth so that its roots can penetrate through the hard- pan. Vetiver planted in this way will bring moisture to break the soil and make it friable. Pursue the experiment on growing vetiver as a hedgerow along the contour, with spacing of 5 cm between plants in order to prevent erosion of topsoil and build up a topsoil layer from the accumulation of debris in front of the hedgerow. Afterwards, the trapped soil can be used to grow crops. In planting vetiver around perennial trees, the semi-circle system should be used in order to trap moisture for the trees.

9 At the second location where work on soil and water conservation around the flood plain of Bo Khing Mountain was ongoing, His Majesty made the following remarks: Replant the area with forest trees and plant vetiver along the contour in hedgerows. Such an approach will have an effect when it rains as leaf litter carried along the runoff water will be collected in the front of the vetiver hedgerows, thus improve soil fertility. The Royal Forest Department has the duty to reforest while the Land Development Department has the responsibility of planting vetiver. The Huai Sai Development Study Centre will be the coordinating unit for both departments.

23 April 1997:

During his royal visit to the Khao Hin Son Royal Development Study Centre, Chachoengsao province, His Majesty first inspected the rim of Huai Chek reservoir. The following royal remarks were recorded: Conduct the experiment by planting vetiver around the forest area in order to prevent soil erosion of the top soil. Leaf litter of the forest trees will improve soil fertility when they decompose. Vetiver planted between rows of forest trees will not die but temporarily halt its growth. When the forest trees are cut down, vetiver will resume its growth. Another experiment should be made to grow vetiver on hardpan soil by drilling a hole through the hardpan layer before planting, then insert vetiver in the hole. Its roots will penetrate downwards and break the hardpan layer. Afterwards, new soil will be formed with good fertility through the accumulation of sediments and leaf litter gathered in front of the vetiver hedgerow. In the royal working pavilion at Utthayan Matcha (fish garden) at the second site, His Majesty advised the Director of the Khao Hin Son Development Study Centre to conduct a study on growing vetiver on hardpan soil in Khao Hin Son district. Instructions for similar studies of the hardpan soils at the Khao Cha-ngum land reclamation study project, and at the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre were also given.

9 May 1997:

On the occasion of Phutchamongkhon Day (the crop-praising festival), His Majesty, together with HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, visited the field demonstration plot in Chitralada Villa, Dusit Palace in Bangkok. His majesty summoned H.E. Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Chucheep Harnsawat, and his Deputies, as well as other high- ranking officials of the Ministry on the issue of soil conservation to oin him and imparted the following messages: Soil conservation should go along with forest conservation and rehabilitation. In addition to solving the problem of acid soil, soil conservation by use of vetiver should be extensively implemented in order to prevent topsoil from being eroded. His Majesty conducted the experiments at the Huai Sai Development Study Centre and at the Khao Cha-ngum land reclamation study project. He also demonstrated this at several Development Study Centres. Finally, His Majesty requested the Minister to consider the same implementation in all degraded areas that require rehabilitation and soil and water conservation.

24-25 July 1997:

His Majesty, who traditionally confers certificates upon graduates at several Thai governmental universities, spoke to graduating students of Kasetsart University in the university’s Chakkrabhand Pensiri Pavilion in Bangkok on 24 and 25 July 1997. Accompanied by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on both days, His Majesty

10 addressed the students on their forthcoming roles in society and referred to the merits of vetiver as an analogy for the paths they could choose to follow: On 24 July 1997: Every graduate present here today is expected to have received a thorough professional education, but for observational education, each may still be lacking as not enough experience has been gained. Thus, every one ought to pay more attention to the whereabouts of individuals and various surrounding objects, relating to every graduate, not ignoring even minor items. One good example is grasses, which, when thorough attention is given to them, will lead to knowledge. Grasses consist of weeds that are useless and other that are beneficial - such as vetiver, which is highly useful in soil and water conservation as it has deep root systems penetrating deep down in the soil beneath it, increasing the water- holding capacity of the soil and its ability to hold soil particles tightly together. It also has compactly arranged stems which act as a barrier to all sediments and debris and conserve soil surface. Analogous to the aforementioned issue of grasses, individuals may be those who lead a useless life, or others who lead valuable lives. Grasses are an excellent lesson, to be considered as a motto in maintaining individual lives, i.e. to behave like weeds that cause problems and hardship to the environment or to behave like vetiver, which only creates uses and stability for the land it thrives on. On 25 July 1997: About those good things which are useful, one must use them properly, based on sound technical principles and on general conditions in order to achieve expected results. Take the example of vetiver. It must be planted closely to form a living wall on contours suitable to the topography of the area. On the highlands, for example, it should be planted as contour hedgerows across the slope and gullies; on the plain, it should be planted on the rims of the plot or along furrows of the ridges, alternating with field crops; in the catchment areas, it should be planted on the contour as hedgerows above the area. Vetiver planted according to the above simple methods will prevent erosion of top soil, conserve soil moisture, retain sediments and toxic substances, not permitting them to flow down into waterways. This will provide considerable benefit to soil and water conservation as well as improve soil and forest rehabilitation. A graduate starting his new working life should study such adaptability and suitability as much as possible, then set it as a principle for him to follow. In addition to having thoroughly useful knowledge and useful thoughts, he should use them adaptively and flexibly in his work and living situation, with regard to individuals and locations, in order to achieve a worthwhile dividend.

23 June 1998:

His Majesty the King visited the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre in Phetchaburi province and also granted a royal message at of Cha-am district, in the same province. Growing vetiver grass to make the soil productive may not be understood by some as to why the soil can become productive. I will explain that when the leaves of the trees on the mountains fall, the rain will wash them down and we cannot rehabilitate the soil. But we can plant vetiver and create dykes to trap the top soil from flowing into the creeks. The soil will then be restored and that is good for cultivation. If not, the topsoil, which was once abundant, will flow into the creeks, leaving only sand and hard soil. The creeks may become shallow due to siltation. Then, water flowing from the hill with little trees remaining will rapidly inundate the low-lying land and damage the agricultural products. After a few days, the water will dry up and hence there is no water left for consumption and to sustain cultivation.

11 14 July 1998:

His Majesty the King visited the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre, Phetchaburi province. On this occasion, he delivered the following messages related to vetiver: The reason I am here is because the area with productive soil in Thailand is diminishing. That is why we have to look for the bad soil area and then improve it to become productive. This project is important. Various agencies, such as the Land Development Department and the Royal Forest Department, should conduct serious studies. If we can do that, we will never be deprivedofgood soil. Vetiver will retain water and fertile soil from the hill. Hills are the source of water and nutrients. There is no need to bring in fertilizer from elsewhere. Land development is then easy, with little help from the irrigation and forest. We have to make ‘the good’ on top of ‘the bad’, but not with this hardpan soil, because it is infertile and too hard. We have to create new surface soil. When vetiver grass roots penetrate into the soil, they will bring down nutrients with them into the soil, and vetiver will continue to grow. When it rains, the water that flows from the hill will wash down the leaves and stop at the vetiver hedges. The soil will then become productive and building up. The ‘bad soil’ will become ‘good soil’

13 September 2002:

His Majesty the King summoned Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawatra at Klai Kangwon Palace, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province for the following messages: For large-scale construction projects in which vast lands, especiallyhilly areas, are affected, vetiver should be used as a pioneering plant to effectively rehabilitate and restore the fertility of the areas. His majesty also suggested that government agencies, demonstration centres and botanical gardens provide support in terms of vetiver planting materials and information on suitable ecotypes with a long root system as well as correct cultivation method. The Prime Minister bpught this issue for discussion in the Cabinet on 17 September 2002. The Cabinet resolved to accelerarte the vetiver project to btain the result quickly in order to solve the problem of soil erosion and flood.

16 November 2002:

While paying a royal visit to plant trees for the sustainable restoration project in honour of His Majesty the King, organized by the Petroleum Authority of hailand at Pran Buri district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, His Majesty supported initiatives concerning growing of vetiver, as follows: Vetiver should be planted, either before or together with forst, particularly in the slope areas. Vetiver has to be planted properly, that is, across the contour. In the map provided by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, there are green traces of forest growing like those of cabbage cultivation conducted by the hilltribe preople. Vetiver should be planted in hedgerows to protect gainst forest fires in the forest-growing areas. Normally, reforestation activity requires care from fire extinguishers as well as the use of mortorcycles for the survey. It is better to grow vetiver as hedgerows because vetiver is different from cogon grass. In the dry season, cogon grassis easily burned whereas vetiver is still green and fress becaue it has a long root system to help absorb moisture from the subsoil. Consequently, vetiver naturally helps protect against forest fire.

12 22 November 2002:

His Majety the King granted initiatives regarding vetiver growing to the Board of the national Research Council of Thailand, at Klai Kangwon Palace, Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, as follows: Vetiver should be planted, either before or together with planting the forest, particularly on the slope areas. Vetiver should be grown to hold soil and form rows to prevent forest fires. His majesty emphasized planting vetiver along with the forest so that vetiver sould hold the soil. His Meajesty is concerned about the misuse of vetiver leaves since this can reduce soil fertility. His Majesty worried that cutting vetiver to make plywood or furniture willreduce soil fertility because it is the type of plant that helps create soil. If vetiver leaves are removed from the location, the soil will degrade. The useof vetiver grass to protect against or resist termites may create both advantages and disadvantages, because certain kinds of termites decay the wood to become useful nutrients, thus increasing soil fertility. There are many species of termites, and research reveals that there are no termites where cogon gras and vetiver are grown. The use of vetiver to prevent rats and snakes ought to be highlighted. Vetiver can prevent rats and snakes from coming into the areas if it is grown in tight hedgerows. However, oe should be cautious about a balance of nature because these two creatures are enemies. If no snakes are present, the number of rats will increase. But if there are too many snakes, they be dangerous to people.

22 February 2003:

At klai Kangwon Palace, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, His Majesty the King granted an audience to the delegations of the Royal Project Foundation’s Research and Development Committee on Vetiver Technology and other personnel related to the vetiver project. The other delegations included the Research and development Committee on Vetiver Technology (representatives from the Botanical Garden Organization, Kasetsart University, Chaing Mai University), a group of research work supporters (Adisai Bodharamik, Minister of Commerce; officials from the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board; Land Development Department, Department of Agriculture), as well as those concerned with patent registration (representatives from the Department of Intellual Property). The purpose of the audience was to present nine patents registerd in 2002 for vetiver work and to ask for His Majesty’s royal consideration concerning the implementation of vetiver technology in 2003. On this occasion, His Majesty promoted initiatives concerning the research and development on vetiver technology, summarized as fiollows: Accelerate vetiver cultivation for water and soil conservation. Stress the use of vetiver for improving soil quality, restoring soil fertility and solving the problem of soil deterioration. Propagation should be undertaken so that there will be enough vetiver slips. Imprtantly, the role of vetiver in preserving the soil surface shouldnot be overlooked. Increase the potential of all government agencies in the propagation of vetiver and to encourage their cooperation wir the Land Development Department in producing quality vetiver planting materials sufficient for meeting the needs of the target groups. Moreover, vetiver propagation using the tissue culture techniques should always start from the potential tiller because continuation of the propagation will weaken the tillers. The Government should proide budgetary support to promote propagation of vetiver planting materials to ensure that an adequate quantity is produced. Different agencies should join fcrces in the preservation of vetiver species and ecotypes and in the development of vetiver ecotypes, both beneficial and non-beneficial, which exist in all regions of Thailand. 13 Study the use of vetiver under various conditions, e.g. in the highland and lowland areas, in deteriorated soil, in hardpan soil, in acidic soilin swampy ares, at the restored areas where shrimp farming was once conducted, in the coastal aquatic animal raising areas and in mangrove forest areas. Demonstrate the use of vetiver hedgerows in protecting against forest fires, both in ordinary forests and cogon-infested forests. Promote the use of vetiver hedgerows in preventing nitrate from contaminating the water, both in naturl water sources and underground water. A study on the re-use of nitrate should also be carried out. Vetiver should be planted, either before the arrival of the rainy season or during the early part of the rainy season, so that it can fully grow during the rest of the rainy season. In addition, to enable vetiver to efficiently preserve the soil surface forever, its leaves should be cut at an appropriate height from the soil surface. Build precise and clear-cut understanding with farmers concerning how vetiver helps fertilize the soil; for example, the abundance of new surface soil that comes from black soil accumulated in front of the vetiver hedgerows. In addition, there should be enough vetiver slips for distribution. Propagation can be done by simply splitting tillers from existing hedgerows and allow them to grow all over the area. Finally, the quality of vetiver should be controlled by growing slips gradually with good care and maintenance. Concluding the audience, His Majety the King gave blessings, as follows: Work with a will and determination. Do not give up. The work will then succeed, creating benefits for the whole nation. I wish you all happiness, good physical health, mighty spirits and success in work. Also, live as an important force for the nation forever.

4 August 2005:

His Majesty the King summoned H.E. Khun Ying Sudarat Keyuraphan, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives and high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Coopertatives at Piam Suk villa, Klai Kangwon palace, Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province for the following messages: Vetiver should be planted across the contour in order to collect water. If planted along the slope, the soil will be washed down the slope. A tractor should be used to plough the land across the slope. There are many ecotypes of vetiver grass. The good ones will not flower, in contrast to cogon grass that flowers and produces seeds. The roof thatch made from vetiver gras is durable. The good ecotypes of vetiver have thick leaves. If planted across the contour, they will prevent fire whereas cogon grass is easily burnt by fire in the dry season. If vetiver grass is planted around the tree, it will help absorb water for the tree. Vetiver grass keeps the cogon grass from growing. Vetiver grass can grow both in the dry area and flooded area.

14 Conclusion of the Royal Messages

His Majesty’s messages regarding vetiver grass reflect a deep concern for the future well-being of Thailand and an active persuit of protecting and enriching rural and agrarian as well as socio-economic development. His Majesty’s initiative and diligent efforts in seeking greater experimentation and studies of the manifold value of vetiver has inspired a variety of response among different government agencies and within the private sector. To enable the operation of His Majesty’s Royal Initiative, the Prime Minister, as Chairman of the Royal Development Projects Board, appointed the Committee for Development and Promotion of the Utilization of Vetiver Grass According to His Majesty’s Initiative on 24 June 1992,. This Committee has the duty to set up policies and goals to steer the operation according to the royal initiative. This Committee has delegated its authority to the Sub-committee on the Technical Aspects of the Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation of the Development and Promotion of the Utilization of Vetiver Grass According to His Majesty’s Initiative and also appointed two working groups, one responsible for formulating the master plan and the other for following up and evaluating the progress. The Committee has pooled together the efforts of 33 agencies that have some involvement with vetiver grass to work and act in response to His Majesty’s vision. The many studies, basic and applied research and demonstation work conducte around Thailand have proven to be useful and the results have been widely transferred to farmers. Since 1993, many research projects have achieved their goals while many are still ongoing. The use of vetiver grass for water and soil conservation has been carried out in many disciplines, such as in stabilizing road sides, ponds, water delivery canals, dams, reservoir embankments, drainage ways, sloping agricultural areas and reforestation land and in breaking up hardpan soil, as well as in other projects according to His Majesty’s royal initiatives. Vetiver leaves and roots can be used in handicrafts and basketry production, household decorations and several industrial products. Vetiver grass can also be utilized as a medium for mushroom culture, in making roof thatch, as compost, etc. Moreover, it can be mixed with water hyacinth to make ‘green fuel’ which produces less smoke and high heat. Continuous evaluation by the Sub-committee on the Technical Aspects of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Development and Promotion of the Utilization of vetiver grass According to His Majesty’s Royal Initiative has disclosed the need for wider dissemination of vetiver grass information for farmers. In particular, there is a need to promote the appropriate ways to grow the grass, its utilization for land and water conservation and its other purposes, especially to people living in remote areas, in order to achieve sustainable environmental development. As well, government officials, particularly from remote areas, should be trained to develop a common understanding that will enable effective transfer of knowledge to farmers. From a relatively unknown plant, vetiver gass has now become a very valuable and useful plant that provides many benefits to society. It was is Majesty the King’s influential role and innumerable royal initiatives that inspired government and private agencies to work together in disseminating the merits of vetiver research

15 The King of Thailand’s Vetiver Awards*

His Majesty the King has graciously provided the following vetiver awards:

First Series

His Majesty the King provided a gift of US$ 10,000 to the Vetiver Information Network for promoting research and disseminating practical information on vetiver. This was announced in the June 1992 issue of the Vetiver Newsletter. The editorial of that issue noted that “His Majesty had previously expressed a keen interest in the vetiver technology; one of the King’s special interst being the development of the tribal peoples in the hills of Northern Thailand where deforestation is accelerating, where soil erosion rates are very high and where there is a need to diversify away from growing poppies. His Majesty the King had been quick to see the value of vetiver grass for soil and moisture conservation and he started a testing program in 1991.” The donation to the Vetiver Information Network was presented to World Bank representative, Richard G. Grimhaw, who had been given an audience with His Majesty to discuss the vetiver program in Thailand. During the meeting, His Majesty expressed his belief that vetiver could well be the answer to stabilizing Thailand’s fast eroding lands while reducing excess runoff and related problems. Half of His Majesty’s donation (US$ 5,000) supported activities of the Vetiver Information Network; the other half was used as prize money to an individual contributing a significant piece of research work. The award was presented on 30 October 1993 at the Chitralada Villa, Duisit Palace in Bangkok to P.K. Yoon of the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia. His rigorous analytical and eminently practical work on vetiver and its management, includes pioneering research on using vetiver for erosion control on steep slopes. One of the many reasons that Dr. Yoon’s research is regarded as successful in his weaving of scientific knowledge with a very practical approach to assure that the technology is properly applied. Dr. Yoon provided details of vetiver grass technology in a publication that is widely used as a bible among vetiver workers.

Second Series

His Majesty the King contributed US$ 10,000 from His Majesty’s Chaipattana Foundation to be used as a prize for the best achieavement in vetiver research and development. The prize was divided into two awards, each $5,000; one for the best vetiver research and the other for the best disseminaton of vetiver technology work. All papers submitted for presentation in the Second International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-2) were eligible for the competition. The Selection Committee of the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board, however, was unable to choose only one paper and instead selected the best three papers in each category to receive a King of Thailand vetiver award. The titles of the papers and the names of the authors and their affiliations are as follows:

Research Category:

1. “The global impact of vetiver grass technology on the environment” by Paul Truong, Resources Science Centre, Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Brisbane, Australia.

* A part of the text of the illustrated booklet, Glory to the Land – Third Edition, published by FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, October 2003.

16

2. “The use of vetiver and three other grasses for re-vegetation of a Pb/Zn mine tailings at Lechang, Guangdong province: A field experiment” by W.S. Shu1, H.P. Xia2, Z.Q. Zhang1, C.Y. Lan1, and M.H. Wong3. 1 School of Life Science, Zhognshan University, Guangzhou, China; 2 South China Institute of Botany, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; 3 Institute of Natural Resources and Waste Management, and Department of Biology, Hong Konmg Baptist University, Kowloon Tang, Hong Kong, China

3. “Research on methodologies for selection, propagation and cultivation techniques of vetiver grass and its application in Thailand” by the Land Development Department, Bangkok, Thailand.

Dissemination Category:

1. “Promoting vetiver grass technology in Venezuela” by Oscar S. Rodriquez, Institute of Agronomy, University of Central Venezuela, Maracay, Estado Aragua, Venezuela.

2. “Vetiver technology development and dissemination in China: From agriculture to engineering: by Liyu Xu, National Coordnator, China Vetiver Network, Nanjing, China.

3. “The use of vetiver grass system for erosion control and slope stabilization along the Yadana gas pipeline right-of-way” by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand.

Third Series

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Chairperson of His Majesty the King’s Chaipattana Foundation, contributed US$ 10,000 from the Chaipattana Foundation for the King of Thailand Vetiver Award for the most outrstanding achievements on vetiver. As in the second series, the third series was divided into two prizes: one to the most ourstanding research on vetiver and the other to the best program for dissemination of vetiver technology. The vetiver research award was divided further into two categories: agricultural applications (US$ 2,500) and non-agricultural applications (US$ 2,500). The titles of the papers and the names of the authors and their affiliations are as follows:

Research Category

1. Agricultural Application: “Vetiver research for agricultural production on red soils” by Shengluan Lu, Red Soil Research Institute of Jiangxi Province, Jingxian, Jiangxi Province, China.

2. Non-Agricultural Appliction: “Ecological effectiveness of vetiver constructed wetlands in treating oil-refined wastewater” by Hanpin Xia1, Honghua Ke2, Zhaoping Deng2, Peng Tan2, and Shizhong Liu1. 1 South China Institute of Botany, Guangzkou, Guangdong, China; 2 SINOPEC Maoming Refining & Chemical Co. Ltd., Maoming, Guangdong, China.

Dissemination Caegory

1. Agricultural Application: “The use of vetiver for soil erosion prevention in cassava fields in Thailand” by Wilawan Vongkasem1, Kaival Klakhaeng1, Watana Warananonta2, and Reinhardt H. Howeler3. 1 Department of Agricultural Extension, Bangkok, Thailand; 2

17 Separtment of Agriculture, Bangkok, Thailand; 3 CIAR Regional Cassava Office for Asia, DOA, Bangkok, Thailand.

2. Non-Agricultural Application: “Vetiver Victorious: The systematic use of vetiver to save Madagascar’s FCE Railway” by Diti Hengchaovanich, APT Consult Co. Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand; and Karen Schoonmaker Freudenberger, FCER Project, Madagascar.

Fourth Series

In conjunction with the Fourth International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-4), Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Chairperson of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s Chaipattana Foundation, has graciously granted US$10,000 from the Chaipattana Foundation for “The King of Thailand Vetiver Awards” for the most outstanding achievements on vetiver. The awards were split into two categories, valued at US$5,000 each; one prize for the most outstanding vetiver research, and the other for the most outstanding vetiver dissemination. The Research Category was further split into two prizes, namely: Agricultural Application (US$2,500); and Non-Agricultural Application (US$2,500). The Dissemination Category was also further split into two prizes, namely: Government Agency (US$ 2,500); and Non-Government Agency (US$2,500).

Research Category:

1. Agricultural Application: “Vetiver potential for increasing groundwater recharge” by Boonma Deesaeng, Jamnian Pheunda, Cholada Onarsa and Arthorn Boonsaner, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Bangkok, Thailand

2. Non-Agricultural Application: “Effects of soil amendment on growth and lead accumulation in vetiver grasses, Vetiveria zizanioides and Thysanolaena maxima grown in lead-contaminated soil” by Puttipar Rotkittikhun, Rattanawat Chaiyarat, Maleeya Kruatrachue, Prayad Pokethitiyook and Alan J.M. Baker, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Dissemination Category:

1. Government Agency: “The Advantage of Vetiver Grass on the Royal Project’s Highland Development Areas in Thailand” by Juraiporn Kaewthip, Suphattra Butpluang, Akkadech Boonpongsri, Sawatdee Boonchee, Land Development Department, Bangkok, Thailand.

2. Non-Government Agency: “The Vetiver Handicraft: An Innovative Focus of Community Development in Venezuela” by Graciela Pantin, Oswaldo Luque,Grace Rivero, Edgar Ceballos and Humberto Fontana, Fundacion Empresas Polar, Caracas, Venezuela.

18 His Majesty the King as Recipients of International Vetiver Awards*

His Majesty’s vision in using vetiver for soil and water conservation has been recognized internationally by several institutions. These are: ™ The International Erosion Cotrol Association presented its International Award of Merit to His Majesty for assuming the exemplary role in its utilization of vetiver for soil and water conservation in a ceremony on 25 February 1993 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. His Majesty designated H.E. M.L. Birabhongse Kasemsri, the Thai Ambassador to the United States in Washington, D.C. to receive the award on his behalf. ™ The Vetiver Information Network presented a specially commissioned bronze sculpture of vetiver plant as an award to His Majesty at Chitralada villa, Dusit palace in Bangkok on 30 October 1993, also in recognition of His Majesty’s efforts in the development and promotion of the use of vetiver for soil and water conservation

* A part of the text of the illustrated booklet, Glory to the Land – Third Edition, published by FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, October 2003.

19

The Role of Thailand in Assisting the Organization of The Third International Conference on Vetiver*

1. Introduction

1.1 Thailand and ICVs: In order to commemorate the 50th Anniversary (Golden Jubilee) Celebrations of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s Accession to the Throne, the Chaipattana Foundation and the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board, in collaboration with the World Bank and FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific organized the International Conference on “Vetiver: A Miracle Grass” with the conference theme of “Towards the Year 2000: An era of practical and economical methods of vetiver utilization for soil and water conservation”. It was held at Dusit Resort Hotel in , northern Thailand, 4-8 February 1996. During the Conference, an ad hoc Working Group, consisting of 35 participants under the chairmanship of the author met to discuss issues related to the future of the International Conference on Vetiver (ICV). The Group unanimously expressed its felt need for the continuation of this international conference. Among the key issues arrived at during the meeting were: (i) Title of the Conference: As a continuation of the present Conference, which was being re-named as “The First International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-1)”, the proposed immediate conference would be called “The Second International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-2). (ii) Conference Interval: It was agreed to hold ICV every four years. Thus, ICV-2 would be held in the year AD 2000. (iii) Venue of ICV-2: South Africa was nominated as the venue of ICV-2. It was endorsed by the Working Group since there was a great need to stimulate R&D on vetiver in the African continent. This proposal was endorsed by the participants at the closing session of ICV-1. (iv) Theme of ICV-2: It was agreed that the theme of ICV-2 would be “Vetiver and the Environment and Its Implication”. (v) Follow-up Action: An Interim Committee consisting of key personnel of international recognition was nominated by the Working Group to follow up activities until ICV-2. Interim Committee for ICV-2: The following persons were endorsed by the participants at the closing session of ICV-1: Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul (Thailand- Chairman), Dr. Anthony Tantum (South Africa), Mr. Richard Grimshaw (US), Dr. P.K. Yoon (Malaysia), Mr. John Greenfield (New Zealand), Dr. Paul Truong (Australia), Dr. James Smyle (Costa Rica), Dr. Linus Folly (Ghana), Dr. H. Sushil Kumar (India), Dr. Oscar Rodriguez (Venezuela), and Dr. Narong Chomchalow – Secretary (Thailand). (vi) Secretarial Office of the Interim Committee: The Office of the Royal Development Projects Board was requested by the Working Group to be the Secretariat Office of the Interim Committee for ICV-2. 1.2 ICV Constitution: During the ad hoc meeting mentioned above, the author distributed a draft constitution of ICV that he prepared. Having very little time to discuss its contents, the meeting proposed that it be temporarily used. This was, however, reflected in the nominations of the host country of ICV-2, and the members of the Interim Committee.

* Paper presented at a Discussion on, “The role of Thailand in assisting other nations in the development of vetiver” in the seminar on “The Develoment and Campaign on the Use of Vetiver under the Royal Initiatives”, 28-29 November 2002, Rama Garden Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. 20

1.3 ICV-2: Due to certain technical difficulties, South Africa could not organize ICV-2 as was proposed during ICV-1. As the Organizer of ICV-1, Thailand’s responsibility was to seek the host country to replace South Africa. With only a short time left for the preparation, no country could organize ICV-2. Thus, Thailand, once again, has to accept the responsibility of hosting another ICV. This has been welcomed and endorsed by the members of IC/ICV. As was already well known, ICV-2 was successfully held in Cha-am, Phetchaburi, 18-22 January 2000.

1.4 Proposal for ICV-3: During ICV-2, a Business Session was held to discuss the host, venue, and theme of ICV-3. It was agreed and endorsed by the participants at the Closing Session that ICV-3 be held in China in 2004 under the theme Vetiver and Water. Prof. Liyu Xu, Coordinator, China Vetiver Network, as the Head of the Chinese delegation, accepted to host ICV-3 in China in 2004. Note that an interval of four years was adopted according to the Constitution of ICV.

2. Thailand’s Role in the Continuing Committee of ICV

During the same Business Session of ICV-2 mentioned above, there were also nominations for the new members of the CC/ICV. They are: Ex-Officio Member: Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul (Thailand – Chairman), in his capacity of the President of ICV-2 Regional Representatives: Two each from five regions, namely: Southeast Asia: Dr. Narong Chomchalow (Thailand – Secretary) and Dr. P.K. Yoon (Malaysia) East Asia, Oceania and the Pacific: Prof. Liyu Xu (China) and Dr. Paul N.V. Truong (Australia) South Asia and the Middle East: Dr. Umesh Lavania (India); a representative from the Middle East has been vacant. Europe and Africa: Mr. Michael Pease (Portugal) and Mr. Alemu Mekonnen (Ethiopia) The Americas: Mr. Mark Dafforn (USA) and Dr. Oscar S. Rodriguez P. (Venezuela) Since both the Chairman and the Secretary of CC/ICV are Thai nationals, Thailand has a big role to play in CC/ICV, especially to make decision for the venue and date of ICV-3.

3. Decision on the Venue and Date of ICV-3

3.1 Visit to China of CC/ICV Representatives: Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Chairman of the Continuing Committee (CC) of ICV and the author, as the Secretary of CC/ICV, made a visit to China in November 2001 at the invitation of Prof. Liyu Xu, Coordinator of the China Vetiver Network, to select the site of ICV-3. Two cities were proposed, namely Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, and Fuzhou in Fujian Province. Guangzhou was chosen to be the venue of ICV-3 by the representatives of CC/ ICV.

3.2 Final Decision by CC/ICV: The Report of the visit to China of the CC/ICV representatives was prepared and circulated to the members of CC/ICV. The proposal for Guangzhou to host ICV-3 was later approved by the CC/ICV. In this connection, Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul was of opinion that progress in vetiver R&D is quite rapid and that a four-year interval between the two ICVs is too long. He proposed that a three-year interval is more appropriate. This has been agreed upon by the members of CC/ICV and the host country. Thus, ICV-3 will take place in Guangzhou, China in October 2003. Details of ICV-3 are presented below:

21 Venue: Guangdong Hotel, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Date: 6-9 October 2003. Theme: Vetiver and Water Sub-Theme: An Eco-Technology for Land Stabilization, Water Quality Improvement and Environmental Enhancement Organizers: Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, South China Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Agricultural University, and Guangdong Association of Grass Industry and Environment Expected Participants: 400 participants, 100 of which are foreigners (almost the same number as that of ICV-1 and ICV-2). Program: The ICV-3 Program includes an Opening Ceremony, 7 Plenary Lectures (with case studies), 4 Concurrent Sessions, a Poster Session, a Field Trip, an Open Discussion, and a Closing Ceremony. Business Meetings: Important business issues such as the amendment of the ICV Constitution, the nomination of the new members of the Continuing Committee of ICV, as well as the host, venue, and theme of ICV-4, will be discussed / nominated in the two Business Meetings. Report: The Report of ICV-3 will be published by the Organizer. Proceedings: The Proceedings of ICV-3 will be published by the Organizer within a year. Registration Fees: Before 31 March 2003: Participant - US$ 200, Accompanying person - US$ 100 After 31 March 2003: Participant - US$ 250, Accompanying person - US$ 150 Deadline for Submission of Papers: Abstract: 30 April 2003; Full paper: 30 June 2003

4. Preparation for ICV-3

4.1 Issuance of the First and Second Announcements: Together with the Organizer and a few other key persons, he author was involved in the preparation of the First Announcement, which was circulated in March 2002. It was followed by the Second Announcement, issued in October 2002. It is also shown in the website . The ICV-3 Secretariat can be reached through email at

4.2 Submission of Papers for Presentation: International participants (including Thai scientists) shall submit their papers, oral or posters, to: Dr. Narong Chomchalow Office of the Royal Development Projects Board 78 Rajdamnern Nok Ave. Disit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand Email:

5. Supports for ICV-3 from Thailand: 5.1 Financial Support: 5.1.1 To the Organizer of ICV-3: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Chairperson of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s Chaipattana Foundation, has graciously agreed to grant US$15,000 from the Chaipattana Foundation to the Organizer of ICV-3 to help organize ICV-3, particularly to support the participation of scientists from the least developing countries. 5.1.2 To the Thai Scientists to Attend ICV-3: The intended participants of ICV-3 from Thailand should seek financial support from their respective government offices. In order to save the cost of airfare, the author is willing to organize a group tour of a minimum of 15 persons at the cost of Baht 8,500 per person by TG, leaving Bangkok on 5 October and

22 return on 9 October 2003, a total of 4 nights. A special rate of accommodation at Huatai Hotel (10 minutes by bus to the venue of ICV-3) is about US$ 40 per room, or Guangdong Hotel (the venue of ICV-3) is about US$ 53 per room. The Office of the Royal Development Projects Board hopes to provide around 10 fellowships for the Thai scientists working on vetiver under the ORDPB-financed projects to enable them to present their findings at ICV-3.

5.2 The King of Thailand Vetiver Awards: Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Chairperson of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s Chaipattana Foundation, has graciously agreed to grant US$10,000 from the Chaipattana Foundation for “The King of Thailand Vetiver Award” for the most outstanding achievements on vetiver. As in the Second Awards, the Third Award is split into two prizes, valued at US$5,000 each; one prize will be awarded to the most outstanding research on vetiver and the other to the best program for dissemination of vetiver technology. 5.2.1 Research Award (US$5,000): This award will be further split into two categories, namely: (i) Agricultural Applications (US$2,500); and (ii) Non-Agricultural Applications (US$2,500). 5.2.2 Dissemination Award (US$5,000): This award will further be split into two categories, namely: (i) Government Agencies (US$ 2,500); and (ii) Non-Government Agencies (US$2,500). The deadline for submission of the nominations was 30 June 2003. The announcement of the winners will be made in July 2003. The winners will receive the awards from Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Patron of the Vetiver Network, on His Majesty’s behalf, during the Opening Ceremony of ICV-3 on 6 October 2003. The awardees will also be provided with financial support to enable them to participate in the ICV-3 and to receive their awards and to present their award-winning papers.

5.3 Other Supports:

5.3.1 Secretariat Support: A number of ORDPB staff offers to help in the overall secretariat works at the ICV-3. 5.3.2 Production of ICV-3 Daily News: The author and Dr. Samran Sombatpanit have been requested to help in the production of the ICV-3 Daily News. 5.3.3 Production of ICV-3 Proceedings: Dr. Samran Sombatpanit has been requested to help in the production of the ICV-3 Proceedings. 5.3.4 Publications: A number of publications, such as: Thailand Experience III, Bound Volume of Vetiverim (No.12-26), all available PRVN Technical Bulletins, a PRVN Special Bulletin (‘Vibrant Versatile Vetiver - An Archive of Useful Information on Vetiver’), etc. will be brought to Guangzhou from Bangkok and distributed to all participants of ICV-3.

6. Participation in ICV-3

6.1 HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Participation:

6.1.1 Chairperson of the Opening Ceremony: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Patron of The Vetiver Network, has graciously accepted the invitation of the Organizer of ICV-3 to be the Chairperson of the Opening Ceremony of ICV-3 during her visit to Guangzhou on 23 October 2002. She will also deliver the Inaugural Address. 6.1.2 Presentation of the King of Thailand’s Vetiver Awards: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will graciously present the four awards of the King of Thailand’s Vetiver Awards during the Opening Ceremony of ICV-3.

23 6.1.3 Presentation of The Vetiver Network’s Awards: It is expected that HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will also graciously present The Vetiver Network’s Awards (Series Three), if a number of them could attend ICV-3, since the award does not cover the cost of participation at ICV-3.

6.2 Thai Scientists’ Participation:

6.2.1 Invited Speakers: Three persons have been requested by the Organizer to give a presentation. They are: ƒ Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul who will present a Keynote Address on “An Introduction to Vetiver System Conducted in Thailand”. ƒ Mr. Diti Hengchaovanich who will present a plenary lecture (No. 5) on “Vetiver Systems and Erosion Control and Slope Stabilization”. ƒ Dr. Narong Chomchalow who will present a plenary lecture (No. 7) on “Other Uses of Vetiver and Utilization of Vetiver”. 6.2.2 Paper Presentations: Invitations have been sent to various agencies in Thailand by the ORDPB to invite their scientists to present oral and poster papers at ICV-3. There are altogether 4 concurrent sessions for oral presentations, namely: ƒ Erosion and flood control, and slope stabilization ƒ Pollution mitigation and disaster prevention ƒ Wastewater purification, element uptake, and pollutant decomposition ƒ Basic scientific research and other aspects A poster session under the above theme of the concurrent oral paper session will be arranged during ICV-3. 6.2.3 Attendants with No Presentation: Every one interested in vetiver is invited to attend ICV-3 at your own cost. This is an excellent opportunity to see the vetiver activities in China, a country that started its vetiver program later than Thailand but has progressed tremendously during the past few years, especially through the involvement of the private sector.

6.3 ORDPB Staff’s Participation: It is hoped that a number of ORDPB staff will also attend ICV-3 to help in the overall secretariat and other functions. After all, they are the most experienced persons in the organization of the previous ICVs in Thailand.

24

International Conferences on Vetiver: From First to Fourth and Beyond*

1. Introduction

Few plants have received so many commendable names in their honor. Vetiver has been given such names as: ‘a miracle grass’, ‘a wonder grass’, ‘a magic grass’, ‘a unique plant’, ‘a multi-purpose grass’, ‘an essential grass’, ‘an amazing plant’, ‘an amazing grass’, ‘a versatile plant’, ‘a miracle herb’, ‘a living barrier’, ‘a living dam’, ‘a living nail’, ‘a living wall’, ‘glory to the land’, ‘an eco-friendly grass’, etc. Few plants possess such a large number of vernacular names in different countries of the world. Vetiver possesses hundreds of common names used by local people in developing tropical and subtropical countries in Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean (annex 2). This fact suggests that vetiver is an ancient plant grown by people of many different languages and dialects in many parts of the globe. Few plants have the capability of being at the same time economically and ecologically important. Vetiver possesses both qualities, ensuring that it is one of the most versatile plants of the present day when both economical and ecological implications are of great importance. Few plants have been seriously nurtured by a large number of networks in order to provide useful information to their members and other interested persons. Vetiver networks exist at all five levels, namely: global, regional, sub-regional, national, and city; and most are under the umbrella of a single global network. Few plants have the capability attracting numerous awards destined to those research workers or extensionists who conducted creditable research or work with the plants. Vetiver awards have been offered by prestigious public institutions as well as private institutions and individuals. Few plants have received attention from such a wide range of people in all walks of life. Vetiver has been a favorite subject of the King and his royal family and the Prime Minister of Thailand as well as other ministers, politicians, chief executive officers, research workers, extentionists, engineers, academicians, consultants, developers, all the way to the farmers in many countries in all five continents. Few plants have emerged from obscurity to popularity in such a short period of time. Vetiver was little known 15 years ago, but it is now well known throughout the world. Few plants have been the sole subject of so many conferences, workshops, symposia, seminars, meetings, etc. International Conference on Vetiver (ICV) has been organized at regular intervals, while numerous other international and national conferences, meetings / seminars / workshops, etc. have also been held. Above all, few plants are as unique and versatile as vetiver grass!

2. The International Conferences on Vetiver

2.1 The Origin: In order to commemorate the 50th Anniversary (Golden Jubilee) Celebrations of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s Accession to the Throne, the Chaipattana Foundation and the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board, in collaboration with the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, organized the International Conference on “Vetiver: A Miracle Grass”.It was held in Chiang Rai Province, northern Thailand, 4-8 February 1996

* Paper presented at the Preparatory Meeting for the Organization of ICV-4 held at the Polar Foundation, Caracas, Venezuela, 15 July 2004.

25 (see other details in Section 3). During the Conference, the author convened an ad hoc Working Group, consisting of 35 key participants to discuss issues related to the future of the international conference on vetiver. The Group unanimously expressed their felt need for the continuation of this international conference. Among the key issues arrived at were: Title of the Conference: The conference shall be named, “The International Conference on Vetiver (ICV)” with the present conference renamed, “The First International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-1)”. The proposed immediate future conference would be called, “The Second International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-2)”. Conference Interval: It was agreed to hold the ICV every four years. Thus ICV-2 would be held in the year AD 2000. Venue of ICV-2: South Africa was nominated as the venue of ICV-2. This was agreed by the ad hoc Working Group since there was a great need to stimulate R&D on vetiver in the African continent. The participants endorsed this proposal at the closing session of ICV-1. Theme of ICV-2: It was agreed that the theme of ICV-2 be, “Vetiver and the Environment and Its Implication”. Follow-up Action: The Interim Committee (CC) for ICV-2 consisting of 11 key persons of international recognition was appointed by the Working Group to follow up activities until ICV-2.

2.2 The Constitution: During the ad hoc meeting mentioned above, the author distributed a draft constitution of ICV that he prepared. Having very little time to discuss its contents, the meeting proposed that it be accepted for temporary use. The content of the ICV Constitution was published by the Organizer of ICV-2 held at Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand.

3. The First International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-1)

Pertinent information on ICV-1 is given below: Venue: Dusit Resort and Polo Club, Chiang Rai, Thailand. Date: 4-8 February 1996. Theme: Vetiver: A Miracle Grass. Sub-theme: Towards the year 2000: An era of practical and economical methods of vetiver utilization for soil and water conservation. Organizer: The Royal Development Projects Board, in cooperation with the Chaipattana Foundation and the Mae Fah Luang Founadation, with support from the World Bank and the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Special Occasion: To commemorate the 50th Anniversary (Golden Jubilee) of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s Accession to the Throne. Participants: 400 participants; 100 of which were foreigners from 41 countries. Program: Plenary, contributed and poster papers, discussions, exhibition, and study tour. An ad hoc Working Group was also convened which selected Thailand as an alternate host for ICV-2 in place of South Africa, the proposed host which could not make it. Daily News: During the entire period of the Conference, a two-page ‘Daily News’ was distributed to provide up-to-date information about the Conference to the participants on a daily basis. Altogether five issues were published. Report: The Report of ICV-1 was prepared by the author and published by the ORDPB in March 1997. Proceedings: The Proceedings of ICV-1 were published by the ORDPB.

26 Proposal for ICV-2: The ad hoc Working Group proposed to have ICV-2 to be held in South Africa in the year 2000 under the theme, “Vetiver and the Environment and Its Implication”. In order to follow-up activities until ICV-2, the Interim Committee (IC/ICV) consisting of 11 key persons of international recognition was nominated by the Working Group, and endorsed by the participants at the closing session of ICV-1. They were: Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul (Thailand), in his capacity of the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of ICV-1, as Chairman of the IC for ICV-2. Mr. Anthony Tantum (South Africa) Mr. Richard Grimshaw (USA) Dr. P.K. Yoon (Malaysia) Mr. John Greenfield (New Zealand) Dr. Paul N.V. Truong (Australia) Dr. James Smyle (Costa Rica) Dr. Linus Folly (Ghana) Dr. Sushil Kumar (India) Dr. Oscar S. Rodriguez P. (Venezuela) Dr. Narong Chomchalow (Thailand) as Secretary of the IC for ICV-2 The Office of the Royal Development Projects Board has been requested by the Working Group to be the Secretariat of the IC for ICV-2.

4. The Second International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-2)

Although ICV-2 was supposed to be held in South Africa as was endorsed at the end of ICV-1, but the proposed host country was unable to do so due to various technical problems. In order for ICV-2 to be held on the proposed schedule, Thailand offered to host, as there was no other country that could do it on a short notice. Another reason was because there was a special occasion for Thailand to commemorate the Sixth Cycle (72th) Birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand. The IC for ICV-2 unanimously endorsed the proposal of Thailand. Relevant information on ICV-2 is presented below: Venue: Dusit Resort and Polo Club, Cha-am, Phethchaburi, Thailand Date: 18-22 January 2000 Theme: Vetiver and the Environment and Its Implications Sub-theme: Towards ther new millennium – An era of practical and economic methods of vetiver utilization for environmental conservation and protection. Organizer: The Royal Development Projects Board, in cooperation with the Chaipattana Foundation Special Occasion: To commemorate the Sixth Cycle (72nd) Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the King of Thailand Participants: 400 participants, 100 of which were foreigners (the same figure as that of ICV-1, but from 31 countries) Program: The Program of the Conference was exactly like that of ICV-1, but in a much larger scale, especially the exhibition, which was arranged in a specially-constructed pavilions whose roofs were thatched with vetiver leaves. For the first time, the 482- page Preceedings, containing all papers presented at the Conference were published and presented to all participants at the time of Registration. Daily News: As in ICV-1, ICV-2 ‘Daily News’ was produced to provide up-to-date information about the Conference to the participants on a daily basis. Altogether five issues were published. Report: The ICV-2 Report was published by the ORDPB in June 2000. Proceedings: The Proceedings of ICV-2 were published by the ORDPB in April 2002.

27 Results of Business Meeting: During the Conference, the following important business issues were discussed and the results endorsed by the participants at the closing session of ICV-2: - Host of ICV-3: China (venue and date left for the host to decide) - Theme: Vetiver and Water - Members of the Continuing Committee (CC) for ICV-3: Ex-Officio Member: Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul (Thailand - Chairman), in his capacity of the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of ICV-2 Regional Representatives: Two each from five regions, namely: Southeast Asia: Dr. Narong Chomchalow (Thailand - Secretary) and Dr. P.K. Yoon (Malaysia) East Asia, Oceania and the Pacific: Prof. Liyu Xu (China) and Dr. Paul N.V. Truong (Australia) South Asia and the Middle East: Dr. Umesh Lavania (India); a representative from the Middle East has been vacant. Europe and Africa: Mr. Michael Pease (Portugal) and Mr. Alemu Mekonnen (Ethiopia) The Americas: Mr. Mark Dafforn (USA) and Dr. Oscar S. Rodriguez P. (Venezuela)

5. The Third International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-3)

During ICV-2, an ad hoc meeting was held to discuss the host, venue, and theme of ICV-3. It was agreed and endorsed by the participants at the Closing Session that ICV-3 would be held in China in 2004 (an interval of four years to the next ICV has been designated, as given in the Constitution of ICV). Meanwhile, as the host country could not decide on the venue of ICV-3, Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, as the Chairman of CC/ICV, and the author, as the Secretary of CC/ICV, at the invitation of Prof. Liyu Xu, Coordinator of the China Vetiver Network, made a visit to Guangdong and Fujian Provinces of China in November 2001, to select the venue of ICV-3. Guangzhou in Guangdong Province was chosen to be the venue of ICV-3 by the two representatives of CC/ICV, which was later approved by the other CC/ICV members. Another issue was raised and finally agreed that the date be moved one year ahead as there were a number of new developments in the vetiver circle.

Details of ICV-3 are presented below: Venue: Guangdong Hotel, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Date: 6-9 October 2003. Theme: Vetiver and Water Sub-Theme: An Eco-Technology for Water Quality Improvement, Land Stabilization, and Environmental Enhancement Sponsors: Guangdong Provincial Government, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaipattana Foundation of Thailand, and The Vetiver Network Organizers: Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, South China Institute of Botany (Chinese Academy of Sciences), South China Agricultural University, and Guangdong Association of Grass Industry and Environment. Co-Organizers: Guangzhou Science and Technology Association, Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology, Guangzhou Branch, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Vetiver Network, Pacific Rim Vetiver Network, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and World Association of Soil and Water Conservation. Number of Participants: 280 participants from 28 countries, one-third of which were international vetiverites. 28 Program: The program will include: Inauguration: ICV-3 was inaugurated by the Patron of The Vetiver Network- Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, who also presented the King of Thailand Vetiver Awards (4), and first prizes of The Vetiver Network Awards (11). Keynote Address: “Thailand’s Experience with Respect to Vetiver and Water” by Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul, Secretary-General, Chaipattana Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand. Plenary Lectures: There were 8 plenary lectures (with 5 case study papers), 4 award-winning papers of the King of Thailand Vetiver Awards, on eight topics by eight vetiver experts and other supporting lecturers. Concurrent Sessions: There were four topics: (i) Erosion and Flood Control, and Slope , (ii) Pollution Mitigation and Disaster Prevention, (iii) Wastewater Treatment, Element Uptake, and Pollutant Removal, and (iv) Basic Scientific Research and Other Aspects. Altogether, 42 contributed oral papers were presented. Special Plenary Sessions: On the final day of the Conference, two separate plenary discussions were held. One was on “Vetiver System: Watershed Planning for Clean and Reliable Water Supplies”, led by Richard Grimshaw and Jim Smyle. The second was on “Vetiver Enterprises” in which six successful consulting firms presented their brief accounts. Poster Presentation: There were about 25 scientific poster papers posted. Exhibition: There were various papers, photos, and publications, and video/computer media.

Study Tour: A one-day study tour was organized on 8 October for an on-site live demonstration of VS projects ranging from applications of vetiver in garbage landfill site management, land slope stabilization and afforestation, and water and vegetation rehabilitation at an ecological park. The participants have witnessed some amazing achievements by private contractors in stabilizing huge quarry slopes, deep excavations, and the contoured exterior of a massive waste dump. Business Meetings: A Business Meeting was held to: (i) amend ICV Constitution, (ii) nominate the host and venue of ICV-4, and (iii) nominate the Continuing Committee for ICV-4 (see list in Annex 5). Closing Ceremony: Included the following speeches: Concluding Remarks: Narong Chomchalow, Coordinator, Pacific Rim Vetiver Network, and Vice Chairman of the Scientific Committee of ICV-3, presented an overview of the role of vetiver on water quantity and quality. Future Perspective: Dale Rachmeler, Coordinator, The Vetiver Network, gave his view on future perspective. Closing Address: Dick Grimshaw, Chairman, The Vetiver Network, delivered his closing remarks.

Social Events: Three social events took place during ICV-3. One was the Welcome Dinner Reception on 5 October, held at Guangdong Hotel. The second one was on 6 October when all participants enjoyed the Pearl River Night Cruise with superb food and nice view along the Pearl River at night. The last one, the Farewell Dinner, was held at Guangdong Hotel on 8 October. Proceedings: The Pre-Conference Proceedings of ICV-3 was published and distributed by the Organizer during the time of Registration. The Post-Conference Proceedings, prepared by Dr. Paul Truong in digital format for The Vetiver Network. It included PowerPoint presentations accompanying most technical papers and photos of other activities such as study tour, social events, posters, exhibitions and other interesting activities. The CD-ROM was produced by the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board in Thailand, and have been sent out to all participants of ICV-3.

29 6. The Fourth International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-4)

During the Business Meeting of ICV-3 held in Guangdong Hotel, Guangzhou on 7 October 2003, the issues of the venue, theme and date of ICV-4 were discussed. As was reported in Vetiverim-27, there were four nominees, namely: (i) the Philippines, by Ms. Noah Manarang, (ii) Venezuela, by Dr. Oswaldo Luque, (iii) China, by Ms. Wen Zhu Li, and (iv) South Africa, by Mr. Jon McCosh. It was agreed that all nominees should go back and prepare a proposal containing necessary information which should include the sources of funding, organizational support, plan of operation, the venue and other facilities, etc. The proposal should be finalized and submitted to the Chairman of the Continuing Committee (CC) for ICV-4 within six months. The Author, as the Chairman of CC/ICV-4, has received, by the deadline (end of March 2004), only one proposal from Dr. Oswaldo Luque of Venezuela. A reminder had been sent to the other three candidates. It turned out that none was in a position to submit the proposal due to some technical problems within their own countries. Thus, the CC/ICV-4 agreed that ICV-4 be held in Venezuela. Details of ICV-4, as of July 2004, are presented below: Venue: Caracas, Venezuela Date: October 2006 Theme: Vetiver and People Sub-Theme: A Green Investment for Sustainable Development Sponsors: To be announced

Organizers: Central University of Venezuela, Universidad Nacional Rómulo Gallegos, Fundación Polar, Sociedad Conservacionista Aragua, Socieda Venezuelana de la Ciencia del Suelo, Others (to be announced)

Co-Organizers: Pacific Rim Vetiver Network, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Association of Soil and Water Conservation, and Others (to be announced) Expected Number of Participants: 300 participants, 100 of which are foreigners (the same figure as that of ICV-1 and ICV-2). Program: The program will include: A Keynote Address Plenary Lectures on eight topics by eight vetiver experts and other supporting lecturers Concurrent Sessions on four topics: • Erosion and Flood Control, and Slope Stabilization • Pollution Mitigation and Disaster Prevention • Wastewater Treatment, Element Uptake, and Pollutant Removal • Basic Scientific Research and Other Aspects Group Discussion Poster Presentation Exhibitions of various papers, photos, and publications, and video/computer media Mid-conference excursion to visit various demonstration areas. Business Meetings: Important business issues such as the amendment of the ICV Constitution, the nomination of the new members of the Continuing Committee of ICV, as well as the host, venue, and theme and sub-theme of ICV-5, will be discussed / nominated. Proceedings: The Pre-Conference Proceredings of ICV-4 will be compiled and distributed at the time of Registration. The Post-Conference Proceedings of ICV-4

30 will be compiled in digital formatted CD-ROM by the Organizer and/or TVN within six months. Report: The Report of ICV-3 will be published by the Organizers within six months.

7. Beyond ICV-4

Vetiver is a poor man’s crop. Even if you own millions of them would not turn you into a millionaire. Yet by virtues vested in its genetic makeup and its outstanding performances in agricultural and non-agricultural applications, and various other non-conventional uses of live vetiver plants as well as the utilizatiuon of harvested vetiver plants, a dream world with ecological and economical balance would materialize. The past three ICVs held in Asia (two in Thailand and one in China) have provided an insight into the significant role vetiver plays in crafting a better world through sustainable development and environmental protection. Unlike so many other international conferences where financial and other logistic supports have been provided by various international institutions and agencies, ICV is unique in that its creation, organization and succession have been through individual initiatives from various countries in all five continents. This was possible, amnong other things, through the establishment of vetiver networks at global, regional, sub-regional, country, and even city levels. The success of all previous ICVs were influenced and greatly shaped by the creative contributions of many vetiverites immersed in different cultures and languages, young and old, researchers and engineers, extenionists and users, and from public and private institutions. As the one who has been intimately associated with all ICVs since its inception, throughout the organizations of ICV-1 to ICV-3, the author has full confidence that there will be an unending succession of ICVs. Every previous ICV has witnessed new research findings and developments, which are of practical uses and utlization. Thus, we, the vetiverites of the present generation, must do our utmost to pass on ICV to our young generation the spirit of cooperation and creativity. Our immediate responsibility is to make ICV-4 a grand success, following that of its predecessors. The author has no doubt in his mind as it is in the hands of the most able and dedicated group of people in Venezuela. Furthermore, we are obliged to seek for potential host for ICV-5. Thinking out loud, the author would prefere a country in Africa as there are a lot of vetiver activities in that continent and the fact that it is the region that needs vetiver most.

31 Vetiver and Global Warming

1. Introduction

“Global Warming” is caused by the accumulation of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) in the atmosphere, resulting in the phenomenon known as the “Greenhouse Effect”, as the sun radiation which falls on the earth cannot bound back to the outer world because there is a layer of CO2 blocking its escape, similar to the situation in the green house. Such radiation reflects back to the earth, making it warmer. To solve the problem of global warming is difficult, as we cannot reduce all of CO2 simply because the industrialized countries, such as the United States, do not signed the Kyoto Protocol which attempts to reduce the amount of CO2 released from the industry. Moreover, there is an acceleration of the release of CO2 from the use of fossil energy in the form of coal, petrol, and natural gas from under the ground as the source of energy which eventually release CO2 to add to the atmosphere. Another cause of global warming is the clearing of the forest in many tropical countries which was once the place where CO2 from the industry and automobiles is added to the pool. The campaign to reforest to replace the deforested areas does not materialize as the costs involved are extremely high; moreover it takes quite a long time for the trees to grow. One solution which may work is the planting of vetiver, a miracle grass, which is presently employed for soil and water conservation as well as solving environmental problems such as wastewater treatment, absorption of heavy metals and toxic substances, mitigation of disasters, etc.

2. The Advantages of Vetiver

Vetiver has a very deep and profuse root system which penetrates hard layer of soil deeply and very fast. It is tolerant to a wide range of critical conditions. It lives very long in the soil. Therefore, it is able to fix large amount of CO2 from the air and fix it as the plant structure in the soil much more than any other plants.

3. The Role of Vetiver Grass

For almost 20 years that the scientists working at the Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, South America discovered that two species of grass which grow in the savannah of South America could fix 2,000 million tons of CO2 annually to make their root structures. One species is Andropogon guyanus, a close relative of vetiver. The amount of CO2 fixed by these two grasses was calculated as organic matter to be 53 tons per hectare per year. Since vetiver has a much more massive root system than both grasses, it could therefore fix larger amount of CO2. Using a conservative figure, vetiver plants which are full grown could fix not less that 5 kg per square meter per year (calculated from 53 tons or 53,000 kg per 10,000 square meters per year). Therefore, if one million square meters of vetiver are

grown, they could fix 5 million kg or 5,000 tons of CO2 per year. This figure of one million plants of vetiver is not very large. In Thailand, for example, 300 million plants were planted last year (2006) to celebrate His Majesty the King’s 60th Anniversary of His Accession to the Throne. If all of them survive, they would be able to fix 1.5 million tons of CO2 in their roots which, according to CIAT scientist’ calculation, is equal to the amount of CO2 released by 300,000 cars, each running a distance of 20,000 km. It was estimated that the amount of CO2 released from the entire world within one year is 20,000 million tons. This would require 4,000 million clumps of vetiver to absorb all CO2 released. Adding to the 300 million clumps planted in Thailand in 2006, the other countries in the world need to plant a total of 3,700 million plants. If this is done, the vetiver plants would be able to absorb all CO2 released from all activities, and there will be no Global Warming anymore.

32 4. Planting Vetiver versus Planting Forest Trees

In the past, the world ecosystem was in balance because we had forest covered large areas of the world which helped to absorb all CO2 released from respiration of animals and human beings as well as the disintegration of organic matters. After scientific progress, large amount of fossil energy had been utilized for energy consumption, thereby releasing large amount of CO2 into the atmosphere. At the same time, forests, particularly in tropical Asia, Africa and America, have been cleared, releasing large amount of CO2 into the atmosphere, resulting in the phenomenon of Global Warming which is prevailing at the present time. One solution is to reforest in order to replenish the ones which have been cleared. But planting forest costs a lot of money, labour, as well as requiring large areas which are presently needed to plant crops to feed the ever growing population. Moreover, comparing the efficiency in fixing CO2 of big trees with vetiver, the scientists found that vetiver is much more efficient. For example, a full grown poplar (Populus spp.) could fix 10-25 tons of biomass per hectare per year. Converting to the amount of CO2 fixed in the plant’s structure in an area of 1 hectare, it would be about 30 tons. Considering the amount fixed by vetiver, which is 5 kg per square meter, or even half of that (2.5 kg) per hectare, a single row of vetiver with 8 plants per 1-meter row could fix 20 tons of CO2 per 1-km row of vetiver. This is equivalent to the amount of CO2 fixed by 2,000 poplar trees. In other words, four full grown vetiver clumps would be able to fix equal amount of CO2 fixed by a full grown poplar tree. In reality, each row of full grown vetiver plants, having large number of vetiver plants grown close to each other, would multiply by 100 of vetiver plants per clump. Consequently, they were able to fix CO2 much more than 2.5 kg. Moreover, the planting and taking care of vetiver plants are much easier, cost much less, and achieve result much faster, than planting forest trees. In addition, vetiver rows could conserve soil and water for the whole area, while economic crops could be interplanted with vetiver. This is truly an interesting alternative to planting forest trees to mitigate effectively the danger of global warming

5. Bibliography

Chomchalow, N. 2001. Global Warming - Editorial. Vetiverim 17: 1-2. Enoch, H.Z. 1998. A global perspective of vetiver. Proc. ICV-1, pp. 120-127. Grimshaw, R.G. 2007. Carbon Sequestering. TVNI – Blog Archive, 5 Apr. 2007. Rachmeler, D. 2007. More on Vetiver and Carbon Sequestering. TVNI – Blog Archive, 21 Apr. 2007. Vietmyer, N.D. 1997. Annex 4 – Conference Summary. In: Report of ICV-1, ORDPB, Bangkok.

33 The Role of Vetiver in Controlling Water Quantity and Treating Water Quality: An Overview with Special Reference to Thailand*

Abstract

Water is one of the most important natural resources of mankind. Its importance can be appreciated from the following statements / events: His Majesty the King of Thailand’s “Water is Life”, International Conference on Water’s “Year of Fresh Water”, FAO World Food Day 2002’s Theme, “Source of Food Security”, Theme of International Year of Mountains, “Water Towers of the Earth”, the Cause (Greenhouse Effect) and the Effect (El Niño and La Niña) of ‘Global Warming’. Problems related to water are of two main types: quantity and quality. The former refers to too much water (normal and abnormal situations), and water shortage, while the latter covers prevention and remediation measures to keep the water clean and potable. Prevention measures are to prevent pollutants or contaminants from entering a body of water. Currently two main methods of treating wastewater: Engineering and Biological are being used. The biological method consists of: land-irrigation, wetland, and hydroponic systems. Each system works through the removal or trapping and filtering out contaminants present either in the leachate or effluent. Remediation measures work through the removal of contaminants already present in the water, a process also known as ‘water purification’. Three kinds of wastewater are known: contaminated water (containing waste products), polluted water (containing heavy metals, pesticide residues and other hazardous materials), and eutrophicated water (containing plant nutrients, especially N and PO4). This paper discusses how vetiver can control the quantity of water and treat water quality through simple methods, using low-cost technology. Keywords: Prevention, remediation, land irrigation, wetland, hydroponic, leachate, effluent, contaminants, water purification, wastewater, polluted water, eutrophicated water.

1. Introduction

1.1 Importance of Water: Water is one of the most important natural resources of mankind. Its importance can be appreciated from the following events and statements: 1.1.1 ‘Water is Life’: The development of water resources for crop cultivation, or irrigation project, is considered quite important and highly beneficial for the vast majority of people living in the rural areas, since water enables them to farm their lands throughout the year. At present, cultivated areas in most parts of Thailand are outside irrigated areas, thus they have to depend on rainwater, or water from other natural sources. This has led to an inadequate supply of water for crop cultivation. This is exaggerated by irregular rainfall, resulting in a poor yielding of crops. His Majesty the King attaches greater priority to projects related to the development of water resources than any other development projects. He recognizes the importance of the value of water and considers it to be ‘life’, as appeared in the following royal speech delivered at Chitralada Palace in Bangkok on 17 March 1986 concerning the importance of water: “…The valid principle is that we must have water to drink, use and cultivate because ‘life is there’. If there is water, we can survive. If there is no electricity, we can still survive. But if there is electricity but no water, we cannot survive…”

* Concludng Remarks delivered at the Closing Ceremony of the Third International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-3) held in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 6-9 October 2003. Published in AU Journal of Technology 6: 145-161.

34

His Majesty’s concerns on this issue ranges from supplying water to the areas where it is deficit, through drainage of excess water, to purifying wastewater. 1.1.2 The Year of Fresh Water: In the “International Conference on Water” held in Singapore in 2001, it was concluded that billions of people throughout the world are facing the problem of shortage of fresh water. This includes water for agricultural uses, for everyday household uses, and even for consumption and drinking! Of course, we still have plenty of water on the globe, but it is brine, too salty to be consumed. Fresh water will become scarce in many areas of the countries and in many countries of the regions, causing severe hardship, affecting the economy and security. The statistics of 1996 indicated that there were 600 million people in 31 countries that suffered from lack of fresh water. It was estimated that in the year 2026, which is only 30 years in the future, that the number of people suffering from the lack of fresh water will reach 3,000 million in 48 countries. However, it will get worst in 2050, when 4,000 million people in 54 countries will suffer from the same cause. This is really quite alarming. Fresh water will become an important asset of a country, providing opportunity for the well being of its people as it is the most important factor for sustaining life. 1.1.3 Source of Food Security: The theme of FAO’s ‘2002 World Food Day’ is, “Water: Source of Food Security”, which states a well-known fact that water is the most important factor for food production. The limited availability of water for agricultural production is increasingly affecting the ability of the farms in every continent of the globe to produce enough food for the ever-increasing population, which now stands at six billion. 1.1.4 Water Towers of the Earth: It is not by coincidence that the UN is also commemorating its International Year of Mountains in 2002, as water and mountain are interrelated. More than half of the world’s population relies on water that originates from the mountains, which acts as; “water towers of the earth”. Denuded mountains, due to deforestation often result in landslides and mudslides after heavy rains, as were evident in the incidences that took place in Thailand in more recent times, such as; in the Kathun Sub- district, Pipun District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in 1991, and at Wang Chin District, Phrae Province in 2001. Thus, sustainable management of mountains and water- sheds are of particular interest and importance, otherwise, water-related catastrophes will occur. 1.1.5 Water - A Key to Sustainable Development: The goal of the International Fresh Water Conference held in Bonn, Germany in December 2001, was to develop solutions to global water problems. One fifth of the world’s population do not have access to sufficient clean drinking water. Wastewater from around 2.5 billion people cannot be disposed of hygienically. Polluted drinking water is the number one cause of disease around the world. Climate changes, with its increasing floods and droughts, further aggravate these problems. At the same time, poor water supply reinforces poverty and gender inequality. The question was raised of how good governance, integrated management and new partnerships, capacity building and technology transfer can contribute to solving these problems. Consideration was also given to how additional financial resources, from the private sector can be mobilized, especially for poorer countries in order to solve the most serious problems (Truong, pers. comm.). 1.1.6 The National Policy on Water: The recently announced national policy of the present Government on “National Policy on Water”, utilizing 200,000 million Baht to develop 25 river basins to solve the water deficient problem of the farmers should be congratulated. In the past, many Thai governments tried to implement huge water development projects, such as the ‘Green I-san Project’ to provide adequate water for agricultural development of the Northeast, the ‘Khong-Chi-Mun Project’ to divert water from Mae Khong River to two main rivers of the Northeast, and the project on diversion of water from Salawin River in Mynamar to Thailand, all of which have not been successful.

35 It should be noted that two other international events related to water, i.e. the International Year of Fresh Water, and the Third World Water Forum will also be held in Japan in March 2003. All these international undertakings point to the importance of water for mankind, whether from its destructive or constructive roles. Fresh water has also been emphasized in these international undertakings.

1.2 Global Warming:

1.2.1 The Causes: Global warming is a phenomenon arising from the burning of fossil fuels like petrol, coal, and natural gas, which have been buried underground for millions of years. Burning of these fossil fuels, together with additional burning of wood in the process of deforestation results in the release of large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), which ultimately forms a layer in the atmosphere. Such layers act as a greenhouse effect, in not allowing the heat from sun to shine on the earth, which normally reflects back to the atmosphere, but instead bounds back to the earth. This raises the temperature of the earth by several degrees Celsius. This is known as the ‘Greenhouse Effect’. The situation is worsened with the release of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), the air- conditioner chemical, which evaporates into the atmosphere and damages the ozone layer, resulting in the formation of a ‘hole’, which facilitates the penetration of solar radiation on to the earth and causing the rise in temperatures of the earth surface. 1.2.2 The Effects: The ‘Greenhouse Effect’ results in two related phenomena, El Niño and La Niña, both of which lead to extremes in heat waves, droughts, and floods. Both El Niño and La Niña are part of winds and currents that move back and forth in the equatorial Pacific, appearing every two to eight years. Normally, westward-blowing trade winds caused by the rotation of the earth, and conditions in the tropics push surface water across the Pacific toward Asia. The warm water piles up along the coasts of Australia and Southeast Asia, raising sea levels more than 30 cm above those on the South American side of the Pacific. When La Niña develops, the trade winds that normally push warm water toward Australia and Southeast Asia are stronger and faster. This results in the rise of moist air, and the decrease of atmospheric pressure, the end result of, which is the more frequent and intense rain falls in Southeast Asia. It is not by coincidence, however, that the increased frequency of floods and droughts is significant over the last century, correlating with increased human usage of fossil fuels, and drastic land use changes from forest and grasslands, to cropland and urban development.

1.3 Problems Related to Water: Problems related to water are of two main types: quantity and quality. Their nature is described below, while the role of vetiver in controlling them will be discussed in the subsequent sections. 1.3.1 Water Quantity: In the second half of 2001, starting from August, many parts of Thailand, especially in the North and Northeast, suffered from severe floods. Hundreds of people were drown; similarly thousands of livestock also died of the same cause. The effect on crops was beyond comprehension. This causes a similar problem of the same factor, i.e. water quantity. At one time we have too much water; its destructive force running downhill, causes loss of property and lives of people living in such highland areas, as well as flood damaging the lowland areas. Then at another time, not so long from the first instance, we have drought scattered in large areas throughout the country from the North, the Northeast, the Central Plains, and even in the South, the region in which is supposed to be wet most of the year. Both too much water and water shortages create problems to mankind. Too much water results in disasters such as: landslides, mudslides, fast running water, and floods that destroy houses and human property, as well as the lives of human beings and their animals. Water

36 shortages result in hardships for the people, their animals, and their crops. People as well as other living creatures, can survive many days without food, but not without water!

1.3.2 Water Quality: Water quality signifies the absence of contaminants, which are waste products, pollutants and nutrients. Depending upon the usage, the presence of some contaminants in the water may be acceptable; e.g. water that is used for agricultural and other activities may not need to be pure. While that presence in a lake or other bodies of water should not be rich in nutrient, otherwise, a phenomenon of eutrophication will occur, resulting in algal bloom and the depletion of oxygen in the water, which results in the death of aquatic life. However, water for human consumption should be as clean as possible, i.e. uncontaminated with pathogens, nutrients, heavy metals, and other toxic or hazardous substances.

2. Vetiver and Water

Vetiver has a major role to play along with water, as can be seen from the following paragraphs:

2.1 The Theme of ICV-3: The theme of the Third International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-3) is “Vetiver and Water”. This is most appropriate in the present circumstance, when water becomes the most important natural resource for mankind. Vetiver, a humble grass, has a big role to play along with this major natural resource. It is an essential tool in mitigating this pending water crisis.

2.2 Interdependence of Vetiver and Water: Vetiver and water are interdependent on each other. As other living creatures, vetiver depends on water for its growth and development. However, in terms of quantity and quality, the availability of water, depends to a certain extent on vetiver. As can be seen in subsequent sections, vetiver helps to regulate the amount of water. It conserves water when water is scarce. It helps to reduce surplus runoff rainwater by diverting it perpendicularly along the contour hedgerows, allowing much smaller amounts to pass through, while other amounts seep through the soil and retained by soil particles, while the surplus after saturation, is stored as underground water in the aquifer. It also helps to purify contaminated or polluted water.

2.3 Special Characteristics of Vetiver: Vetiver has many special characteristics that lend support for its uses in solving the water problem. According to Truong and Baker (1998) and Cull et al. (2000), these can be classified into morphological and physiological characteristics.

2.3.1 Morphological Features: Vetiver has: ƒ Stiff and erect stems that can stand up to high velocity flows and increase detention time. ƒ Thick growth forming living porous barrier that acts as a very effective filter trapping both fine and coarse sediments, as well as sediment-bound contaminants (e.g. heavy metals and some pesticide residues). ƒ Deep, dense and penetrating root system that can reduce and prevent deep drainage, and improve bed stability and nutrient uptake. ƒ Finely structured and massive root system, which provides an environment that stimulates microbiological processes in the rhizosphere.

37 2.3.2 Physiological Features: Vetiver is: ƒ Highly tolerant to adverse climatic conditions such as frost, heat wave, drought, flood, and inundation. Highly tolerant to adverse edaphic conditions such as high soil acidity and alkalinity; saline, sodic, and magnesic conditions; and aluminum and manganese toxicities. ƒ Highly tolerant to elevated levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc. ƒ Adaptive to be used in areas where too much water prevails, as it is able to consume high amount of water. ƒ Able to tolerate flood, making it ideal for use in ephemeral or permanent wetlands.

3. The Role of Vetiver in Controlling Water Quantity

3.1 Too Much Water: Too much water may occur in normal or abnormal situations as described below: 3.1.1 Normal Situation: This is the case where too much water is present as standing shallow water, or water-saturated topsoil, due to soil compaction and poor drainage. 3.1.1.1 Standing Shallow Water: This is the case of swamps, wetlands, bogs, marshes, etc., where standing shallow water is maintained throughout most of the year. As it can survive well in water, and together with its high rate of water consumption and tolerance to a high degree of water contamination, vetiver is ideal to be used to solve the problem of such a situation. 3.1.1.2 Water-saturated Topsoil: In certain areas, topsoil layer is quite shallow, as there is a hardpan layer underneath. This condition results in water saturation of the topsoil during the rainy season. As a result, plant growth is retarded. If vetiver is planted in such a soil, vetiver roots that allow water to percolate to subsoil layer penetrate the hardpan. In this way, excess water is drained downward in the wet season while water rises up through capillary force during the dry season. This stimul-ates the growth of crops growing in such a soil. The visit to the lime/guava orchard of Mr. Songsak Khieokhli of Tha Yang District, Phetchaburi Province during the ICV-2 technical tour had convinced visitors that vetiver really helped in improving his orchard’s productivity. Due to the presence of shallow topsoil and a hardpan beneath it, excess rainwater could not penetrate downward. After vetiver was planted, his orchard turned out to be quite productive as excess rainwater could be drained downward, after the vetiver roots had penetrated through the hardpan layer. While during the dry spell, capillary rise of water from moist subsoil layer provided enough water to satisfy the thirst of lime/guava plants. The deep roots of the vetiver plants could also absorb enough water from the subsoil layer to satisfy their own needs during such a dry spell as well.

3.1.2 Abnormal Situation: This is the case when too much water is present as the result of a heavy of rains, which also ends up with several kinds of disasters such as landslides, mudslides, destructive fast-flowing currents, and damaging floods. Landslides are often caused by the lack of structural strength of the ground on steep slopes and the event is triggered by saturation during heavy periods of rainfall. periods. Under natural conditions, deep-rooted trees in the forest provide structural reinforcement, but when deforestation occurs, this structural protection is lost. When this occurs, landslides often result. Mudslides are similar to landslides, except that the soil turns into mud when it is soaked with water for long periods of time. The effects of mudslides are worse than landslides, since mud can bury everything, including humans. Runoff water moving downhill at high speeds destroys everything obstructing its way.

38 The worst situation was seen at Krathun Subdistrict of Phipun District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand in 1989, where trees on the mountain were cut down and huge logs were left temporarily where they were cut. Unfortunately, with a heavy downpour of torrential rains, these logs were brought downwards along the current, and damaged the whole village at the base of the hill, which was later completely buried under sand and silt, which were also brought along the current downhill. Planting vetiver hedges across the slope slows down runoff water, thus allowing more water to seep into lower layers of soil, instead of adding to the floodwater in the lowlands. In this way, more water is added to the depleted aquifer, which helps to make the soil moist. It also collects debris and other organic materials, making the soil more fertile. It not only reduces the velocity of running water, but also diverts it laterally, thus reducing the damage caused by the force of running rainwater. It has several beneficial features that lend itself to be used to reduce the effect of water-related problems in several situations, such as on the highlands and uplands, in the gullies, and flood plains. In Australia, Dalton et al. (1996), and Dalton (1997), have provided evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of vetiver hedgerows in the reduction of flood damage to cultivated lands on the Darling Downs of Queensland. On the experimental site, vetiver hedges that were established at 90m intervals provided a permanent protection against floodwater. It should be appreciated that during the period of five years with several major flood events, vetiver hedges proved to be very effective in reducing flood velocity and limiting soil movement, with very little erosion in fallow strips.

3.2 Water Shortage: As pointed out earlier, vetiver hedgerows planted on the slope contours allow more water to seep through the topsoil into the lower layer. In this way, the soil in front of the hedgerows becomes moist, and can supply moisture towards the dry season. In addition, debris and other organic matters carried by water and deposited in front of the hedgerows help to retain more moisture that facilitates the growth of plants growing in between the vetiver strips throughout the year. Vetiver’s massive root systems have the capability of punching through hardpan, thus the downward movement of water is increased. After saturation, water is retained as ground water in the aquifer, which provides a continuous supply of water to the soil above it throughout the year. A good example can be seen from the project, “Check Dams to Retain Moisture”, conducted by the Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Center in Doi Saket District, Chiang Mai Province. Using vetiver as the main player, the project aimed at increasing soil moisture through simple, inexpensive, and effective means. There are two types of small checkdams; one retards stream flow and allows water to seep into the soil and increase soil moisture in the area. The other is the sediment control check dam that traps water-borne debris and soil particles carried along the water current. Both check dams increase and retain moisture, and create a hydrological cycle beneficial for effective forest conservation and rehabilitation. At the end, the forest that was once dried during the summer becomes evergreen. Recharging of groundwater is an important feature of water resource planning. Groundwater not only supplies wells and springs, but also enhances the dry season flow of major river systems. Recharge will improve if rainfall runoff is reduced. Good vegetation cover is essential, trees, pasture, and crop covers all reduce runoff. Vetiver hedgerows also play an important role in groundwater recharge. Rainfall runoff is reduced by as much as 70% when vetiver hedgerows are planted across the slope and on the contour. This runoff reduction is due in part to the effect of the hedgerow in slowing down and spreading out runoff over a larger area, but also because its strong roots can penetrate hardpans that are off limits to many other plants, and thus significantly improve infiltration. “…We know from feedback in India (both in high and low rainfall areas) that where vetiver hedgerows are in place, water levels in wells are higher, springs do not dry up, and small streams run longer into the dry season…” (Greenfield, pers. comm.). 39 In addition, vetiver hedgerows are effective in removing excess nitrates and phosphates that may be in the runoff water, and there is some evidence that vetiver will remove excess pesticides as well. Thus, vetiver hedgerows have a dual function of increasing groundwater levels and improving its quality (see detail in Chapter 4). Because vetiver hedgerows can do such a good job in reducing runoff, they are also very effective in flood control, both in the upper watershed catchments and on the floodplains. Flood control means a reduction in the volume of runoff rainwater and a slow down or delay in the release of floodwater. Because vetiver hedgerows slow down the movement of water, they are also reducing the rate of soil erosion, and are retaining the soil that is eroded in the areas adjacent to the hedgerows, forming natural terraces in front of the hedgerows, and not in downstream reservoirs, estuaries, etc.

4. The Role of Vetiver in Treating Water Quality

Water may be contaminated through various activities: agricultural, domestic, or industrial. There are two main measures to keep water uncontaminated or clean, namely ‘prevention’ and ‘remediation’.

4.1 Prevention Measures: As in the case of human health, when dealing with the contamination of water, prevention is better than the cure. If at all possible, the vetiver system should be employed as a measure in preventing water body from being contaminated. It should be emphasized that this prevention measures work through the removal of liquid- borne contaminants before entering the water body, otherwise, the measure is considered ‘remediation’ (see detail in Section 4.2), which removes these contaminants after they have been present in the water body. Currently two main methods of treating contaminated water, namely ‘Engineering’ and ‘Biological’, are being used. The biological method consists of land-irrigation, wetland, and hydroponic systems. Each system works through the removal or trapping/filtering of contaminants present either in: (a) the leachates (liquid leached from garbage landfill, quarry, farmland, etc.), or (b) the effluents (wastewater from septic tanks, city sewage treatment plants, plant nurseries, feedlots, cattle sheds, slaughterhouses, piggeries, etc.). Note: the terms, ‘leachates’ and ‘effluents’, are used here to mean any liquid containing contaminants prior to becoming the main water body. If the latter is the case, purification process is considered ‘remediation’.

4.1.1 Land Irrigation System: This system employs vetiver plants grown as a crop to dispose both the large effluent volume and to strip soluble elements (particularly N and P) or filter sediment-bound chemicals. Vetiver is currently being calibrated for application in Model for Effluent Disposal by Land Irrigation (MEDLI), a computer model being used in by the Environmental Protection Agency in Queensland, Australia, to regulate effluent disposal from various industries including sewage treatment plants, abattoirs and food processing plants. Results to date indicate that vetiver is at least twice efficient as Kikuyu and Rhodes grasses, the two commonly used species for effluent disposal in Queensland. Full results will be presented at ICV3 in October 2003 (Truong, pers. comm.). 4.1.1.1 Leachates: Many investigators have been able to remove or trap contaminants from agricultural, industrial, and garbage landfill leachates. These are discussed below: (i) Agricultural Leachates: Modern cultivation of crops requires the application of fertilizers, growth substances, pesticides, etc. to promote crop growth and protect it from the attack of their enemies. The corps absorb not all substance Not all substance is absorbed by the crops, however. The surplus is leached from the farmlands. Sooner or later, it enters into the body of water. Residues of agricultural leachates, particularly pesticides, create a serious

40 problem to the environment as they adversely affect flora and fauna in downstream aquatic ecosystems. Land irrigation system can be used to trap/filter nutrients, pesticide residues, and other toxic substances leached from the farms. In His Majesty the King of Thailand’s ‘New Theory’ plots, there must be newly dug farm ponds to conserve water for use during the dry season, as well as to raise fish and other aqua-cultured creatures. To avoid the problem of their bank collapsing, vetiver was introduced, and it works! In addition, a few rows of vetiver hedges planted on the embankment of the pond help not only to stabilize it, but also to trap sediment-bound nutrients as well as residues of pesticides and other toxic substances carried along with them. As a result, only clear, clean water seeps through the thick vetiver hedgerows into the pond. Another experiment conducted at the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Center, Huai Sai, Phetchaburi Province has proved that vetiver contour hedgerows planted across the slope form a living dam, while its root system forms an underground barrier that prevents water- borne pesticide residues and other toxic substances from flowing down into the water body below. The thick culms just above the soil surface also collect debris and soil particles carried along the water current and deposited in front of the vetiver hedgerows, thereby adding organic matter and moisture to the soil. In Australia, experimental data obtained from sugarcane farms in northern Queensland indicated that vetiver hedges were highly effective in trapping particulate-bound nutrients such as P and Ca (Truong et al. 2000). The amounts of nutrients trapped varied with the cultural practices employed, ranging from 26 to 69% for P, and 51 to 56% for Ca. In order to retain these nutrients on site, these authors suggested the farm manager to establish vetiver hedges across drainage lines. On cotton farms in central Queensland, vetiver hedges were effective in preventing herbicides (diuron, trifluralin, prometryn, and fluometuron), pesticides [organochlorine (α, β, and sulfate endosulfan) and organophosphate (chlorpyrifos, parathion, and profenofos)], and nutrients (N, P, and S) from leaving the farms (Truong et al. 2000). These authors have shown that during its first-year of growth, vetiver hedges were not very effective in trapping diuron herbicide, but fluometuron levels were greatly reduced. In the second year, the vetiver hedge trapped 48% of diuron. As for pesticides, soil samples were collected at various distances upstream and downstream from the vetiver hedges grown on a cotton farm and analyzed for selected organochlorine (α, β, and sulfate endosulfan) and organophosphate (chlorpyrifos, parathion, and profenofos). During its first year of growth the vetiver hedges trapped 86% of total endosulfan in the sediment of runoff water and 67% of chlorpyrifos. In the second year, 65% of total endosulfan was trapped. Similar to the results obtained in sugar- cane farms, the vetiver hedges grown in the cotton farm trapped a significant amount of nutrients. During the second year, 73% of N in sediment was trapped as compared with 52% for P, and 55% for S (Truong et al. 2000). Acid sulfate soils (ASS) are mechanically weak and the banks of farm drains in these soils are prone to collapse, dumping into drains eroded soil and sediments, which are highly acidic and loaded with heavy metals and nutrients. Vetiver was found to be highly effective in drain bank stabilisation in ASS, lower frequency of drain maintenance and reduce acidic loading by exposing less acid sulfate soil in the drain wall to oxidisation and leaching. The filtering effect of the vetiver grass on sugar cane farms will also limit the transport of sediments and cane trash into major waterways that should improve BOD and COD levels. A trial to test the use of vetiver to stabilize drain banks and trap sediment has been started at Pimpama, Queensland and will likely demonstrate the economic and environmentally effectiveness of vetiver grass in managing existing drainage networks. (Carlin et al. 2002.) (ii) Industrial Leachates: Industrial waste dumps such as tanneries, galvanized and electrolytic factories are usually contaminated with heavy metals such as As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, and Zn. Similarly, leachates from the quarries also contain high amounts of several heavy

41 metals. As these heavy metals are toxic to humans, their removal from the leachates must be done prior to their entering into the water body. In Thailand, Roongtanakiat and Chairoj (2002) of Kasetsart University, conducted an investigation to determine the uptake potential of three ecotypes of vetiver grass, namely ‘Kamphaeng Phet’ (upland), ‘Ratchaburi’ and ‘Surat Thani’ (lowland). Varying amounts of Mn, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb were applied to one-month old vetiver grass in pots and harvested at 60 and 120 days after heavy metal application. The concentrations of heavy metals in the shoot and root of vetiver grass were determined by atomic adsorption spectrophotometry. It was found that the growth of vetiver plants was not affected by the application of heavy metals at the concentrations tested, and that heavy metal uptake by the three ecotypes of vetiver was inversely proportional to the concentration of heavy metals applied. (iii) Garbage landfill leachates: This is a special type of leachates which may contain nitrates and phosphates as in domestic leachate, or pesticide residues as in agricultural leachate, and heavy metals and other hazardous substances as in industrial leachate, depending on what constitutes the garbage. In many large cities, garbage is deposited as landfill to decompose. Such landfills produce leachates that contain various matters, including heavy metals and other toxic substances. One approach to use vetiver to trap these harmful substances is to grow in a strip around the garbage landfill. Strip of vetiver hedgerows would not only prevent seepage, but would act as a barrier to the movement of contaminants by wind or other means. At one of the garbage landfill located at Kamphaeng Saen District, Nakhon Pathom Province, 90 km northwest of Bangkok, 5,000 tons of garbage are being dumped daily. A section has been allocated for the planting of vetiver to trap the leachate. After four months, it was observed that the plants were able to survive fairly well, despite the presence of leachate and toxicity normally expected of such a dumpsite (Hengchaovanich 2000). Parallel laboratory experiments were being conducted at Kasetsart University using conventional technique, and at Chulalongkorn University using radioactive technique to assess its performance. Both are discussed below: Roongtanakiat (2002) conducted a field trial at Kamphaaeng Saen on domestic garbage landfill site as mentioned above, and laboratory experiment at Kasetsart University in Bangkok. Using ‘Surat Thani’ vetiver ecotype, she was able to demonstrate that vetiver plants could survive although their height was reduced, but with higher concentrations of heavy metals being absorbed into the shoot and root when fed with leachate of higher concentrations of heavy metals. To investigate the growth characteristics and the uptake ability of vetiver grass for heavy metals in the soils and garbage leachate, Chayotha et al. (2002) planted vetiver on a garbage landfill at Kamphaeng Saen, 90 km northwest of Bangkok, and in pots as a parallel experiment in the laboratory at Kasetsart University in Bangkok. It was found that vetiver can be grown in polluted environment of organic decomposition derived from garbage leachate. Using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer technique, the investigators found that vetiver could absorb from the garbage landfill, the following amounts of heavy metals (mg/kg): Zn 54.6, Cu 9.9, Pb 4.0, Cr 2.6, and Ni 6.7. Using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), which are very fast, highly accurate and non-destructive testing, Chanyotha and Nirunrat (2000) found that five toxic heavy metals, namely Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr which were irrigated by industrial leachate/ wastewater and absorbed by vetiver could be analyzed by XRF. However, only Cr and Zn could be found when using NAA, due to the high sodium content in the sample. The amount of such heavy metal concentrations was mostly determined by XRF technique. The results showed that for vetiver irrigated by industrial leachate, more Cu and Cr were found in the shoot than in the root, while vetiver irrigated by industrial wastewater, less Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr were found in the shoot than in the root. Bannasak (2001) also conducted an experiment to study the ability of vetiver grass in up-taking Pb and Zn from Pb and Zn mine tailings. Vetiver was planted on two different 42 tailing concentrations and was amended with different types of fertilizer. The concentration of Pb and Zn accumulated in vetiver grass was analyzed by using XRF technique. The results of vetiver planting on Pb tailings showed no difference among concentrations, but the results of vetiver planting on Zn tailings indicated that different levels of Zn concentration and types of fertilizer applied, had significant effect on the growth of vetiver grass. Using 32P isotope, Mahisarakul et al. (2002) were able to trace nutrients and heavy metals absorbed by the vetiver plants grown in cement cylinders (150 cm diam. and 150 cm high) on domestic garbage dump of Doi Tung Development Project in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. It was found that vetiver roots were heavily distributed in the upper 30-cm depth, and the amount was reduced successively at the depths of 60, 90, and 120 cm. The amount of leachates and sediments (drawn from the garbage cylinder through a tube) were much less in the treatments with vetiver (100, 75, 50% of the area) than without vetiver at all stage of growth of the vetiver plants. The highest amount of the isotope was found in the roots at the depth of 90 cm. They concluded that vetiver can be used to grow on garbage landfill to help absorb the pollutants. In China, Xia et al. (1998) studied the effects of vetiver in removing toxic substances from urban garbage leachate. It was found that of the seven parameters measured in the study, removal of ammoniac nitrogen was the highest, at the rate of 83-92%. Furthermore, vetiver was found to have strong absorption abilities to ammoniac N dissolved in water. In addition, vetiver showed a quite high removal rate for phosphorus (more than 74%). Results also indicated that vetiver was the best among the four grass species tested in terms of their removal abilities and their tolerance to high leachate concentrations. Depending upon the contaminant levels in the leachate, land irrigation can also be used for its disposal. A project is currently underway in northern NSW, Australia to plant vetiver as a crop to treat a large volume of leachate from a landfill site (Truong, pers. comm.). 4.1.1.2 Effluents: Effluents are wastewater with certain amounts of contaminants. They are classified as: (i) domestic, (ii) agricultural, and (iii) industrial effluents. They usually contain high amounts of nitrates and particularly phosphates, which will cause environmental problem if they are drained into the body of water. (i) Domestic effluents: There are two kinds of domestic effluents ‘black’ and ‘grey’ waters. The former is sewage of the toilets while the latter is washing water from kitchens and bathrooms. If planted to intercept the flow of such effluents, vetiver would prevent the effluent from reaching the water body. In addition, vetiver would help dry up the effluent. Under these conditions vetiver will grow extremely well and will remain green throughout the year. Truong and Hart (2001) have conducted a series of experiments on using vetiver to treat the effluent from the domestic sewage. Among these are: ƒ Vetiver was used to treat the effluent from a holiday camp on the shore of a lake, which provides raw water for making water supply for the city of Brisbane in Australia. Eight rows of vetiver were planted on a cut slope where the soil was very poor, to both stabilize the steep slope and to absorb the effluent. The first three rows of vetiver absorbed all the effluent, which previously ran down the slope. It was found that the first three rows grew luxuriantly, reaching almost 2 m in eight months. The next five rows down the slope, however, were less than 1 m tall showing nutrient deficiency symptoms, indicating that the absorption was so complete. ƒ At the Beelarong Community Farm in Brisbane, Australia, vetiver was used to dispose the discharge from a septic system on site. Vetiver was found to be more than 2m tall in a period of five months. A stand of about 100 vetiver plants in an area less than 50m2 has completely dried up the effluent discharge. ƒ A project is underway at Toogoolawah, a small town north west of Brisbane, to use vetiver to treat primary treated effluent from the town sewage treatment plant, instead of

43 building a secondary treatment plant. This is very costly to build and maintain and not economical for a small town (Truong, pers. comm.). (ii) Agricultural effluents: These effluents are produced from various agricultural activities. Plant nurseries, feedlots, piggeries, dairy sheds, chicken houses, slaughterhouses, etc., produce a large quantity of such effluents that are oozing onto nearby land and into streams and ditches. If vetiver grass were planted to intercept the flow of such effluents, it would do much to stop the effluent reaching water body and drying up the mess. Vetiver would grow extremely well and will remain green throughout the year. Effluents from plant nurseries create environmental problems, as they contain high amounts of nutrients from both surface and drip fertigation. One of the largest flower nurseries near Brisbane, Australia faced with the problem of disposing a large volume of effluent runoff from the nursery floor and potting sheds (Truong and Hart 2001). An area of 320 m2 was planted with vetiver at the density of 8 plants/m2. Under the rich source of nutrient and plentiful supply of water, vetiver reached the full size of over 2 m in height after five months. This area of vetiver could absorb all the effluent generated by this nursery, even during the rainy season. (iii) Industrial effluents: Using the MEDLI model mentioned above, vetiver is being trailed to treat 2.2 million litres of effluent (160mgN/L and 55mgP/L) discharged from an abattoir near Brisbane. A total area of up to 64ha is anticipated to be used for vetiver planting on this site (Truong, pers. comm.). At a gelatine production plant, vetiver is also being considered to dispose of 2 million litres of effluent (300mgN/L and 5mgP/L) discharged from the factory. A total area of up to 231 ha is anticipated for use in vetiver planting on this site (Truong, pers. comm.). With the potential of removing very high amounts of nitrates and phosphates, and very rapid growth, the vetiver system can be used both to reduce the volume, and to remove nutrients in effluent from septic tanks, plant nurseries, feedlots, slaughterhouses, piggeries, and other agro-industrial factories. 4.1.2 Wetland System: Wetlands are low-lying areas with water and aquatic plants growing. There are two types of wetlands: natural and constructed. Natural and constructed wetlands have been shown to be effective in reducing the amounts of contaminants in runoff from both agricultural and industrial lands. The use of wetlands for the removal of contaminants involves a complex variety of biological processes, involving microbiological transformations and physio-chemical processes such as adsorption, precipitation, or sedimentation. Vetiver grown in the constructed wetland can be used to remove or trap contaminants from leachates and effluents. 4.1.2.1 Leachates: Vetiver has been used by various investigators in many countries to remove contaminants from domestic, agricultural, industrial, and garbage landfill leachates. (i) Agricultural leachates: Contaminants contained in agricultural leachates include fertilizer and pesticide residues. Cull et al. (2000) undertook a glasshouse trial in Australia to assess the potential for using vetiver and three wetland species in constructed wetlands, which receive agricultural leachates containing varying concentrations of two commonly used herbicides, atrazine and diuron. It was found that vetiver could reduce residues of both herbicides while its growth was not adversely affected by application of both herbicides at the rates up to 2,000 μgL-1. Wetlands are also popularly used in reducing the amounts of pesticide residues in the leachates. (ii) Industrial leachates: Currumbin Sanctuary is a small native animal sanctuary on the Gold Coast of Australia. Its intensive feeding program produces highly

44 polluted runoff to the local environment. A wetland system using vetiver is being established to treat this leachate (Truong, pers. comm.). (iii) Garbage landfill leachate: Leachate from the Likeng landfill site in Guangzhou, China was found to contain high concentrations of pollutants, well above the effluent limits, which could be harmful to flora and fauna in the surrounding environment (Xia et al. 2000). Among the four plant species tested vetiver grass was the least affected by high (HCL) and low (LCL) concentration leachates. The tolerance to garbage leachate was ranked as vetiver > alligator weed > Bahia grass> water hyacinth. Of all seven pollutants measured ammonia N was found to be most effectively absorbed by vetiver, at about 80% in HCL and nearly 90% in LCL. Vetiver also showed a quite high absorption rate for P, over 74%. 4.1.2.2 Effluents: Wetlands are used to remove or trap contaminants from agricultural, domestic, and industrial effluents. (i) Domestic effluents: At the Toogoolawah treatment site mentioned above, in wet weather the excess effluent runoff from the vetiver plot will be diverted to a wetland down slope and further treated with vetiver to comply with EPA requirement (Truong, pers. comm.). (ii) Agricultural effluents: Wetlands are particularly suitable for use to treat agricultural effluents, especially from livestock sheds. Effluents from livestock sheds contain high amount of waste products. Of all livestock sheds, piggeries created the severest problem to the environment, as they are present in large numbers, many of which are concentrated in small areas. The case of piggeries in China can be cited. Liao (2000) conducted a study on purification of piggery effluent through the use of constructed wetlands with vetiver and 11 other species. It was found that vetiver and Cyperus alternifolius were the two best species on the basis of plant growth in piggery effluent and effective decontamination. (ii) Industrial effluents: Trials are also being carried out in Australia to use vetiver in the treatment of effluent from the expanding wine industry (Truong, pers. comm.). 4.1.3 Hydroponic System: Using a floating platform, vetiver can be grown hydroponically in the water with its root immersed in the water. Hydroponic system can be used to remove contaminants from leachates or effluents, which are drained into the pond. The advantages of this system using platform method is that vetiver tops can be harvested easily for use as livestock feed, mulch, mushroom growing, etc., while its roots can also be removed for essential oil extraction or used as crude pesticide to control termites. 4.1.3.1 Leachates: Due to practical difficulty in draining leachates into a pond, there has so far been no attempt to use vetiver growing on the floating platform to remove nutrients, heavy metals, or toxic substances from the leachates of various sources. 4.1.3.2 Effluents: In theory, vetiver grown on floating platforms can be used to remove nutrients, heavy metals, or toxic substances from effluents of various sources. However, only domestic effluents have been attempted. To determine the efficiency of vetiver in improving the quality of domestic effluent, a hydroponic trial was conducted using a mixture of black and grey waters (Truong and Hart (2001). Their results confirm the Chinese research in that vetiver could remove most soluble N and P in effluent over a very short period of time, and thus eliminating blue-green algae in the eutrophicated water. Research is also being conducted to treat black and grey effluent discharged from a motel in Australia by Vetiver Modules. Full results will be presented at ICV3 in October 2003 (Truong, pers. comm.).

45 4.2 Remediation Measures: Remediation is defined as “the process of remedying or cleaning up deteriorated, contaminated or intoxicated soil and water”. If microorganisms are used to remediate, the process is called ‘bioremediation’. The use of plant to clean up deteriorated, contaminated or intoxicated soil and water is called ‘phytoremediation’. However, the term ‘remediation’ is generally used even when plants are used to clean up contaminated water. 4.2.1 Kinds of Contaminated Waters: In the case of a body of water, which has already been deteriorated, contaminated or intoxicated (from here on, only the term ‘contaminated’ will be used to save space), purification can be done by removing contaminants from the body of water. Many terms have been used in the literature to describe the nature of liquid- borne substances that contaminate the water, such as wastewater, polluted water, and eutrophicated water. There is a little difference in the meaning of these terms and many authors used them interchangeably. In this paper, however, attempts has been made to distinguish them, as given below: 4.2.1.1 Wastewater: Wastewater is one that contains the liquid-borne waste products (organics, solids, and nutrients) of domestic, agricultural, and industrial or manufacturing activities. It is similar to eutrophicated water (see later), especially in the presence of plant nutrients such as N and PO4 which favor the growth of algae; however, wastewater can also contain other organic and solid matters. Apart from the odor, the health risks created by this waste are enormous and include the source of typhoid and dysenteric diseases as well as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Most of these ‘residential’ areas have no drains, no potable water, and no paving. Water and sewage stagnates adding to the misery of living conditions (Grimshaw, pers. comm.). Depending on the origin, three kinds of wastewaters are known, namely: (i) Domestic wastewater: This is the water derived from human domestic activities, such as water from toilet (also known as ‘black water’), sink, shower, and kitchen flows; and water used in washing or flushing (also known as ‘grey water’). (ii) Agricultural wastewater: This is the water derived from agricultural activities, mainly from fertilizer application and secretion and disintegration of plants and animals, and excluding those that contain harmful pesticide residues. (iii) Industrial wastewater: This is the water derived from industrial or manufacturing activities, mainly of organic origin, and excluding those that contain harmful substances of inorganic origin. 4.2.1.2 Polluted Water: Polluted water is water contaminated with harmful substances resulting from agricultural and industrial processes. Such substances include (i) heavy metals, e.g. Pb, Hg, Cu, Cd, Cr, As, (ii) pesticide residues, e.g. insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, (iii) other harmful compounds. Upon entering into water body, elevated concentrations of these toxic substances pose a significant risk to human and animal health. Depending on the origin, polluted water can be classified into domestic, agricultural and industrial polluted water. 4.2.1.3 Eutrophicated Water: Eutrophicated water is one which is rich in mineral and organic nutrients that promote a proliferation of aquatic plants, especially blue-green algae consuming nearly all the oxygen, especially during warm weather, choking the fish, and often causes the extinction of other organisms. The characteristic of eutrophicated water is the promotion of algal growth due to the presence of high amounts of N and PO4. Depending on the origin, it can be classified into domestic, agricultural, and industrial eutrophicated water. It should be noted that these three terms are closely related and can be used almost synonymously. Another term that is used to include all three is ‘contaminated water’, which implies impurity of the water without specifying the kind of contaminants, whether they are waste products (wastewater), harmful substances (polluted water), or nutrients (eutrophicated water). However, some wastewater, like leachate from garbage landfill, may

46 also contain harmful heavy metals. Similarly, eutrophicated water may also contain harmful pesticide residues. Thus, these terms should not be used strictly. Their usage in the present paper is to provide clear understanding of the main constituents of the contaminated waters. As vetiver thrives in wetlands, it is highly suitable for the wetland system to remove waste products, pollutants, or nutrients from wastewater, polluted water, or eutrophicated water, respectively. The process of removing contaminants from contaminated water is known as ‘purification’. Purification of each type of contaminated water is discussed below: 4.2.2 Purification of Contaminated Waters: Vetiver has been experimentally shown to be able to absorb elements and nutrients from wastewater, polluted water, or eutrophicated water. 4.2.2.1 Purification of Wastewater: In Thailand, Jatiyanikornkul (1986) investigated the possibility of using vetiver in purifying domestic wastewater. She employed five varieties/ecotypes of vetiver, namely: ‘Brazil’, ‘Sri Lanka’, Ratchaburi’, ‘Surat Thani’, and ‘Indonesia’. The treatments included mixtures of wastewater and fresh water of five levels, viz.: 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of wastewater. It was found that at the mixtures of 75 and 100%, the height, culm size, and biomass of the vetiver plants were significantly different from employing fresh water alone. Furthermore, the ‘Brazil’ variety was found to absorb high amounts of N, K, Ca, and Mg; the ‘Indonesia’ variety could absorb higher amount of P than other ecotypes/varieties; and the ‘Brazil’ variety could absorb high amounts of Pb and Cd. In addition, the ‘Indonesia’ variety could absorb as high as 4.9 ppm of Pb in the culm. Sripen et al. (2000) used five vetiver ecotypes, namely ‘Ratchaburi’, ‘Surat Thani’, ‘Indonesia’, ‘Sri Lanka’, and ‘Brazil’ to treat three kinds of wastewaters, namely domestic, milk-industrial, and agricultural, found variable amounts of N, K, Ca, Mg, Pb and Cd deposited in the shoot and root of vetiver grown in the three wastewaters. They concluded that vetiver can be used as a biological wastewater treatment. Chantkaeo et al. (2002) did ‘constructed wetland’ experiment using ‘Indonesia’ and ‘Sri Lanka’ varieties of vetiver to purify domestic wastewater. In their experiments, two systems were employed; one with wastewater drained into the wetland (5x100 m) for five days and allowed the wetland to dry for two days; the other was to supply wastewater continuously to the wetland and allow it to overflow through the wetland with one day standing. It was found that in the first system with five-day standing and two-day dry, a total volume of wastewater passed through the system per cycle of seven days was 232.5 m3 with the waste of 4.13 kg BOD. The second system with overflow wastewater with one-day standing water in the wetland, a total amount of wastewater is 59.99 m3/day and wastewater of 0.93 kg BOD/day. It can be seen that the amount of wastewater passed through the first system (5-day standing and 2-day dry) was higher as the system was allowed to dry, and when more wastewater was added, a volume was penetrating the cavities of the dry soil, thus consuming more water. However, considering the period of water standing, the second system with overflow consumed more wastewater. In Australia, vetiver was used very successfully as an integral part of a water purification program in removing waste products from septic tank effluent (Truong and Hart (2001).

4.2.2.2 Purification of Polluted Water: Experiments conducted in Thailand on polluted water indicated that vetiver had the ability to uptake heavy metals and accumulated in the shoots and roots. Sripen et al. (1996) found that vetiver can absorb substantial quantities of Pb, Hg, Cd in polluted water. Vetiver can tolerate very high level of As in the water, but most of the As absorbed remained in the roots (90-95%). Such an approach is used in Australia to rehabilitate gold mine tailings, which are very high in As and stock can safely graze it (Truong, pers.comm.).

47 4.2.2.3 Purification of Eutrophicated Water: As soluble N and particularly P are usually considered to be key elements responsible for water eutrophication which normally leads to blue-green algal growth in rivers and lakes, the removal of these elements by vetiver is a most cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of controlling algal growth. With intensive farming adjacent to these water bodies, the quantities of N and P are bound to increase. Removal of these elements can be achieved by: (i) planting vetiver on the edges of the streams or in the shallow parts of the lakes where usually high concentrations of soluble N and P occurred, and (ii) growing vetiver hydroponically on floating platforms which could be moved to the worse affected parts of the lake or pond. The advantages of the platform method is that vetiver tops can be harvested easily for stock feed or mulch, and vetiver roots can also be removed for essential oil production (Truong and Baker 1998). Research in China has shown that the vetiver system can be used to remove high soluble N and P concentrations in eutrophicated river water (Zheng et al. 1997). It was found that vetiver can reduce soluble P up to 99% after three weeks and 74% of soluble N after five weeks. The authors were of the opinion that the vetiver system has the potential of removing up to 102 tons of N and 54 tons of P/yr/ha. From another experiment in China, it was found that vetiver, which was grown along the edges of the streams, or in the shallow parts of the lakes to first filter off the chemicals, and then grown hydroponically in water along banks, can effectively remove N and P. And, the water became more transparent after treatment (Xia et al. 1998; Zheng et al. 1998). These Chinese researchers and workers indicated that vetiver could remove dissolved nutrients, and reduced algal growth within two days under experimental conditions. Thus, vetiver can be used very effectively to control algal growth in water infested with blue-green algae.

5. Discussion

The unique advantages in employing vetiver as a means of controlling quantity and quality of water is its simplicity, low cost and minimal maintenance. This paper mainly deals with the role of vetiver in solving the problems related to water quantity and quality.

5.1 Advantages:

5.1.1 Simplicity: “Make it simple” is His Majesty’s frequent advice for all of his development initiatives, including those concerned with water resource. His Majesty favors simplifying complex situations, making confusing issues comprehensible, and using common sense to solve problems. The methods of using vetiver in controlling quantity and quality of water are quite simple. 5.1.2 Low cost: Application of the Vetiver System in wasteater treatment costs a fraction of the conventional methods such as chemical or mechanical means. In additon to appropriate design initially it only involves readily available locally produced planting materials and labor. 5.1.3 Minimal maintenance: When proprely established VS requires practicaly no maintence to keep it functioning. This is in sharp contrast to other means which need regular costly maintenance and a skilled operator, often an engineer, to operate it efficiently (Truong, pers. comm.).

5.1.4 Additional benefits: In treating effluent with vetiver, ultimately VS is a ‘recycling plant’, not a treatment plant. In this application, by absorbing essential plant nutrients such as N, P and cations, vetiver will not only purify the wastewater but it will also store them for other applications. In Australia with large scale planting, for example 321ha at one site as mentioned above, this recycling plant is anticipating to provide high nutrient materials for

48 animal feed, mulch for gardens, manure for organic farming, organic source for composting just to name a few (Truong, pers. comm.).

5.2 Water Quantity: Thailand is a country that repeatedly suffers from lack of water, not just fresh water, but any water for use in agriculture and consumption. The most recent situation in the early part of 2002 was one of the severest due to the El Niño effect. More than 50 provinces were affected, some very severely. The selling price for drinking water was more than that of oil, which was also expensive, as we had to import almost all amounts of oil. Warning of water scarcity may sound strange at a time when many parts of the country, as well as many countries in all contents, are suffering from severe floods, many of which resulted in a great toll of human lives, their animals and their properties. However, there is a Thai saying, “Flood is better than drought!”. This is true in normal situations, since Thailand usually suffers from drought more than flood. In most cases, it is only a matter of time before the flood recedes and soil becomes dry again. It is not surprising that drought has repeatedly occurred in many provinces of Thailand, especially in the Northeast. The successive floods and droughts in these provinces show the uneven distribution of water through the year, with most of the waterflow in the big rivers confined to just a few weeks. With not enough reservoirs to hold excess water, floods frequently occur during the heavy rains, followed by droughts afterward, as there is no regular supply of the water during the dry months. As a tropical country in the humid region of the world, Thailand has enough rainfall, although its distribution is not regular in recent years due to the deteriorating environment, especially from deforestation. Most of the suggestions to solve the problem of water quantity are difficult to implement. These include the halt of deforestation, massive reforestation, the construction of reservoirs and dams, setting up an alarm system, etc. The author wishes to suggest as an alternative approach; i.e. plant hedgerows of vetiver across the slopes in a newly established reforestation project. Most of the advantages of such an operation have been mentioned earlier. The only thing that remains to be brought into attention is its ability to reduce the greenhouse effect. The extensive root system of the vetiver plant can absorb a large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2). Although no direct measurement was made on the amount of CO2 absorbed by a vetiver plant, a comparable study by two CIAT scientists can be cited. They claimed that two grass species in the savannas of South America might remove as much as two billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually. One of these grasses is Andropogon guyanus, a closely related species of vetiver. These CIAT researchers reported in the ‘Nature’ magazine, that the two grasses store as much as 53 tons of CO2, as organic matter per hectare per year. This is because the extensive roots of this grass deposit the organic matter as deep as one meter in the savanna soil. Just imagine with vetiver, whose roots are much more extensive and deeper than those two grasses, how much more CO2 will be removed from the atmosphere and fixed in their root systems. If a hectare of deep-rooted grass absorbs 53 tons of CO2, a square meter will absorb about 5 kg of this greenhouse gas during a year of growth. Comparable to these grasses, a full-grown clump of vetiver would absorb at lease 5 kg of CO2 annually. If we could plant just a million clumps of vetiver, they will absorb 5,000 tons of CO2. The Doi Tung Development Project in Chiang Rai alone, used to plant 100 million vetiver plants per year; that means that it alone has provided 500,000 tons of ‘atmospheric cooling’ benefit. By CIAT calculations, that is as much as CO2 emitted by 100,000 cars, each driven 20,000 km. As the annual global increase in atmospheric CO2 is estimated to be about 20 billion tons a year, we only need to plant 4,000 billion vetiver plants to absorb all this gas and we probably don’t need air-conditioning to cool down the air round us (Vietmyer 1997; Enoch 1998). 49 Vetiver is truly a miracle grass, as it can do miracles, including the mitigation of disaster caused by destructive heavy rains, in addition to several other well-known benefits to agricultural and non-agricultural activities.

5.3 Water Quality: The information presented above clearly demonstrates that the VS are a very efficient and low-cost method for treating effluent and leachate from both domestic and industrial sources. In the modern Thai community, we are now facing the ever-increasing problem of declining water quality, mainly due to contamination of various substances in the water, making it unsuitable for consumption. Although there is a law in Thailand prohibiting the drainage of domestic and industrial contaminated waters into streams, rivers, lakes and oceans, reinforcement is not effective enough to stop such practices. Wouldn’t it be better to treat such waters through land disposal that is more environmentally conscious. Besides, such waters can also be used to irrigate agricultural and recreational areas. This paper has cited a number of cases, both in Thailand and abroad, where vetiver can be used in various systems, namely land irrigation, constructed wetland, and hydroponic, to purify domestic, agricultural, and industrial wastewater.

6. References and Selected Bibliography

Bannasak, A. 2001. Analysis of Lead and Zinc in Vetiver Grass Growing on the Lead and Zinc Mine Tailing using the X-Ray Fluores-cence Technique. MS Thesis, Nuclear Technology Dept., Chulalongkorn Univ., Bangkok. Carlin, G., Truong, P., Cook, F., Thomas, E., Mischke, L. and Mischke, K. 2002. Vetiver grass hedges for stabilising and sediment filtering in acid sulfate soils. Proc. 5th Int. ASS Conf., Tweed Head, Australia, August 2002. Chanyotha, S.; Roongtanakiat, N.; and Nirunrach, T. 2002. Uptake potential of heavy metals from sanitary landfill by vetiver grass. Thailand Engineer. J. 55 (1):(in Thai). Chetiyanikornkul, T. 1986. The possibility of using various ecotypes of vetiver grass in purifying wastewaters. M.S. Thesis, Kasetsart Univ., Bangkok (in Thai). Cull, R.; Hunter, H.; Hunter, M.; and Truong, P. 2002. Application of vetiver grass technology in offsite pollution control: Tolerance to herbicides under selected wetland conditions. Proc. ICV-2, pp. 404-411, ORDPBV, Bangkok. Dalton, P.A. 1997. Application of vetiver grass hedges to erosion control on the cropped flood plain of Darling Downs. M. Eng. Thesis, Univ. of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queesland, Australia. Dalton, P.A.; Smith, R.J.; and Truong, P.N.V. 1996. Vetiver grass hedges for erosion control on a cropped floodplain, hedge hydraulics. Agric. Water Management 31: 91-104. Liao, X.D. 2000. Studies on plant ecology and system mechanisms of constructed wetland for pig farm in South China. Ph.D. thesis, South China Agric. Univ., Guangzhou, China. Mahisarakul, J.; Topungtium, S.; Srisaichue, S.; Lekkong, P.; Jamraskul, P.; and Chaicha-um, R. 2002. The use of vetiver to treat garbage leachates by tracing 32P isotope of the root system. Poster paper presented at the Fourth Thai National Conference on Vetiver, 28-29 November 2002. ORDPB, Bangkok Nirunrach, T. 2001. Determination of Heavy Metal Contents in Vetiver Grass Absorbed from Wastewater using Nuclear Analytical Techniques. MS Thesis, Nuclear Technology Dept., Chulalongkorn Univ., Bangkok. Pinthong, J.; Impithuksa, S.; and Ramlee, A. 1998. The capability of vetiver hedgerows in decontamination of agrochemical residues: A case study on the production of cabbage at Nong Hoi Development Centre. Proc. ICV-1, pp. 91-98, ORDPB, Bangkok.

50 Roongtanakiat, N. 1999. Heavy metal absorption by vetiver grass and its impact on growth characteristics. Poster presented at the Third Thai Nat. Conf. Vetiver, Kasetsart University, Bangkok. Roongtanakiat, N. 2002. Vetiver and heavy metal absorption from wastewater. Paper presented at 4th Thai Nat. Conf. Vetiver, Bangkok, 28-29 Nov. 2002. Roongtanakiat, N.; and Chairoj, P. 2002. Uptake potential of some heavy metals by vetiver grass. Proc. ICV-2, pp. 427-431, ORDPB, Bangkok. Rungsuk, M. 1995. The growth of Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash fed with domestic wastewater from the communities in Phetchaburi Province. MS Thesis, Kasetsart University, Bangkok (in Thai). Sripen, S.; Komkris, T.; Techapinyawat, S.; Chantawat, S.; Masuthon, S.; and Rungsuk, M. 1996. Growth potential of vetiver grass in relation to nutrients in wastewater of Changwat Phetchburi. Abstracts of papers presented at ICV-1, p. 44. ORDPB, Bangkok. Sripen, S.; Techapinyawat, S.; Chantawat, S.; and Chetiyanukornkul, T. 2000. Possibility of using vetiver grass from different ecotypes for wastewater treatment. Poster paper presented at ICV-2. Troung, P.N. Personal Communication. Address: 23 Kimba St., Chapel Hill, Brisbane, Queensland 4069, Australia. Email: Truong, P.N. 1999. Vetiver grass technology for flood and stream bank erosion control. Proc. Int. Vetiver Workshop, Nanchang, China. Truong, P. 2002. The global impact of vetiver grass technology on the environment. Proc. ICV-2, ORDPB, Bangkok, Thailand. Truong, P.N.; and Baker, D. 1998. Vetiver Grass System for Environmental Protection. PRVN Tech. Bull. No. 1998/1, ORDPB, Bangkok. Truong, P.N.; Dalton, P.; Smith, R.; Knowles-Jackson, C.; and Steentma, W. 1998. Vetiver grass system for flood control. CD ROM. Resource Sciences Centre, QDND, Queensland, Australia, and the Vetiver Network, Leesburg, Virginia, USA. Truong, P.; and Hart, B. 2001. Vetiver System for Wastewater Treatment. Tech. Bull. No. 2001/2, PRVN/ORDPB, Bangkok, Thailand. Truong, P.N.; Mason, F.; Waters, D.; and Moody, P. 2002. Application of vetiver grass technology in off-site pollution control: Trapping agrochemicals and nutrients in agricultural lands. Proc. ICV-2, pp. 296-301. Xia, H.P. 2001. Development of the Vetiver System in Guangdong, China. Tech. Bull. No. 2001/3, PRVN/ORDPB, Bangkok, Thailand. Xia, H.P.; Ao, H.X; Lui, S.Z., and He, D.Q. 1998. A preliminary study on vetiver purification for garbage leachate. Proc. Int. Workshop, Fuzhou, China, 21-26 October 1997. Xia, H.P.; and Shu, W.S. 2001. Resistance to and uptake of heavy metals by Vetiveria zizanioides and Paspalum notatum from lead/zinc mine tailings. Acta Ecologica Sinica 21: 1121-9 (in Chinese, with English abstract). Xia, H.P. 2003. Studies on the benefits of constructed wetlands for oil-refined wastewater purification. VETIVERIM 23: Zheng, C.; Tu, C; and Chen, H.. 1997. Preliminary experiment on purification of eutrophic water with vetiver. Proc. Int. Vetiver Workshop, Fuzhou, China, 21-26 October 1997.

51 The Vetiver System: A Global Technology That Links Vetiver and People To Strengthen Rural Communities and Conserve Natural Resources*

Abstract

The Vetiver System (VS) is a technology employing vetiver grass for soil and water conservation, bioengineering, environmental protection, disaster mitigation and phytoremediation purposes. It is inexpensive, simple, and effective. VS has been used to link vetiver and people to strengthen rural communities and conserve natural resources. Results of selected VS studies are described in this paper. VS’s positive impact on communities is evidenced by: (i) handicraft making in Venezuela, (ii) railway rehabilitation in Madagascar, (iii) poverty eradication in Indonesia, (iv) rural community strengthening through people participation in Thailand, and (v) riverbank and dike protection in Vietnam. VS’s contribution to natural resource conservation is evidenced by: (i) effective watershed management in the Dabie Mountains of China, (ii) wetlands protection in Toogoolawah, Australia, (iii) mudslide disaster mitigation in Thailand, (iv) environmental safeguarding of an open-cut bauxite mine in Venezuela, and (v) the reduction of watershed sediment in Guam. Keywords: Handicraft making, railway rehabilitation, dike and riverbank protection, poverty eradication, socio-economic impacts, sustainable watershed management, vetiver wetland system, mudslide disaster.

1. Introduction

1.1 Vetiver System

The Vetiver System (VS) is a simple, low-cost technology that employs vetiver grass for soil and water conservation, bioengineering, environmental protection, disaster mitigation and phytoremediation of deteriorated or contaminated land and water. This technology, previously known as Vetiver Grass Technology, was first developed for the agricultural sector by the World Bank for soil and water conservation, in the 1980s. It was later expanded to cover nonagricultural sectors through bioengineering and phytoremediation for environmental protection such as slope and embankment stabilizations, reclamation of wasteland, rehabilitation of contaminated land, water purification, pollution control, prevention or mitigation of natural disaster, etc. VS is a very practical, inexpensive, low maintenance, and effective means of soil erosion and sediment control, as well as water conservation, land stabilization, and land rehabilitation. Because Vetiver grass does not normally produce seeds, it stays where it was planted. It is not affected to any significant extent by pests and diseases, nor does it act as a host for pests or diseases that might attack crop plants. Being vegetative, it is also environmentally friendly.

1.2 The Advantages of VS

In relation to strengthening rural communities and conserving natural resources, VS has the following advantages:

1.1.1 Low cost and simple technology: It is a natural, green, simple, practicable and cost effective solution, and its biomass by-product can be utilized to make handicrafts, animal feeds, thatches, mulch, mushroom medium, compost, fuel, etc.

* The Keynote Address delivered at ICV-4 held in Caracas, Venezuela, 22-26 October 2006.

52 1.1.2 Effective method for soil and water conservation: With its profuse deep root systems, vetiver grown as a hedgerow can do marvelous job in conserving soil and water. 1.1.3 Effective method for bioengineering: VS can be used to protect the environment (soil, water and air) before deterioration occurs, such as control of erosion of stream and reservoir bank, flood control, etc. 1.1.4 Effective method for phytoremediation: VS can be used to cure environmental problems that have already occurred through reclamation of wasteland, deserts, etc. or to rehabilitate contaminated soil and water, water quality treatment, habitat restoration, etc. 1.1.5 Effective method for disaster mitigation: VS can be used to mitigate disasters such as to stabilize landslides, mudslides, shifting sand dunes, flash flood, etc.

1.3 Linking Vetiver and People

VS is a global technology that has been used worldwide as a means to link vetiver and people. The two major issues in this link will be discussed, namely: (i) strengthening rural communities and (ii) conserving natural resources. These goals are not mutually exclusive. In many cases, they can both be accomplished in one operation. However, for the sake of easy understanding, each will be discussed separately in the following two sections:

2. The Role of VS in Strengthening Rural Communities

VS has been used extensively for various purposes in many countries around the world. The following showcases are cited to exemplify its role in strengthening rural communities.

2.1 Handicraft Making in Venezuela

The most impressive activity associated with vetiver in Venezuela is that of community development supported by the Polar Foundation Vetiver Project (PFVP). This was evident from the visits to many sites where local people gathered to welcome the author to eagerly show him their valued products, and even to sing songs they composed in praise of vetiver. This get-together is an excellent means of bringing people close together, and to unite them. The visit to see vetiver handicraft exhibits strengthened my great admiration of the concept of using vetiver as a means of helping the poor people to earn extra income - most often the only income - which has tremendously improved their quality of life. According to Luque (2004), some 6,000 poor people were involved in the PFPV in 2004. They were located in eight states of Venezuela. The principle involved in the Project was to generate an economic interest through the development of the handicrafts and markets. This was done through the delivery of harvested vetiver leaves to the villagers who were trained to make, in the beginning, simple handicraft articles such as furniture, wallets, handbags, etc. Later on, more complicated ones were produced. These items were sold in the cooperative stores and during exhibitions. As the demand for vetiver leaves was increased, the villagers started to plant vetiver in other areas near the communities where erosion and/or polluted water occurred. By that time, the villagers were trained to properly harvest the leafy materials for handicraft making. Every small plot of vegetables or field crops was soon bordered with vetiver hedgerows. The social activities that were incorporated were singing songs, short readings on the topics related the self-esteem and motivation for community integration. It can be stated that by utilizing vetiver as a source of raw material for handicraft making, the poor people in the community not only earn extra income, but are united in their mutual activity in the community. This has culminated in more and more vetiver is being planted for soil and water conservation in the farmlands and elsewhere. This is in contrast with the conventional approach in which the farmers are encouraged to grow vetiver to protect their soil, which often ends up with little or no planting at all, as the farmers earn no income from such planting. Judging from the look at the smiling faces with starry eyes of the 53 poor villagers as they sang vetiver songs or while they made handicrafts, I could say that they were quite happy with their involvement in the Vetiver Project. 2.2 Railway Rehabilitation in Madagascar

In 2000, two cyclones hit the island nation of Madagascar, located on the east coast of the African continent. They created a severe damage with more than 280 landslides to the East Coast Railway (FCER) which is crucial to the livelihood of the native people. The cause of landslide was mainly slash-and-burn farming practice on both sides of the railway track. Upon the request of the Land Development Intervention of Madagascar (LDI), two Thai vetiver specialists were recruited by Thailand’s Office of the Royal Development Projects Board to investigate possible approaches to using vetiver to rehabilitate this railway. Following the advice of the specialists, the LDI and the FCER disseminated the VS along the railway track, and provided technical supports in removing the soil and restoring the drainage infrastructures. Based on the success of the Doi Tung Development Project in Thailand, LDI used a community-based intervention in helping the community to fight against poverty, and at the same time, stop erosion and landslides. The planting of vetiver provided sustainable agriculture alternative to slash-and-burn farming while at the same time enhanced soil fertility and increased farmers’ income. The poor people living along the railway can now produce crops protected by vetiver hedgerows, and can transport the produces by train for sale in the nearby city (Charanasri, 2006).

2.3 Poverty Eradication in Indonesia

The East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) was launched by David Booth in 1998 with the main purpose of helping the people in impoverished community of 2,500 families in 15 villages in East Bali, Indonesia. The first community school was established in 1999 on donated wasteland with volcanic sand. Vetiver was planted to rehabilitate 20km dirt roads to facilitate vehicular usage for 1,500 families who grow alternative crops such as cassava and corn on steep lands. Over 500 children in five EBPP schools have learnt how to stabilize terraces on steep mountain slopes for organic vegetable gardens. Vetiver was also used in creative art classes, painting, handicrafts and roof thatching competitions. Vetiver information was disseminated throughout the whole village, influencing hundreds of cassava farmers to improve massive tracts of almost barren farmland, starting by planting vetiver to stabilize terraces. Vetiver’s ability to stabilize dirt roads has encouraged hundreds of steep- hillside farmers to protect their homes with vetiver, with the added advantage of beautifying their dry environments. Recently, VS has also been used to help thousands of Indonesian farmers in other regions to conserve soil and water (Booth and Adinata, 2006).

2.4 Community Strengthening through People Participation in Thailand

Huai Khayeng is a sub-district of Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand to which many inhabitants moved from a lower area during the construction of a reservoir in 1972. It is located on a highland with poor soil fertility. The PTT Public Company Limited, which successfully rehabilitated the Yadana gas pipeline with vetiver in 1997, started to introduce VS in Huai Khayeng with strong emphasis on people participation, motivation, encouragement and outward orientation (Tansamrit and Salinla-umpai, 2006). A stepwise operation plan was implemented in four phases, namely: First Phase: A controlled vetiver experiment within the community where the benefits of growing vetiver would gradually become apparent to the people. Second Phase: Vetiver planting on the land of volunteer farmers. Third Phase: Successful implementation of these earlier two phases initiated a third phase by which a quarter of all the households planted vetiver on their own lands. 54 Fourth Phase: Vetiver was planted in about half of the areas in the community, and in appropriate public lands. Besides preventing surface soil erosion, several benefits have resulted from the operation: 1. Vetiver was found to improve the soil fertility to be more suitable for agricultural production. 2. The community members learned to make use of vetiver as compost, animal feed, and mulch to cover vegetable beds. Together with other activities such as regularly saving the money and abstaining from drinking on religious days, such activities have helped the farmers to save their money substantially. 3. Growing vetiver has resulted in improved cultivating area as the soil contains more moisture and is more fertile. 4. Vetiver helps the farmers to decrease their cost of production through: (a) saving on fertilizer cost through the use of vetiver compost, (b) less watering because the soil contains more moisture, (c) saving on animal feed by feeding the animals with vetiver leaves, and (d) an overall increase in crop yield resulting from vetiver being planted along with the crops. The implementation of VS in Huai Khayeng community originated from people participation in considering and making a decision. At present, the environmental condition of Huai Khayeng is sustainable and most of the villagers have a better life.

2.5 Riverbank and Dike Protection in Vietnam

In the lowland of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, riverbanks and dikes have continuously been damaged by wave erosion caused by motorized boats. Local people have used traditional approaches such as wooden, cement, or rock walls; by planting wetland species along the hore or keeping water hyacinth as a cushion to absorb wave action to prevent further loss of valuable land and damages to the dikes, all of which proved to be ineffective or too costly to implement. Dung, et al (2006) reported that when VS was employed, it provided effective erosion control in fresh water, brackish water rivers and canals, on alluvial soil as well as highly acid sulfate soil. After exposing to a very effective extension program, the farmers and local communities realized the value of vetiver as they can also use it for animal feed. Many other uses have also been discovered such as string to bind rice seedlings and rice straw. It can be stated that the application of VS has great socio- economic impacts on the rural people and economy of the local community. As a consequence, in An Giang province alone, VS is planned to be used for flood erosion control on 20 dikes, with a total length of 61 km, using 1.8 million slips of vetiver.

3. The Role of VS in Conserving Natural Resources

By definition, “natural resources” means “those actual and potential forms of wealth supplied by nature, as coal, oil, water power, arable land, etc.” However, most people, including those who work on vetiver, relate it to the environment; thus, conserving natural resources is the same as conserving the environment, be it soil (or land), water, and air. The major role of VS in conserving natural resources is mainly through environmental protection. There are a lot of works going on at present on the issue of environmental protection, and it is almost impossible to cite them all in this presentation. Thus, only a few selected ones are cited to exemplify the role of vetiver in conserving natural resources.

3.1 Watershed Management of the Dabie Mountains in China

According to Liyu Xu (2005), the China Vetiver Network (CVN) first introduced VS to the Dabie Mountains in 1998. In May 2004, CVN launched the “Vetiver for Sustainable Watershed Management in the Dabie Mountains” project. The project’s objective was to 55 introduce and extend VS for water and soil conservation in the Dabie Mountains. Caused by various factors, the area of the Dabie Mountains remained under-developed, and was ranked one of the poorest regions of China. Soil erosion caused by water force was one of the main factors influencing agricultural development. Since soil in the Dabie Mountains was mainly derived from coarse granite rocks, soil erosion was serious. Field trials in Anhui Province’s Yuexi County and Hubei Province’s Huanggang Prefecture showed that vetiver grew very well and played an important role in soil conservation and slope stabilization as it was able to control erosion caused by flash flood during the rainy season, and at the same time protect natural resources.

3.2 Toogoolawah Vetiver Wetland System in Australia

Using an innovative technology developed by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, the Esk Shire Council, a local government in Queensland, Australia, installed the Toogalawah sewage treatment plant employing the vetiver wetland systems to treat sewage effluent. The treatment process allows the passage of effluent through a vetiver wetland, following contours of the land which allows good contact between vetiver and the effluent. In this way, vetiver maximally absorbs the water and filters it. The Project has successfully restored the ecosystem of the local creek that feeds into Wivenhoe Dam. The Esk Shire Council claimed to be a local government enterprise which demonstrated that “the high-tech and costly operation may not be the best solution for wastewater treatment” (Anon. 2004b).

3.3 Mudslide Disaster Mitigation in Thailand

In 2004, several steep-slope villages in the Khao Kho area, notably Nam Ko and Nam Chun of Phetchabun Province’s Lom Sak District in northern Thailand, suffered severe damage from mudslides due to devastating heavy rainfall as the result of a very strong typhoon that hit the region. Previously, the areas amounted to 16,000 ha were deforested (Anon. 2004a). It was estimated that in such steep sloping land, from 0.8-3.2 tons per ha of soil have been washed away annually. The forest in the area was completely cleared by the villagers to plant cabbages. The Thai Land Development Department (TLDD) has implemented a project in the areas affected with such disaster (Anon. 2004a). The first attempt made by the TLDD was to rehabilitate an area of over 320 ha by planting vetiver hedgerows along the newly constructed contours in order to conserve the soil. The land areas in between the hedgerows have been planted with upland rice as a cash crop in order for the villagers to earn their income. Subsequently, land consolidation was made with the assistance of the TLDD, which also provided instruction and budget to produce compost. It was reported that the farmers who planted vetiver along the contours of the sloping land have attained a good status in their livelihood, with sustainable development of their land and a good income from the selling the harvested produces. The area is now well protected from further landslides as the result of heavy rains.

3.4 Environmental Protection of Open-Cut Bauxite Mine in Venezuela

VS has been used to stabilize various slope gradients on soil-concrete interface to protect infrastructures on the site of an open-cut bauxite mine in Los Pijiguaos, Venezuela (Luque et al., 2006). In addition, stabilization of gullies and border drains, and reinforcement of lagoon dikes were also accomplished. Sandy bags, stone rows or wooden stacks were installed as perennial vetiver barriers. The company has issued a policy to mitigate the impact of mining activities on the local community through the use of VS. The aim of this policy was to provide assistance to the community and to develop the region as a whole. It was found that VS has played a significant role in stabilizing slopes, gullies and border drains, 56 protecting infrastructures of soil-concrete interface, reinforcing lagoon dikes, and filtering of water drained into the lagoons. During the past three years, the company was successful in developing VS for land rehabilitation and environmental protection which culminates in restoring the open-cut bauxite mining site to a desirable level which is environmental friendly.

3.5 Reduction of Watershed Sediment in Guam On the Pacific Island of Guam, forest burning is the major cause of land degradation, having the end result of sediment loss due to erosion. As the result of runoff from eroded soil, sedimentation is the major cause of water pollution which threatens the coral reef that is the major attraction for the tourist. Sedimentation also reduces the water storage capacity of reservoirs and canals and increases flooding. In order to obtain better health of the reef ecosystem, Golabi et al (2006) used VS as a watershed management technique to mitigate sedimentation and improve the water quality. They found that VS was quite effective in erosion control. Moreover, the quality of runoff water downstream was greatly improved. This resulted in a reduction of sediment in near-shore waters, the end result of which was that coral reef was protected from the detrimental effects of storm runoff.

4. Discussion

The VS has been applied in tropical and subtropical regions in more than 70 countries on five continents around the world. Originally, it was applied to soil and water conservation problems in agricultural areas, but it has since been extended to various other applications in non-agricultural fields such as environmental protection, phytoremediation, wastewater treatment, and disaster mitigation. VS has a unique role in strengthening rural communities while at the same time conserving natural resources. Both of these activities are intimately linked to the people who are living in the communities as well as to the environment. VS has been shown to improve the living conditions and earning capacities of communities and to provide a better environment through environmental protection, phytoremediation and disaster mitigation. In short, the VS is a global technology whose time has come.

5. References

Anon. 2004a. Vetiver hedgerows help relief disaster in Phetchabun Province. Vetiverim 27:19. Anon. 2004b. Esk Shire Council shares grand prize in Healthy Waterways Awards. Vetiverim 28:10-11. Charanasri, U. 2006. Vetiver Technology for Mitigation of Natural Disaster in Thailand and Madagascar. Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Vetiver, 19-21 January 2006, Cantho, Vietnam. (Abstract published in Vetiverim 36:4-5.) Booth, D.J. and Adinata, I.N.A. 2006. Vetiver improving lives impoverished Indonesia subsistence farming mountain communities, led by children. Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Vetiver, 19-21 January 2006,Cantho, Vietnam (Abstract published in Vetiverim 36:21-22.) Dung, L.; Phong, L.T.; Danh, L. and Truong, P. 2006. Vetiver system: Its application in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Paper presented at the First Regional Conference on Vetiver, 19- 21 January 2006, Cantho, Vietnam (Abstract published in Vetiverim 36:4.) Golabi, M.H.; Minton, D. and Iyekar, C. 2006. Using vetiver technology to reduce watershed sedimentation for water quality improvement down streams in Southern Guam. Paper submitted for presentation at ICV-4, 22-26 October 2006, Caracas, Venezuela, Luque, O. 2004. The vetiver and their relationships with social development in Venezuela. Paper presented at the ICV-4 Preparatory Meeting, 15 July 2004, Polar Foundation, Caracas, Venezuela. (Abstract published in Vetiverim 29:5.)

57 Luque, M.R.; Lisena, M. and Luque, O. 2006. Vetiver system for environmental protection of open cut bauxite mining at “los Pijiguaos” – Venezuela. Paper submitted for presentation at ICV-4, 22-26 October 2006, Caracas, Venezuela, Tansamrit, S. and Salinla-umpai, P. 2006. Huai Khayeng, Thailand: Vetiver Cultivation Exemplar. Paper submitted for presentation at ICV-4, 22-26 October 2006, Caracas, Venezuela. Xu, Liyu. 2505. Vetiver for sustainable watershed management in the Dabie Mountains of China. Vetiverim 31: 3-4.

58 Fire Tolerant Vetiver*

One characteristic that makes vetiver an amazing plant is its ability to tolerate fire. It is almost impossible to destroy a mature vetiver plant by fire. Field experience showed that it is not burnt readily even under very dry and windy conditions. The fire tolerant property of vetiver is attributed to the following properties: 1. Stay wet and green in the summer: This can be seen in natural condition where vetiver is grown and remains wet and green in the summer (if it is not too severe and lengthy) when other plants, especially cogon grass, dry up and easily catch wild or forest fire. 2. The growing points are underground: They are tightly packed and well protected by the thick crown. 3. Sprouting new flush soon after fire: This can be seen from the following cases: 3.1 In west African savannah: A large area of the savannah is set fire to burn down wild vetiver (Vetiveria nigritana). This is the case of the savanah in western Africa where fire swept through dry vetiver in the summer and flushes new leaves afterwards for the cattle to feed on. 3.2 In the forest after wild fire: Vetiver is the only plant that sprouts its new flush of leaves after forest fire in many natural conditions. 3.3 In agricultural area subject to controlled fire: Another example can be seen when controlled fire is set to burn vetiver hedgerows grown for soil and water conservation before the onset of dry season. This practice is an effective approach to rejuvenate vetiver plants as it allows new growth, otherwise, shading of the dry leaves will not allow new shoots to grow, while disease caused by fungi will occur inside the thick clump. 4. The shoots are relatively high in silica content: The presence of silica in its shoots makes vetiver fire tolerant as it is difficult to be burnt. His Majesty the King of Thailand’s Initiatives on Planting Vetiver for Fire Protection The idea of growing vetiver for fire protection in the forest has repeatedly been initiated by His Majesty the King of Thailand in several occasions. These were: • While paying a royal visit to plant trees for the “Sustainable Reforestation” project in honor of His Majesty the King, organized by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand at Pran Buri district, Prachuab Khiri Khan province on 16 November 2002, His Majesty gave the following initiatives: “Vetiver should be planted in hedgerows to protect against forest fire in the forest-growing area..It is better to grow vetiver as hedgerows because vetiver is different from cogon grass. In the dry season, cogon grass is easily burnt whereas vetiver is still green and fresh because it has a long root system to help absorb moisture from the subsoil. Consequently, vetiver naturally helps protect against forest fire”. • His Majesty the King granted initiatives regarding vetiver growing to the Board of the National Research Council of Thailand, at Klai Kangwon Palace, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, on 22 November 2002. His Majesy stated that, “Vetiver should be planted either before or together with planting the forest particularly on the slope areas. Vetiver should be grown to hold soil and form rows to prevent forest fires. Planting vetiver as a fire prevention strip is another use of vetiver as it helps to reduce damage from forest fire, be it reforested areas or natural forests. Vetiver should be planted prior to, or at the same time with, planting perennial trees, particularly on the mountain, as it helps to prevent soil erosion and forest fire. Since it has fresh green leaves all year round with deep root system which will absorb water from deep soil level, vetiver is fire tolerant. Thus vetiver should be planted as a firebreak to prevent forest fire during the dry season. Forest fire normally takes place in eucalypt and pine tree plantation on the mountain, thus vetiver should be planted along with them”.

* Published in Vetiverim 36: 7, April 2006. 59

• His Majesty granted an audience to the delegations of the Royal Project Foundation’s R&D Committee on Vetiver Technology and other personnel related to the vetiver project, held at Klai Kangwon Palace, Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province on 21 February 2003. Related to planting vetiver in the forest, His Majesty stated that, “In principle, vetiver can prevent forest fire. This is because in the dry season, cogon grass is dry and easily catches fire; but vetiver, having deep root system, can absorb water from deep layer and remains green, thus would not catch fire easily”. His Majesty then suggested concerned personnel to demonstrate the use of vetiver hedgerows in preventing forest fires, both in ordinary forests and cogon-grass-infested forests.

Making Use of Fire Tolerant Property of Vetiver There are three approaches to make use of vetiver’s fire tolerant property, namely: 1. Fire prevention: Vetiver strips planted as firebreak in the forest on horizontal and vertical directions would stop approaching forest fire. Without effective firebreak of vetiver hedgerows, when forest fire approaches, creeping ground fire can easily burn through as there are cogon grass or other annuals and shrubs growing and turning brown in the dry season, thus easily catch fire. The main reasons vetiver is tolerant to fire are: - Having deep root system: Vetiver continues to grow all year round, even in the dry season when other plants, having shallow root system such as cogon grass, will be dry and lax, thus easily catch fire. Vetiver, on the other hand, having green leaves and stems, would not catch fire easily. It stops the creeping fire from spreading to new ground. - Vetiver clumps contain larger stems than other grasses, particularly cogon grass. Besides, they grow in very thick clumps in which air cannot pass through, thus difficult to burn. Vetiver contour hedgerows, planted in new forest areas when tree seedlings are still young and do not shade vetiver plants, would act as a firebreak to stop the fire from injuring those seedlings. Thus, they are given a chance to grow until their stems are large enough to survive the ground fire. Vetiver plants die down after being shaded by the growing trees; they have accomplished their job.. 2. As a means to induce new growth of vetiver hedgerows: When mature dry vetiver plants are burned by forest fire, either natural or induced, new sprouts of vetiver plants are induced to grow and form thick green double-rowed hedgerows in the dry season. They are even fire resistant! 3. As a vetiver management tool: Fire could be used as a tool for enhancing the vigor of older plants and to remove old and dead material. A good burn at the end of the dry or dormant season, say once every 3-4 years, just prior to rains and new growth, could result in much invigorated and healthy looking plants. This has been confirmed by Dick Grimshaw (pers. comm.) who cited the work of the Agricultural University in Hyderabad, India which showed that by annually burning, hedgerows the old dead stems and leaves could be removed, thus removing potential "feed" for termites. The burn out of old stems also allowed room for better regeneration of new tillers of vetiver from the center of the clump. The use of vetiver for fire prevention has actually been practiced in South Africa where reforestation project which incorporates the planting of vetiver has received reduction in fire insurance premium. See photographs in Photo Essay # 3 – Fire Tolerant Vetiver on pages 9- 10.

60 Salt Tolerant Vetiver* Large areas of land in many countries have high salt concentration; these areas have low productivity, and often left vacant, with weeds and other salt tolerant plants growing on them. Vetiver has been found by many investigators to have some degree of salt tolerance as it has deep root system thus having little effect from surface soil with high salt content. Different strains or ecotypes of vetiver exhibit different salt tolerance. For example, Truong -1 (1995) reported that the LD50 of Vetiveria zizanioides is 17.5 mS cm , while Pongvichian et al. (2005) found that ‘Kamphaeng Phet 2’ ecotype and ‘Sri Lanka’ cultivar of Vetiveria zizanioides, and Prachuap Khiri Khan’ and ‘Kamphaeng Phet 1’ of Vetiveria nemoralis have more salt tolerance than the others, and can grow in 20 dS/m solution; the salt contents have direct effect on the growth, biomass, and root development of vetiver Through the use of tissue culture technique by growing vetiver callus on salt-containing medium, salt-tolerant explants have been selected by Nanakorn (2005). Exposing them to gamma radiation, higher salt tolerance has been obtained; the gamma-radiated explants were found to contain higher K and Ca ions than the untreated ones, while the amounts of N and Cl ions were similar. Callus exposed to 50 Gray could tolerate as high as 4.0% NaCl while the untreated callus could tolerate only 3.0% NaCl. The problem still remains in inducing the callus with very high salt tolerance to differentiate into explants. This requires further trial on using different media to differentiate the callus into explant, or the use of seed which has well-developed system in stead of callus which has less-developed system of organ formation To select for salt tolerant strains of vetiver for growing in soils with high amounts of salt contents, Phrueksapong and Pongkanchana (2005) studies the survival rate of vetiver exposed to salt condition of coastal areas by the use of 13 ecotypes of vetiver in their pot experiment using CDR with 4 replications and 4 treatments (Tr. 1 - control with normal water, Tr. 2 - received 8 dS/m salt water, Tr. 3 - received 16 dS/m salt water, and Tr. 4 - received 20 dS/m salt water). All plants were grown in pots receiving normal water for two months prior to the experiment. The following data were collected: (i) number of plants and leaf growth every 10 days, (ii) chlorophyll contents every seven days, (iii) salt contents in the soil before and after vetiver planting. As the experiment was still going on (at the time of the report) for a few more months, no result has been obtained, except for the observation which indicated that vetiver could survive in soils with high salt contents and there was a difference in the ecotypes with respect to the degree of salt tolerance. It is hoped that the use of salt tolerant ecotypes or strains of vetiver would facilitate the productive use of underutilized saline soils which are widespread in many parts of the world at the time when arable lands are diminishing or limited in order to cope for the demand of more food by the growing populations. References Nanakorn, M. 2006. Development of salt tolerance in vetiver grass using tissue culture technique. Paper presented at the 5th Thai National Conference on Vetiver, Bangkok, 28- 29 November 2006 (in Thai). Phrueksapong, A.; and Pongkanchana, A. 2005. Survival rate of vetiver under salt condition of coastal areas. Paper presented at the 5th Thai National Conference on Vetiver, Bangkok, 28-29 November 2006 (in Thai). Pongvichian, P.; Uaemkhli, P.; Phruekapong, A.; and Phothipan, P. 2005. The role of salt on the growth and development of vetiver. Bhumivarin 19: 22-26 (in Thai). Truong, P. 1992. Salt tolerance of Vetiveria zizanioides (L.). Paper presented at the International Vetiver Workshop, Kuala Lumpur, 13-16 April 1992.

* Published in Vetiverim 38: 12, October 2006

61

Recharging Groundwater with Vetiver Hedgerows: Thailand Experience*

Vetiver is a miracle plant due to the presence of a strong massive vertical root system which penetrates deep down in the soil, even in soils with hard-pans. One of the many benefits of planting vetiver across the slope or, in a contoured hedgerow, is that it slows down runoff, spreads it across the slope and allows for greater percolation rates, thereby recharging groundwater aquifers, which, through capillary rise, feed the plants growing in the area. Although there is no practical way to measure the amount of groundwater recharged through the planting of vetiver hedgerows, there are several indicators that verify that this is so. One of these is the luxuriant growth of plants growing in the vicinity of the vetiver hedgerows throughout the dry period, as can be seen from the following examples in Thailand: 1. Khao Cha-ngum Land Reclamation Study Project, Photharam District, Ratchburi Province: Vetiver was planted across the slope on deteriorated shallow skeletal soils. Erosion has stripped off the top soil leaving the area dry, hard and devoid of natural vegetation cover. Located in a rain shadow area, few plants could grow as there was not enough nutrient or soil moisture available. His Majesty the King commanded that the Land Development Department plant vetiver contour hedgerows in the watershed area of the reservoir to help reduce runoff velocity and soil erosion into the reservoir, allowing water to permeate deep down into the soil to recharge the groundwater. The hedges also accumulate organic matter brought down from higher elevations and deposited in front of the hedgerow, making a natural terrace there. In this way, surface soil along the watershed area of the reservoir was conserved, thus becoming more fertile and beneficial to forest growth which took place at a faster rate. With minimum care, vetiver plants survive year after year, and after a few years, have enabled natural vegetation to grow luxuriantly even in the dry season. The reservoir is full of water all year round. As time goes by, topsoil is being conserved enabling economic crops to be grown and produce good yields. 2. Chai Pattana-Mae Fah Luang Reforestation Project at Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province: The rolling country in this area was extensively cultivated to pineapple for a period of over 20 years such that the top soil has been lost due to poor soil management. In order to rehabilitate the area, the Land Development Department started to develop the land by digging ditches to trap sediment, building bunds and planting vetiver hedgerows. Within a few years, the whole area has been rehabilitated with natural species growing luxuriantly. Neem trees and oil palm were later planted, and till now, have grown luxuriantly.. 3. Huai Hong Khrai Royal Study Center, Doi Saket, Chiang Mai Province: Originally, the area was degraded land as the result of logging for fire wood used in curing tobacco leaves. The dry dipterocarp and mixed deciduous forest which remained could not recover since under the dry conditions, it was burned annually. When vetiver was planted on the contour to rehabilitate the area together with the planting of tree saplings, as well as the building of check dams along the stream, this created better conditions for growth. Within less than ten years of operation, the whole area is now covered in trees, and the water in the stream is now running all year round. The soil is now fertile with more than 3-4 % of organic matter as compared to less than 1% before. The land is now suitable for cultivation of crop plants.

* Published in Vetiverim 44, April 2008, p. 12-13.

62 Other Uses and Utilization of Vetiver*

Abstract

In addition to being used to perform specific functions in soil and water conservation, environmental protection, etc., the vetiver plant also has a few other uses, e.g. as forage for livestock, ornamentals, and other miscellaneous uses. Harvested vetiver leaves, culms and roots are utilized after some degree of processing in various ways, e.g. as input of agriculture-related activities (mulch, compost, nursery block / planting medium, animal feed stuff, mushroom cultivation, botanical pesticides, and allelopathy), handicraft and art works, medicinal applications, fragrance, input of construction-related activities (roof thatch, hut, mud brick, vetiver-clay composite storage bin, veneer / fiber board, artificial pozzalans, ash for concrete work, and straw bale), containers (pottery, melamine utensils, water containers), bouquet, energy sources (ethanol, green fuel), industrial products (pulp and paper, panel), and miscellaneous other utilization. This paper also discusses: (i) the main objective of growing vetiver, (ii) the growing of vetiver as a cash crop for utilization, (iii) the ecological benefit of growing vetiver, and (iv) botanical pesticides from vetiver.

Keywords: Use, utilization, ornamentals, mulch, botanical pesticides, handicraft, traditional medicines, perfumery, aromatherapy, allelopathy, industrial products.

1. Introduction

The present campaign on the planting of vetiver in agricultural and non-agricultural areas for soil and water conservation has met with some problems, in that the growers are not willing to plant vetiver as there is no direct income derived from such planting. In addition to conventional uses, the vetiver plant can also be used as forage for livestock grazing, as ornamental plant, and some other miscellaneous uses. In normal practice of growing vetiver for soil and water conservation, etc., there is a need to cut down the leaves every few months to encourage tiller growth and to reduce the danger of fire in the dry season. The cut leaves and culms can be utilized in various ways thereby providing extra income for the growers. In addition, the roots can also be utilized as a source of essential oil and botanical pesticides. This paper presented attempts to distinguish between the terms ‘use’ of live vetiver plants and ‘utilization’ of harvested parts of vetiver plants. It then describes various other uses of the live vetiver plants, and utilization of harvested vetiver leaves, culms, and roots.

1.1 Definition of Use and Utilization as Applied to Vetiver:

Use: In this paper, ‘use’ is defined as “any direct exploitation of the live vetiver plants”. Utilization: In this paper, ‘utilization’ is defined as “the act of making profitable use of harvested (fresh, partly dried or dried) vetiver plant parts”.

1.2 Use of Live Vetiver Plants: There are two main approaches of making use of live vetiver plants, namely: 1.2.1 Conventional Uses: These are the uses of live vetiver plant to perform specific functions in agricultural and non-agricultural applications, such as for soil and water conservation,

* Paper presented at the Third International Conference on Vetiver, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 6-9 October 2003. Published in AU Journal of Technology 7: 81-91.

63 slope stabilization, erosion control, environmental protection, absorption of heavy metals, disaster mitigation, wastewater treatment andwater purification, etc., without having to be harvested and processed into finished or semi-finished products. These, however, are not the subject of this present paper. 1.2.2 Other Uses: These are the non-conventional uses of live vetiver plants such as forages for livestock grazing, ornamentals, and miscellaneous other uses.

1.3 Utilization of Harvested Vetiver Plant: As applied to vetiver, this involves the utilization of dried, partly dried, or even freshly harvested leaves and culms, and roots of the vetiver plant, either with no processing at all, or with some degrees of processing. These include the production of: (i) non-processed products, e.g. roof thatch, compost, mulch, mushroom medium, animal fodder, bouquet; (ii) semi-processed products, e.g. handicraft, some industrial products, botanical pesticides, pots, low-cost silo, furniture; and (iii) fully- processed products, e.g. essential oil and its derived products, herbal medicine, pulp and paper, fiber board, pozzalan cement, and industrial products.

2. Other Uses of Vetiver

2.1 Forage for Livestock Grazing: Many investigators (e.g. Panichpol et al. 1996) have verified that the forage value of freshly cut vetiver leaves is comparable to other grasses. They also found that vetiver leaves contained insignificant amount of toxic substances, thus not harmful to the livestock Vetiver is probably the only grass that provides any feed value at all during drought period. In Africa, for example, vast plains of V. nigritana are burnt each spring to produce an early bite for Fulani livestock (Juliard, pers. comm.).

2.2 Ornamentals: Being a grass with a beautiful form and aesthetic value, vetiver is sometimes used as an ornamental plant in landscaping, or as a decorative potted plant. These are discussed below: 2.2.1 Landscaping: Vetiver is a beautiful ornamental plant for gardens, patios, decks, etc. The bush of the vetiver plant is so large that it hides unsightly structures. Grown as a hedge, i.e. planting close together in line, it forms a dense, uniform, and attractive hedge under tropical and subtropical climates. It also forms an aesthetically beautiful barrier to unsightly view. Examples of the various uses of vetiver in landscaping are the followings: 2.2.1.1 As a Decorative Hedge: Vetiver is used as a decorative hedge on roundabouts. It looks good and seems to serve a good purpose. For example, it is grown primarily for aesthetic reasons by the C’mara Municipal de Portim’o, Portugal (Pease 2002a). These hedges also serve a useful function by hiding from view the traffic that is passing on the opposite side of the roundabouts. 2.2.1.2 For Dual Purpose in Beautifying the Landscape and Environmental Protection: Vetiver hedges have been used to stabilize soils and control erosion in amenity sites such as golf courses and water park recreational areas. In many countries such as Australia, China, South Africa, the use of vetiver hedgerows as a combined landscaping and land stabilization tool also produce an aesthetically pleasing hedgerow system. In Thailand, vetiver hedgerows are used very effectively as borders to vegetable plots and flowerbeds, for filtering runoff water to farm ponds and for stabilizing their banks. Along the winding road up hill leading to the Doi Tung Development Project, Chiang Rai, vetiver was planted for decorative and ornamental purposes, in addition to its main objective of stabilizing roadside. On the US Virgin Islands, construction of hotels and condominiums has added stress to the coral reef. These commercial properties are beautifully landscaped. Vetiver was planted in spring of 1999 along a huge side slope of a highway in Qinggliu County of Fujian Province, China, in conjunction with limited use of concrete walls at the most critical sections. A dense

64 living hedge of vetiver formed after 3-4 months. The total cost for vetiver planting was only 50% of using other types of grasses, but the result is a green cover of the side slope instead of a huge concrete wall, which ‘look like a tomb’ (Xu, pers. comm.). 2.2.1.3 For Reservoir Landscaping: A common problem found around reservoirs is the barren strip on the shore caused by the fluctuation of the water level in the reservoir. The height of this level sometimes exceeds 10 m. Since reservoirs have become recreation sites and efforts to vegetate the banks have been unsuccessful in the past, vetiver, by virtue of its resistance to surviving in the water for a period of time, has been used to be grown on the bare banks of a reservoir in China which, after four months, were greened up completely (Xu, pers. comm.). In Thailand, vetiver was planted on reservoir bank of Kasetsart University Chalermprakiat Sakon Nakhon Campus (Anon. 2000). The result was beautiful scenery along the reservoir, with no erosion of the lateritic soil. 2.3 Decorative Potted Plant: Grown in large pots, vetiver forms a nice bush with green foliages, some upright while the others drooping. They can be used to decorate platforms, stages, etc., as seen in the followings: Potted vetiver plants were used to decorate the stage at ICV-2 held at Dusit Resort in Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand during 18-22 January 2000. In Senegal, small growers and nurseries grow vetiver in large clay pots and sell in nearby towns and cities for use as ornamental plants (Juliard 2002b). In Vietnam, vetiver is also grown in pots to be used as decorative potted plant outside an office. Thien Sinh Co., an ornamental plant firm, has a plan to promote the use of vetiver for home decoration during the ‘Tet’ festival (Truong 2002).

2.4 Miscellaneous Other Uses:

2.4.1 Wincing the Car out from the Ditch: This story was publicized in the Vetiver Network Discussion Board (Juliard 2002) whose details are as follows: “One day in August 2002, Scott Grenfelt of the World Wildlife Fund working in Andringitra, Madagascar, and his teammate got caught in a rainstorm on the Namoly-Ambalavo road. The land cruiser they were in slipped down into a ditch of the road with steep bank where vetiver lines the sides. They could not get it out from the ditch. An artist in the car suggested that the winch be hooked up to the vetiver plants along the side of the road and that it would most likely hold the force because the roots are so long. Nobody accepted the idea, but the artist insisted on his idea by winding several strands of the vetiver plants, hooking on the winch to the tied-together plants, revving up the engine and wincing. The car was pulled out with no sweat!” 2.4.2 As Field Boundaries: In many places, vetiver has been used as field boundaries, field subdivisions, separation between different sections of garden plots, etc. For example, in West Africa, as early as 1937, Dalziel (1937) reported that vetiver was used as a border for roads, gardens, and cultivated fields to prevent the extension of Dub grass (Desmostachys bipinnata). As it does not produce any seeds, and cannot ‘move’ to other places since it does not have stolons or runners, the demarcation is permanent and clear cut. Maintenance is minimal, by cutting down the leaves every 3-4 months. Many Thai farmers are now using vetiver to separate their fields and vegetable plots. 2.4.3 As a Barrier to Prevent Dust and Heat from Coming into the Property: A thick and permanent hedge of vetiver can act as an excellent barrier to prevent dust and heat from coming into the properties. 2.4.4 As a Windbreak: In addition to preventing dust and heat from coming into the property, thick hedges of vetiver can also act as a windbreak to slowdown the strong wind. This has been applied to a field of jojoba crop in Daping Village, Zhonglou Township, Pingtan County, Fujian Province (Xu 2003). Vetiver hedgerows of 6-8 m intervals were interspersed with the jojoba rows and perpendicular to the direction of the strong wind

65 coming from South China Sea. By the end of the second year, vetiver hedges were over 2 m high and could act as effective windbreaks to arrest shifting sand and protecting jojoba field.

3. Utilization of Vetiver 3.1 Agriculture-related Activities:

3.1.1 Mulch: In tropical countries with high and intensive rainfall, mulching is one of the most important conservation methods. Similar to other mulching materials, vetiver leaves provides shade to the plot, thereby decreasing the temperature and at the same time conserve moisture of the plot and keep weeds under control. Vetiver leaves are excellent materials for mulching; they are durable and long lasting. Vetiver mulch can be applied to vegetable plots, at the base of fruit trees, and field crop plots. 3.1.2 Compost: Vetiver leaves and culms are completely decomposed to become soft, disintegrated, and dark brown to black in color. Vetiver compost contains major nutrients from the decomposition process, i.e. N, P, K, Ca, and Mg with a pH of 7.0. In addition, vetiver compost also provides humic acid that enhances soil fertility. 3.1.3 Nursery Block and Planting Medium: The Doi Tung Development Project in Chiang Rai, Thailand has attempted to produce nursery block and planting medium from vetiver leaves and culms. The products are now on sale with increasing popularity. 3.1.4 Animal Feed: The young vetiver leaves can be ground to feed fish and livestock, but mature leaves cannot be used for such purposes because their nutritive value is lower than other grasses, and because of the high roughness and silica content. The analysis also indicated that vetiver has the content of crude protein lower than that of other grasses used for animal feed (Anon. 1990b; and Panichpol et al. 1996) In the State of Karnataka, India, vetiver is planted along the field boundaries and cut every two weeks or less for use as fodder. Vetiver was found to have relatively higher structural carbohydrates as compared to native grass and rice straw. On the other hand, it also had optimal levels of crude protein, considered to be enough to maximize intake and digestion of the vetiver forage. It was concluded that vetiver may be used as ruminant feed if it is mixed with other good quality feed and forages (Anon 1990b). 3.1.5 Mushroom Cultivation: Vetiver leaves contain chemical compounds such as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and crude protein as well as various minerals in which certain mushrooms can feed on. Many investigators have been successful in cultivating mushrooms using vetiver as the medium for their growth. Oyster, shiitake, and straw mushrooms are among those that can be produced using small pieces of vetiver as a medium. 3.1.6 Botanical Pesticides: Traditional utilization of vetiver as botanical pesticides in various countries has been extensively reviewed by the senior author (Chomchalow 2001). 3.1.6.1 Insecticides: With the evidence that vetiver has no serious insect pests, it is obvious that the insects have an absolute distaste for vetiver, as were reported in the following cases: Levy (1940) observed that the vetiver plant grown in close proximity to the sugar cane could inhibit to a very substantial degree the attack upon the sugar cane of certain insects such as the cane borer. Likewise, a farmer in Louisiana reported that in a plot of crop where vetiver was used as mulch, no insects of any kind ever came near. It has also been found that the tops of vetiver, in the same formation of mixture with the residue of the roots, will make an absolute repellent for the insects that may damage strawberries grown in southern U.S. (Grimshaw 2002b). Recently, Maistrello and Henderson (1999) found a group of compounds, such as nootkatone, in vetiver roots, which were able to disrupt termite behavior and physiology as a consequence of direct physical contact, ingestion, or exposure to the

66 vapors. They also found that ingestion of wood treated with vetiver oil or nootkatone causes the progressive death of the protozoa living inside the termite gut, ultimately results in a progressive decline of its colony through starvation, as these termites rely on the protozoa for the digestion of their wooden food. 3.1.6.2 Fungicides: In New Zealand, Greenfield (2002) noticed that fungal attacks on the vetiver-mulched plants have virtually disappeared and there seem to be little, if any other pest action around the host plants. 3.1.6.3 Agaricides: Korpraditkul (1996) found that 10% vetiver oils of different ecotypes were variably able to control cow ticks at both the larval and adult stages. Furthermore, extract of dry root was able to control adult stage of ticks better than larval stage. 3.1.7 Allelopathy: It has been observed that in the vicinity of the vetiver clumps, there is a few other plants growing. It was hypothesized that certain substances excreted by the vetiver plant may have allelopathic action in that they inhibit the growth of other plants. Techapinyawat (1994) reported that root and stem extracts of vetiver could inhibit the germination of soybean seeds. It was concluded that vetiver extract contains in vetiver oil has allelopathic effect in inhibiting the germination of seeds of any plant growing in its vicinity. It was further suggested that this could be applied to control the weeds of crop plants without the use of chemical herbicides.

3.2 Handicraft (including Weaving): 3.2.1 From Leaves and Culms: Handicraft products made from vetiver leaves include: (i) handy accessories such as bags, hats, belts and brooches, (ii) containers such as baskets, pots, boxes, utility bowls, (iii) decorating materials such as clocks, picture frames, lamp shades, dolls, animal figures, flowers; and (iv) home appliances such as chairs, stools, room partitions, tables. The Thai Department of Industrial Promotion (1999) has developed a way to boil the leaves, and with a needle, remove the sharp teethed edges before using the flexible leaf to weave a broad array of wonderful products. 3.2.2 From Roots: It has been well known since ancient times that vetiver possesses aromatic roots. A pleasant aroma is released from vetiver root dug from the soil and hanged in the shade. In India the dried roots are used to give fragrance to linen clothes while the root mass is used as a blind to cool down the heat of the summer, especially in northern India (Sastry 1998). The blind, known as ‘Tatti’, is woven from the wiry, fibrous root of vetiver. The vetiver blind is continually doused with water throughout the day, turning the hot wind into a scented cooling breeze, which passes through the soaked vetiver blind, releasing a bitter-sweet aroma. The scented vetiver roots are also used for making fans, cloth hangers, and are mixed with other kind of flower scents and leaves for making sachets. An example can be cited from Thailand where fragrant cloth hangers have been produced from vetiver roots by a housewife group.

3.3 Medicinal Applications 3.3.1 Traditional Medicines: Vetiver roots and leaves have been used in therapeutics treatments. An extensive review of the utilization of vetiver as medicinal plants has already been made by the senior author (Chomchalow 2001). Thai people have long known how to use various vetiver parts for medicinal purpose. People in rural areas of Thailand have used vetiver roots in the treatment to dissolve gallstones, reduce fever, and in treating diseases related to bile and the gall bladder, and healing stomach discomfort. Lavania (2003a) described how vetiver oil was in Ayurvedic system of medicine used in India. He cited the cases of applying the oil locally to relief rheumatism, lumbago, headache, sprain (Anon. 1976), and of using infusion of roots as are refreshing drink in fever, inflammation and irritability of stomach. At ICV-3, Simon (2003) described how vetiver is used as 67 medicinal plants in Cameroon. The diseases which vetiver has been found to be most effective are prostrate cancer, diabetes, hernia, incontinence, stomach problem, and skin conditions. 3.3.2 Herbal Drink: In the hilly regions of Karnataka, India, people make use of vetiver roots to prepare refreshing drinking water (Sastry 1998). Chomchalow and Hicks (2001) described the method to make vetiver root drink, or ‘Nam Ya Faek’, a Thai traditional beverage as follows: “A handful of vetiver roots and leaves in equal proportions are boiled with four glasses of water until the liquid is concentrated down to a quarter of a glass”. It is then drunk as a herbal drink.

3.4 Fragrances: The use of vetiver root for essential oil extraction to produce perfume and other fragrant materials such as potpourri, aromatic soap, aromatic wax, and aromatic kaolin, has been well known in tropical countries where vetiver grass thrives in natural condition. These countries include India, Indonesia, the Reunion Island (in the Indian Ocean), the Haiti Islands (in the West Indies), Fiji, Sri Lanka, and Brazil. Certain countries in Central America, namely Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, also make use of vetiver root in this manner. In the past, Thai people made use of vetiver root as an ingredient of fragrant materials such as potpourri, hair pomade, and volatile oil for skin treatment. Such a process was passed on from generation to generation without written record. However, with the extensive production of perfumes and other fragrant material from other aromatic plants or from synthetic substances at present, the use of vetiver root as a source of fragrant materials has lost its importance. Commercial cultivation of vetiver for oil extraction, as well as the extraction methods and properties of vetiver oil has been discussed in detail by the senior author (Chomchalow 2001). The use of vetiver as fragrant materials will be discussed under the following headings: 3.4.1 Perfumery: Vetiver oil is a viscous light-brown oil, with a rich green-woody earthy and nut-like fragrance (Downwaithe and Rajani 2002). In its diluted form, vetiver oil is used to provide sweet note and soothing cool effect. It has been utilized as raw material for various fragrant products such as perfumes, deodorants, lotions, soaps, cosmetics, etc. (Chomchalow 2001). Having a complex chemical composition and oil odor, high solubility in alcohol that improves it miscibility with other perfumery material, vetiver oil is a unique perfumery resource. Having low volatile rate, it is one of the finest fixatives known. For blending, it is used in oriental type of perfumes and floral compounds (Lavania 2003b). 3.4.2 Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes. Vetiver oil has been used extensively in modern aromatherapy. It is used to balance the activity of the sebaceous oil glands as well as having deodorizing properties and helping normalize oily skin and clear acne. It also replenishes moisture in dry and dehydrated skin and has rejuvenating effect on mature skin. It prevents stretch marks of pregnant women if applied regularly. It also strengthens the central nervous system, and can overcome depression, insomnia, anxiety, stress, tension and nervousness (Lavania 2003a). It is also used as an aphrodisiac (Wilson 1995). 3.4.3 Flavor: In India, vetiver essence is used to flavor a soft drink (Sharbat), syrup, and ice cream (Lavania 2003a). 3.4.4 Potpourri: Potpourri is a mixture of dried flower petals with spices, kept in a jar for it fragrance. Chopped, dried vetiver roots can be made into potpourri by mixing them with dried fragrant flower petals and spices.

68 3.5 As an Input of Construction-related Activities: 3.5.1 Roof Thatch: Thai people, as well as people living in rural areas of Asia have long utilized vetiver culms and leaves for roof thatching in the same way as nipa palm leaves. Vetiver grass has a better quality for roof thatching than cogon grass because the culms and leaves of vetiver are coated with wax, and have a unique scent that repels insect and fungal attacks. The durability of a vetiver thatch depends on the neatness of thatch making. The thatches with more or denser vetiver grass will be more durable. The manner in which the thatches are laid on the roof also matters. For example, on a steep roof like that of a traditional Thai house, vetiver thatches can be more durable than on a flatter-roofed structure. Vetiver has also been used as roof thatch in several other countries in Africa where thatch is vital for roofing of many rural houses (Grimshaw 2002a). In Ethiopia, vetiver has replaced the traditional thatching grass in some areas as it lasts longer and makes a more rain-proof roof (Anon. 1990a). 3.5.2 Vetiver Hut: In Senegal, native vetiver (Vetiveria nigritana) leaves are used in the building of simple huts (Juliard, pers. comm.). In India, dried roots of vetiver have been used since ancient times for making makeshift huts and cabins as they provide cooling effects during the summer (Lavania 2003a). 3.5.3 Vetiver Mud Bricks: Juliard (pers. comm.) reported that, in Senegal vetiver is used in mud-brick making as it reduces cracking. 3.5.4 Prefabricated Vetiver-Clay Blocks: At ICV-3, Hengsadeekul and Nimityongskul (2003a) of the Asian Institute of Technology, reported on the experimentation of making prefabricated vetiver-clay blocks for use as construction materials, starting with material preparation, laying vetiver-clay composite in mold, pressing process, remolding and turning face up on designed support plate, sun drying, dry heating, and block laying steps with clay slurry as wall panel. They concluded that vetiver could be used with clay composite for substituted bricks and columns for housing construction. The prefabricated wall has rather low thermal conductivity which makes it comfortable and energy saving. It is truly a labor- based appropriate technology. 3.5.5 Vetiver-Clay Composite Storage Bin: Vetiver can be used as raw material for the construction of low-cost storage bin. At Chitralada Palace in Bangkok, a grain silo made of vetiver-clay composite was piloted (Nimityongskul and Hengsadeekul 2002; and Hengsadeekul and Nimityongskul 2003b). The silo has a diameter and height of 3m. It is about 1.2m above the ground and its capacity is 20m3. Its foundation was constructed with reinforced concrete, while its ground wall and slab were built with cement-block filled with reinforced concrete. The silo walls were constructed with vetiver-clay bundle, coated with cow-dung mixed with clay and rice husk, while its roof was of bamboo structure thatched with vetiver bundle overlaps. A structural component for ventilation that reduces moisture and temperature forms part of the proposed structure. 3.5.6 Cement Replacement Material: Vetiver ashes have been experimentally used as low-cost, environmental-friendly, and energy-saving construction material. At ICV-3, Nimityongskul et al. (2003) reported on the experiment of using vetiver grass ash (VGA) as a new building material specifically for the rural areas of the developing countries. The properties of VGA were investigated in order to consider the possibility of using it as a pozzolanic material. The physical and mechanical properties of VGA and cement mortar containing VGA were also determined. They concluded that it is possible to use VGA as a cement mortar. 3.5.7 Veneer and Fiber Board: The Royal Project Foundation (Thailand) has been successful in using vetiver to substitute wood in making furniture and interior decorative appliances.

69 3.5.8 Straw Bale: Straw bales are used in building construction. The concept of using straw bales with cement facing in building construction has been accepted by the fire authorities in a number of countries. The technology reduces costs greatly and provides excellent insulation. Pease (2002b) described the straw bales that were made from vetiver leaves; the bales are almost free from insect as the vetiver possesses repelling chemicals in it.

3.6 Containers: Many kinds of containers can be made from vetiver. Among these are: 3.6.1 Pottery: In Senegal, artisans have made some pottery by mixing chipped vetiver mixed with clay, giving the finished non-fired product a nice earthy texture (Juliard, pers. comm.). In Thailand, a project on the production of vetiver pots has been initiated by the Doi Tung Development Project. The pots are low-priced and environmental friendly as they disintegrate after few months. Thiramongkol and Baebprasert (2002) have experimentally produced vetiver pot to be used as containers for plants prior to planting operation. The vetiver pot is made of clay, dry vetiver grass leaves and a binder (polyvinyl alcohol or ‘Pival’), which is safe for soil and water. After hardening and planting in the pot, the potted plant is put directly into the ground without removing the pot. Production process includes mixing of clay with dry vetiver leaves, then mix with water and ‘Poval’ by extruder, jigger. Leave it in the plaster mold for 30 min, then take it out off the mold. Vetiver pots possess the unique property of allowing the user to plant any kind of plants, from vegetables to trees, without the trouble of removing the pot before planting. At ICV-3, Thiramongkol et al. (2003) reported on the investigation on making glazed ceramic pots of various colors from vetiver and clay at the proportion of 1:10 and fired at 1,200oC. The pot is light-weight with good aeration on the surface, thus enhancing maximum benefit for growing orchids and other ornamental plants. 3.6.2 Melamine Utensils: The Royal Project Foundation has attempted to produce melamine utensils from vetiver leaves. The products are of good quality. 3.6.3 Water Containers: These are based on the same principle as the vetiver-clay composite storage silo in # 3.5.5, but built on ground level, and used as water containers or small fish ponds.

3.7 Energy Sources: Two forms of energy sources can be made from vetiver, namely: 3.7.1 Ethanol: Kuhirun and Punnapayak (2000) described the process of producing ethanol from vetiver leaves. Dry leaves were first pretreated with alkali. The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) technique was used to convert plant residues into ethanol. The cellulase enzyme for SSF was prepared from Trichoderma reesei; this enzyme activates specific reaction for the release of glucose for fermentation into ethanol. The addition of alkali-pretreated leaves, cellulase enzyme, and fermentation yeast at 40oC, pH 5.0, for seven days yielded ethanol. By using a one-cycle column distillation, the ethanol yield was 13%. The ethanol produced was clear in color with a slight pleasing odor. 3.7.2 Green Fuel: Broken vetiver culms and leaves that cannot be utilized for other purposes can be mixed with water hyacinth, as a mixer, in a proportion of 3:2 (Babpraserth et al. 1996). Then compress the mixture into shafts with a cylinder-shaped fuel squeezer, 1.7cm in diameter. Fuel shafts can burn easily and produce little smoke, but yield high temperature. For example, it takes 5 min. to boil 1L of water, and the fuel still keeps on burning for up to 28 min.

3.8 Industrial Products:

3.8.1 Pulp and Paper: Vetiver can be used as a raw material for making pulp and paper. In India, studies that were carried out at the Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dune, 70 revealed that pulps suitable for making strawboards can be made from vetiver by digestion with lime (Anon. 1976). Vetiver has a high content of hemicellulose; its cellulose content is 45.8% (DW). Pilot-plant trials have indicated that vetiver yields a chemical pulp that can be used for making writing and printing papers. Containing short fiber, the pulp has to be used in admixture with 30-40% of a long-fibered pulp.

3.8.2 Vetiver Panel: The Royal Project Foundation (Thailand) was successful in making a panel from vetiver root mass.

3.9 Miscellaneous Utilization:

3.9.1 Bouquet: Bundle of cut vetiver leaves can be used as materials of a bouquet, or decorative plant in containers such as vase, pot, etc. for display. 3.9.2 Mattress and Other Stuffing: In Ethiopia, vetiver has been utilized as a primary material for mattress stuffing (Anon. 1990a). In India, vetiver roots are used a stuffing material in ventilating panels used in electric desert coolers. 3.9.3 Cooling Effect: In India, the vetiver root have been used since ancient times for making woven screens, mats, blinds, hand fans, broom hangers, and baskets. When sprinkled with water and hung at the proper ventilating space, such materials provide cooling effect and pleasant aromatic air (Lavania 2003). They are also used on car rooftops to provide a cooling effect. In outer Delhi, India, poultry farmers kept their large poultry houses cool using desert coolers and heat exchange by forcing air though ‘wet mats’ made from woven vetiver roots (Greenfield 2003).

4. Discussion

4.1 Main Objective of Growing Vetiver: It must be stressed that the main purpose of growing vetiver is for soil and water conservation in agricultural and non-agricultural applications. Other related uses such as for environmental protection, heavy metal absorption, embankment stabilization, etc. have also been envisaged. His Majesty the King of Thailand has repeatedly summoned that uses other than the ones just mentioned, as well as the utilization of harvested material, should not be overemphasized to nullify the main uses of vetiver.

4.2 Growing Vetiver as Cash Crop for Utilization:

4.2.1 For Vetiver Oil Production: 4.2.1.1 Growing in the Field: World demands for vetiver oil have increased somewhat in recent years due to the shortage of supply from producing countries such as Indonesia, Haiti, India. This may be largely attributable to the increased use of vetiver oil for aromatherapy. This increase, however modest, in cash income from vetiver has both positive and negative aspects. Positively, the cash income could attract small-scale farmers to plant vetiver hedgerows where a market for oil exists. Negatively, there is the danger that farmers could remove plants from a soil conservation barrier for cash earning and, thereby, destroy the soil and water conservation attributes of the hedgerow barrier. In this connection, Pease (pers. comm.) proposed that planting of vetiver as a double hedgerow would help, especially the small holders. With a double hedgerow system, one hedge would be harvested, say every two years for oil extraction from the roots, leaving the other to act as the soil and water conservation barrier. The harvested hedge would then be replanted and the system continued ad infinitum.

71 4.2.1.2 Growing in Bags or Other Containers: The senior author (Chomchalow 2001) described an experiment conducted in Thailand of growing vetiver in black polyethylene bags that yielded approximate half a kilogram of dry root within one year having 1% oil. The advantage of this system of growing vetiver in sand-based medium in large polybags is that harvesting is much more efficient than growing in the field, and can make efficient used of degraded land since the land is only used to lay polybags on.

4.3 Ecological vs. Economic Benefit of Growing Vetiver: There is no question that vetiver has a considerable ecological benefit in soil and water conservation, as well as environmental protection. Its hidden economic value of an inexpensive means of stabilizing backslopes and sideslopes of the highways, railroads, as well as earthen dams is also increasingly being recognized. Increasing awareness of the ecological potential of vetiver in controlling pollution, and in protecting our environment such as in wastewater treatment, heavy metal contamination, etc. are likely to be envisaged in the near future. To small-scale farmers, however, these somewhat intangible benefits may be difficult to be recognized. It is a challenge to the extension services to persuade farmers of the long- term ecological benefits of soil conservation and the much more immediate economic benefits of crop yields that are rapidly discernible in retaining soil moisture and plant nutrients between hedgerow. It is difficult for a small-scale farmer to allocate some of his scarce land resource to the planting of a vetiver hedge as this would remove the land from his subsistence agricultural production.

4.4 Botanical Pesticides from Vetiver: The authors are intrigued by the proposal of Pease (pers. comm.) that if “a packaged mulch product were to be made from the dried, chopped roots and tops that could be used to kill or repel common garden pests and termites that could substitute for insecticides and fungicides. The mulch product could be used domestically by the farmers themselves for their needs, particularly for producers of certified ‘organic’ crops. Perhaps the mulch product could be exported in a compressed form to European and North American markets”. There was a report from Louisiana State University (Maistrello and Henderson 1999) that one of the components of vetiver oil kills the Formosan termite. It would be great if a mulch of vetiver roots and leaves could substitute some harmful insecticides. The farmers could grow their own supply and use it on their own plots.

5. References Anon. 1976. Vetiver. In: Wealth of India, Vol. X, pp. 451-457. Publication & Information Directorate, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. Anon. 1990a. Seminar on Soil Conservation in Ethiopia: Vetiver Grass in Use for More than a Decade on Ministry of Coffee and Tea Plantations. Vetiver Newsletter 4: 4-6. Anon. 1990b. Fodder Value of Vetiver Grass. Vetiver Newsletter 4: 6. Anon. 2000. Case Study Project 10. In: Vetiver Grass: Vetiver and the Environment. Thailand Experiences II, pp. 78-81. ORDPB, Bangkok. Babpraserth, C.; Chobkua; and Karintanyakit, P. 1996. Utilization of stems and leaves of vetiver for green fuel. In: Abstracts of papers presented at ICV-1, Chiang Rai, Thailand, 4-8 Feb. 96, p. 137. Chomchalow, N. 2001. The Utilization of Vetiver as Medicinal and Aromatic Plants with Special Reference to Thailand. PRVN Tech.Bull. No. 2001/1, ORDPB, Bangkok. Chomchalow, N.; and Hicks, A. 2001. Health potential of Thai traditional beverages. AU J.T. 5:20-30. Dalziel, J.M. 1937. Useful Plants of Tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London.

72 Dowthwaite, S.; and Rajani, S. 2002. Vetiver: Permumners’ Liquid Gold. Proc. ICV-2, pp. 457- 459. Greenfield, J.C. 2002. Vetiver Mulch. In: Discussion Board, , 23 Mar. 02. Greenfield, J.C. 2003. Tales from Senegal. In: Discussion Board, , 14 Jan. 03. Grimshaw, R. Personal Communication. Email Grimshaw, R. 2002a. Vetiver Grass for Thatching. In: Vetiver Network Discussion Board, , 13 Jan. 02. Grimshaw, R. 2002b. Vetiver as mulch material. In: Vetiver Network Discussion Board, , 1 Feb. 02. Hengsadeekul, T.; and Nimityongskul, P. 2003a. Development of prefabricated vetiver-clay composite for housing applications. Paper presented at ICV-3 held in Guangzhou, China, 6-9 Oct. 03. Hengsadeekul, T. and Nimityongskul, P. 2003b. Utilization of vetiver grass as construction material for paddy storage. Paper presented at ICV-3 held in Guangzhou, China, 6-9 Oct. 03. Industrial Promotion, Dept. of. 1999. Vetiver Handicrafts in Thailand. PRVN Tech. Bull. No. 1999/1, ORDPB, Bangkok. Juliard, C. Personal Communication. Email Juliard, C. 2002a. Biocidal Potential of Vetiver Grass – Ideas and Research Needs. In: Vetiver Network Discussion Board, , 6 Feb. 02. Juliard, C. 2002b. Vetiver Grass as an Ornamental Decorative Plant. In: Vetiver Network Discussion Board, , 11 Feb. 02. Korpraditkul, R.; Ratanakreetakul, J.S.; Swasdipanich,S.; and Titaporn, R. 1996. The extracts of vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) for acaricidal effect on cattle tick (Boophiuus microplus). In: Abstracts of papers presented at ICV-3, Chiang Rai, Thailand, 4-8 Feb. 96, p. 140. Kuhiran, M.; and Punnapayak, H. 2000. Leaves of vetiver grass as a source of ethanol. An abstract of a poster paper presented at ICV-2, Phetchaburi, Thailand, 18-22 January 2000. Lavania, U.C. 2003a. Vetiver Root – Oil and Its Utilization. PRVN Tech. Bull. No. 2003/1, ORDPB, Bangkok. Lavania, U.C. 2003b. Other uses of vetiver: Part II. Vetiver oil. Paper presented at ICV-3 held in Guangzhou, China, 6-9 Oct. 03. Levy, H. 1940. Vetiver in Louisiana. Cited after Grimshaw (2002b). Maistrello, L.; and Henderson, G. 1999. LSU Ag. Center, Dept. of Entomology, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Nimityongskul, P.; and Hengsadeekul,T. 2002. The construction of vetiver-clay composite storage bin. In: Summary Report of the Royal Project Foundation for 2002 on R&D Project on Vetiver as Complete Cycle Cash Crop, pp. 31-39. The Royal Project Foundation, Chiang Mai (in Thai). Nimityongskul, P.; Hendsadeekul, T.; and Panichnava, S. 2003. Use of vetiver grass ash as cement replacement materials. Paper presented at ICV-3 held in Guangzhou, China, 6-9 Oct. 03. Panichpol, V.; Waipanya, S.; Siriwongse, M.; and Srichoo, C. 1996. Analysis of chemical composition of Vetiveria zizanioides Nash for using as feed stuff. In: Abstracts of papers presented at ICV-3, Chiang Rai, 4-8 Feb. 96, p. 141. Pease, M. Personal Communication. Email Pease, M. 2002a. Ornamental use of vetiver. In: Vetiver Network Discussion Board, , 22 Feb. 02. Pease, M. 2002b. Straw bales. In: Vetiver Network Discussion Board, , 23 Feb. 02.

73 Sastry, K.N.R. 1998. Socio-economic dimensions of vetiver in rainfed areas of Karnataka, India. Proc. ICV-1, Chiang Rai, Thailand, 4-8 Feb. 1996, pp. 243-248. Simon, N. 2003. Medicinal vetiver. Paper presented at ICV-3 held in Guangzhou, China, 6-9 Oct. 03. Techapinyawat, S. 1994. The use of vetiver to control the growth of crops and weed. Progress Report, Botany Department, Kasetsart Univ., Bangkok. Thiramongkol, V.; and Baebprasert, B. 2002. The vetiver grass pot: Production and use. Proc. ICV-2, pp. 350-352. ORDPB, Bangkok. Thiramonmgkol, V.; Teepprasan, S.; and Oengaew, U. 2003. The vetiver grass ceramic pots. Paper presented at ICV-3 held in Guangzhou, China, 6-9 Oct. 03. Thiraporn, R. 1994. Other Uses of Vetiver: The Uses of Vetiver for Occupational Development and for Environmental Protection. Proc. 2nd Thai Natl. Seminar on Vetiver, Phethchaburi, Thailand, 24-26 August 1994, pp. 39-59 (in Thai). Truong, P.; and Pease, M. 2001. Vetiver hedgerows: A hedge against environmental pollution and for landscape gardening. Paper presented at the international conference on “Hedgerows of the World - Their Ecological Functions in Different Landscapes”, 5-8 Dept. 2001, Birmingham, UK. Truong, P. 2002. Vetiver grass used as an ornamental plant. In: Vetiver Network Discussion Board , 22 Feb. 02 Wilson, E.A. 1995. Aromatherapy for Vibrant Health and Beauty. Penguin Putnam Inc., New York. Xu, L.Y. Personal communications. Address: Coordinator, China Vetiver Network, Nanjing, China.

74 Vivacious Vetiver Virtues: Uses and Utilization of Vetiver – A Miracle Plant*

Abstract

In order to provide the opportunity for the participants from various donor agencies who are not so familiar with vetiver to appreciate the value of vetiver, the author first explained the characteristics of vetiver in relation to its special structural features and its performance in soil and water conservation, embankment stabilization and environmental protection, then went on to describe the various uses and utilization of vetiver. ♦ Live vetiver plants are conventionally used in agricultural applications (soil and water conservation and trapping of agrochemicals and nutrients) and non-agricultural applications. The latter includes bioengineering (erosion control, slope stabilization, and embankment stabilization), disaster prevention (landslide and mudslide prevention, flood prevention, and forest fire prevention) and phytoremediation (reclamation of problem soils, and rehabilitation of contaminated soils and water). ♦ Non-conventional uses of live vetiver plants include forage for livestock grazing, ornamentals (landscaping and decorative pot plants), field / plot boundaries, windbreaks, dust and heat reduction, as a trap crop for insect pests, and in wincing a car out from the ditch. ♦ Harvested vetiver plants can be utilized in the following ways: - Agriculture-related activities: mulch, compost, nursery block and planting medium, fodder, mushroom cultivation, botanical pesticides, allelopathy, and livestock bedding. - Construction-related activities: roof thatch, hut, mud bricks, prefabricated vetiver-clay blocks, vetiver-clay composite silo, cement replacement material, particle board and panel, termite-repelling board, veneer, fiber board, and straw bale. - Miscellaneous activities: handicrafts, traditional medicines, herbal drinks, perfumery, flavor, potpourri, aromatherapy, pottery, water containers, melamine utensils, ethanol, green fuel, pulp and paper, bouquet, household appliances and souvenir, mattress and other stuffing, coolant, and brooms.

* Paper presented at the Preparatory Meeting for the Organization of ICV-4 held at the Polar Foundation, Caracas, Venezuela, 15 July 2004.

75 To Which Genus Vetiver Grass Belongs?*

For about a century, vetiver is known as Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash. The letter L in bracket is derived from Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist known as the father of taxonomy, the science dealing with classification of plant and animal’s names. At first Linnaeus classified vetiver in the genus Phalaris which has undergone several changes. Another scientific name of vetiver which is popularly used in Europe is Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Stapf. It is the same species of plant in which Sapf (1906) coined, based on the description in which Nash has given since 1903 (Nash 1903). In 1999, however, there has been a change of the generic name of vetiver into Chrysopogon. This has given rise to a new scientific name of vetiver as Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty. Note that only the generic name has been changed. Such a change was reluctantly made by a plant taxonomist named J.F. Veldkamp, the Editor of grasses for the Flora Malesiana at Leiden University, the Netherlands, published in Austrobaileya (Veldkamp 1999). Taxonomic information that Veldkamp reported has confirmed the long- standing belief among plant taxonomists that there are no consistent morphological difference between the genus Vetiveria and the genus Chrysopogon to differentiate them into two separate genera. In addition, there was another evidence in support of this hypothesis from Adam et al. (1998) from their study on DNA fingerprint of both genera. Since Chrysopogon was the first-named genus, and based on the priciple of botanical priority, Veldkamp had no choice but to reduce or combine the genus Vetiveria into Chrysopogon. However, Verdkamp noted that the name Vetiveria “undoubtedly will continue to be widely used with the usual complaints about taxonomists always changing names”. In spite of the above proposed change, vetiverites all over the world still refer to vetiver as Vetiveria, not Chrysopogon as proposed by Veldkamp (1999) to avoid confusion. In fact during the Second International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-2) held at Cha-am, Phetchaburi,Thailand in February 2000, the key personel in the vetiver circle attending the Conference, in an informal meeting, discussed this particular issue and came to the agreement that the vitiver circle confirms to use Vetiveria because: (i) it is the old name used for almost a century, (ii) the name Vetiveria was derived from a vernacular name in Tamil, “vetiver”, meaning the grass that is dug out, and (iii) the common name of this grass is also “vetiver”, which has been used all over the world for a long time. Evidences on the use of Vetiveria in scientific literature are numerous. The examples of the publications using Vetiveria in the manuscripts are as follow: 1. In all manuscripts submitted for presentation in all international conferences on vetiver since the first to the fourth (last) one. 2. In all the proceedings of ICVs, from the first to the third, and probably the fourth one. 3. In all publications of the World Bank, the US National Academy of Science, and The Vetiver Network International (TVNI), all of whom being the authority on vetiver. 4. In all publications of the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board, including the proceedings of all national conferences on vetiver, and all its publications on vetiver. 5. In all publications of the Pacific Rim Vetiver Network, including Vetiverim, its quarterly newsletter and all its occasional Technical and Special Bulletins.

* Published in Vetiverim 39, January 2007, p. 23.

76

References Adams, R.P.; Zhong, M.; Turuspekov, Y.; Dafforn, M.R.; and Veldkamp, J.F. 1998. DNA finger printing reveals clonal nature of Vetiveria ziznioides (L.) Nash, Gramineae and sources of potential new germplasm. Mol. Ecol. 7:813-818. Nash, G.V. 1903. Small, Fl. Southeast US Stapf, O. 1906. The oil-grasses of India and Ceylon. Bull. Misc. Info. (Kew) 8: 297-364. Veldkamp, J.F. 1999. A revision of Chrysopogon Trin. including Vetiveria Bory (Poaceae) in Thailand and Malesia and notes on some other species from Africa and Australia. Austrobaiyea 5:503-533.

77

Differences between Vetiveria zizanioides and V. nemoralis *

Eleven species of Vetiveria have been recorded, with distribution in tropical Asia (including Pacific Islands and Australia) and Africa. Only two species, namely Vetiveria zizanioides (lowland), and V. nemoralis (upland) are used for soil and water conservation. The former has a broad distribution throughout the tropical regions while the distribution of the latter is restricted to mainland Southeast Asia from Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam. Both species are indigenous to a wide range of natural conditions, from the lowlands to the highlands, ranging in altitude from close to sea level to as high as 800 m.asl. Both species need bright sun with high temperatures; but they do have little tolerance to low temperatures. They are C4 tropical grasses which adapt well to different environmental conditions. In Thailand, the two species can be found growing in open areas, from the highlands to the lowlands; V. zizanioides mostly in moist places, while V. nemoralis tends to be in drier areas. In their natural habitat, V. nemoralis can set seeds and the seeds can germinate establishing new populations in suitable growing areas. V. zizanioides is sterile, however, in warm topical swampy conditions some of its seed may germinate. However, the selected ecotypes and varieties used in cultivation rarely set seed. Seed sterility is essential for cultivated vetivers in order to avoid the chance of any escape from cultivation to become a weed. While there is a seeded genotype of Vetiveria sp. is used only in northern India, the southern and sterile genotype V. zizanioides is the main vetiver used for essential oil production and this is the genotype that is being used around the world for soil and water conservation and land stabilization purposes because of its unique and desirable root characteristics and its longevity. The wild type of V. nemoralis is somewhat seedy but those ecotypes selected for cultivation rarely produce seeds. The dominant vetiver grass species grown in Thailand is Vetiveria zizanioides. It appears with dense clumps and is fast growing through tillering. When planted horizontally across the slope, the clump, which stands above the ground, will produce tillers, forming a green clonal hedge. This makes it capable of trapping crop residues and silts eroded by runoff, leading to the formation of natural earth terraces. With its deep, dense root system penetrating vertically, rather than horizontally, vetiver can tolerate adverse conditions. Taxonomic Distinction: The following key is used to distinguish the two species (Veldkamp, pers. comm.): - Culms 0.4-0.9 m tall. Blades above glabrous. Panicle 9-15 cm long, lowermost longest branch 2-3.5 cm long. Racemes 1-3 per branch. Sessile spikelets callus oblique, pungent, 1.2- 1.7 mm long, setose, hairs golden. Sessile spikelets upper glume apex mucronate. Sessile spikelets second lemma awned, awn exserted, 13-22 mm long, scaberulous to puberulous. Pedicelled spikelets reduced to 2 glumes or with 1 sterile floret. Pedicelled spikelets lower glume smooth, setulose. Chrysopogon nemoralis, also known as Vetiveria nemoralis -.Culms 1.5-2.5 m tall. Blades above pilose in the lower part. Panicle 20-33 cm long, lowermost longest branch 5.5-12 cm long. Racemes 6-14 per branch. Sessile spikelets callus rounded, 0.6-0.8 mm long, laterally ciliate at base, especially near the base of the pedicel, hairs white. Sessile spikelets upper glume apex muticous. Sessile spikelets second lemma muticous to mucronate, awn (if present) enclosed, 0-4.5 mm long, glabrous. Pedicelled spikelets with 1 male floret. Pedicelled spikelets lower glume scaberulous, aculeate, especially on the nerves. Chrysopogon zizanioides, also known as Vetiveria zizanioides. See photographs on page 7. Reference Veldkamp, J.F. 2007. . Courtesy Mark Dafforn, National Academy of Science, Washington, DC, USA.

* Published in Vetiverim 41: 6, July 2007. 78 Vernacular Names of Vetiver*

The list below gives the name of the country (in bold italics) where vetiver is grown or known to exist. Vernacular names are given after the language or dialect, which is written in italics. All names are arranged in alphabetical order. Vernacular name(s) most commonly used in a given country is/are underlined. To make the list of vernacular names uniform, the first letter of every word of all vernacular names is capitalized as if it were a proper noun. This is to avoid confusion with ordinary words. A comma (,) is used to separate vernacular names. Compound names are not hyphenated, but written as two or more words, e.g. Gondha Bena, Khus Khus, Xiang Geng Chao, Vala Khas Khas. Argentina: Spanish: Capia Bangladesh: Bengali: Bangla, Benna Shoba, Binna Sopha, Ghonda Bena, Gondha Bena, Ecorban, Ecorbon, Khus Khus Brazil: Portuguese: Capim de Cheiro, Capim Vetiver, Grama Cheirosa, Gram das Indias, Patcholi China: Cantonese: Hang Gen Chao (the word ‘chao’ is spelled ‘cao’ by some authors, but pronounced ‘chao’) Mandarin: Xiang Gen Chao El Salvador Spanish: Zacate Violeta Ethiopia: Amharic: Yesero Mekelakeya Fiji: English: Vetiver France: French: Chiendent des Indes, Chiendent Odorant, Gras Vetiver, Herbe Vetiver, Vetivert Ghana: Dagomba: Kulikarili Guatemala: Spanish: Pachuli, Pasto Violeta India: Ayurvedic: Ushira Bangla: Khas, Khas Khas, Khus*, Khus Khus Gujarati: Valo Hindi: Bala, Balah, Bena, Ganrar, Khas, Khas Khas, Khus Khus, Panni Kannada: Hallu, Kaddu, Karidappasajje Hallu, Laamancha, Laamanche, Lavancha, Vattiveeru Malayalam: Ramaccham, Ramachehamver, Vettiveru Marathi: Vala, Vala Khas Khas Panjabi: Panni Sadani: Birni Sanskrit: Abhaya, Amrinata, Bala, Lamaja, Lamajjaka, Reshira, Sugandhimulu,Usira, Ushira, Virana

* Published in Vetiverim 21: July 2002. 79

Santhali: Sirom Telugu: Ayurugaddiveru, Kuruveeru, Lamajja Kamuveru, Vettiveellu, Vattiveeru, Vettiveerum, Vidavaliveru Tamil: Ilamichamver, Vattiver, Vettiver, Vettiveru,Vilhalver, Viranam, Virkal, Vujal Urdu: Khas Unknown: Sita Mulaks (used in Ayuravedic medicine to mean ‘having cool roots’), Sugandhi Mulaka (also in Ayuravedic medicine to mean ‘sweet smellng root’) * where spelled as Khus, the u is to be pronounced just to separate kh and s without any voice for u) Indonesia: Bahasa: Agar Wangi, Lara Setu, Lara Westu, Rara Weatu, Rumput Wangi Batak: Hapias Bugis: Sere Ambong Buol: Akadu Gayo: Useur Gorontaro: Tahele Halmahera: Babu Wamendi Jawa: Lara Setu Madura: Kara Bistu Minagkabau: Urek Usa Roti: Nausina Fuik Sundanese: Janur, Nara Wastu, Usar Ternate: Garama Kusu Batawi Tidore: Barama Kusu Butai Iran: Persian: Bikhiwala, Khas Laos: Laotian: Ya Faek Latin America (see also individual countries): Spanish: Capia, Mora, Pasto Vetiver, Tiva, Zacate Valeriana, Zacate Vetiver, Zacate Violet(t)a Portuguese: Pacholi, Pachuli Malaysia: Bahasa: Akar Wangi, Kusu Kusu, Naga Setu, Nara Setu, Nara Wastu, Rumput Wangi Myanmar: Myanmese: Myat Myit Hmway Nepal: Nepalese: Kas, Khas Khas Nigeria (and North African countries across sub-Saharan belt): Fulani: Chor’dor’de, Ngongonari, So’dornde, So’mayo, Zemako Hausa: Jema Pakistan: Arabic: Khas Urdu: Aseer, Daron, Khas (Amazonian) Peru: Portuguese: Pachuli (a name adopted from neighboring Brazil)

80 Philippines: Official name in the Philippines: Moras Bikol: Mora, Rimoras Bisaya: Mora, Moras, Mura, Rimodas, Tres Moras Cebu-Central Bisaya: Amoora, Muda Iloko: Amoras, Anis de Moro Pampango: Anias de Moras, Ilib Panay Bisaya: Giron, Rimodas Sambali: Rimora Spanish: Raiz de Moras Sulu: Narawasta Tagalog: Moras, Moro Portugal: Portuguese: Capim de Boma, Capim Vetiver Puerto Rico: Spanish: Baul de Pobre, Pacholi Sahel (Region in north-central Africa, south of the Sahara): Bambara: Babin, Ngoka Ba, Ngongon Fulani: Dimi, Kieli, Pallol Gurma: Kulkadere Mossi: Roudoum Sarakolle: Kamare Songhai: Diri Senegal: Bamabara: Khamara Fulani: Toul Poulaar: Sodorde Tukulor: Semban Wolof: Sep, Sepp, Tiep Sierra Leone: Mende: Pindi Susu: Barewali Temne: An-wunga Ro-gban South Africa: Zulu: Muskus Spain: Spanish: Grama de la India Sri Lanka: Sinhalese: Saivandera, Savandara, Savandramul St. Vincent: English: Khus Khus (originated from South Asian dialects, viz. Bengali, Hindi, or Urdu) Tanzania: Kiswahili: Vetiva Togo: Dagomba: Kulikarili Thailand: Vetiveria zizanioides: Central and Nakhon Ratchasima: Ya Faek Hom, Ya Faek, Ya Khom Faek

81 Central: Faek Lum, Faek Hom, Ya Faek, Ya Khom Faek, General (all over the country): Faek Kamphaeng Phet: Faek Ko Takhrai, Saeng Mong Karen-Mae Sariang: Po Sia Khi Nakhon Phanom: Faek Som, Faek Tham Northeastern: Kaeng Hom, Khaem Hom Vetiveria nemoralis: Central: Faek Don Chiang Mai: Ya Faek Venezuela: Spanish: Petiver Vietnam: Vietnamese: Huong Bai, Huong Lau Note: According to Ken Crismier , these two terms are not vetiver, but other wild grasses. However, according to Paul Truong , these two vernacular names are applied for native species of vetiver, Vetiveria nemoralis, while the one popularly used for soil and water conservation, V. zizanioides, which was recently introduced, is known in Vietnam under the English common name, ‘vetiver’.

82 Review and Update of the Vetiver System R&D in Thailand*

1. Introduction

Initiated by His Majesty the King since 1991, the vetiver project in Thailand has been coordinated by the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board (RDPB) since then, initially for soil and water conservation, but later on extended for many other disciplines such as stabilization of embankments, wastewater treatment, reclamation of wastelands, rehabilitation of contaminated soil and water, and in integration with agricultural production. Collaborating agencies, 40 in number, have worked tirelessly in harmony based on three Master Plans (No. 1: 1993-92, No. 2: 1997-99, No. 3: 2002-06) drafted by RDPD’s Vetiver Committee. A total of 197 research topics have been conducted from the beginning. During the Third Master Plan starting in 2002, 36 research topics have been conducted under the following categories: propagation and planting techniques – 10; soil and water conservation – 7; utilization, socio-economic, and environmental impact – 13; and high level and special topics – 6, with the following budget allocation in US$: research - 660,000, dissemination –1,432,000, management – 80,000, totaling 2,172,000. In addition to monitoring all vetiver activities conducted in Thailand, whether or not the funds being provided by RDPB, or by the agencies, several other activities have been implemented by RDPB: • Organizing five national conferences on vetiver (the last one in November 2005) • Organizing two international conferences on vetiver – ICV’s (in 1996 and 2000) • Organizing two international training courses on vetiver (the last one in October 2005) • Providing two consultancy services (one to Myanmar, the other Madagascar) • Providing plant materials to several countries, including Vietnam (in 2002) • Publishing a number of documents on vetiver for distribution • Posting activities in the website (www.thvn.rdpb.go.th) • Issuing a quarterly newsletter (in Thai) since 1997 • Providing services of the judging committee to nominate the winners of the King of Thailand Vetiver Awards during ICV-2. ICV-3, and also ICV-4 • Providing logistic assistance for the operation of the Pacific Rim Vetiver Network - Issuing a quarterly newsletter (in English) since April 2000, now number 34 - Publishing 15 technical bulletins and 1 special bulletin - Posting activities in the website (www.prvn.rdpb.go.th) Hand in hand with the RDPB, the Chaipattana Foundation, His Majesty’s own foundation, has provided a number of assistance to the vetiver activities, such as the organization of the national and international conferences on vetiver, and more importantly, the funding support for the organization of the previous ICV’s. In particular, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the Chairperson of the Chaipattana Foundation, has graciously provided US$ 15,000 each to the organizers of ICV-3 held in Guangzhou, China and ICV-4 to be held in Caracas, Venezuela. In addition, HRH has also granted a sum of US$ 10,000 for the King of Thailand Vetiver Awards, splitting into two main disciplines, research and dissemination. As for the review of the recent R&D of the vetiver system in Thailand, it is almost impossible for the author to even list the numerous project titles, let alone briefly describing them. The best he could do is to bring out the highlight of some of the prominent ones as follow:

* Paper presented at the First Regional Conference on Vetiver, Cantho, Vietnam, 19-20 January 2006.

83 2. Recent R&D on the Vetiver System in Thailand

The review and update of R&D of the VS in Thailand during the past two years can be grouped under the following disciplines: 2.1 Soil and Water Conservation: Soil and water conservation have been the main theme of vetiver R&D in Thailand based on His Majesty’s initiative since 1992. There are two main approaches of soil and water conservation through the use of vetiver, namely: 2.1.1 In Agricultural Land: Planting vetiver with the application of compost or green manure could maintain moisture content and fertility of sandy soil used for planting curcuma, sweet corn and cucumber. In curcuma planting, moisture content was highest (13%) in the plot covered with vetiver cut leaves and applied with compost, while the lowest (6%) was from plot with no vetiver and no compost. The highest yield (216 kg/ha) was obtained from the treatment with vetiver cut leaves applied with 640 kg/ha of compost. (Suwannachart et al. 2005). In sweet corn planting, although there was no increase in moisture content after applying vetiver cut leaves and compost, it was highest (14.4%) in the plot applied with 1,280 kg/ha of compost. The yield was increased with the amounts of compost applied, the highest being 331 kg/ha with 640 kg/ha of compost (Saengthongpinit et al. 2005). In cucumber planting, moisture contents of all plots covered with vetiver cut leaves and provided with green manure were higher than the control plot, the highest (9%) was from the plot with vetiver cut leaves and cowpea green manure The highest yield (290 kg/ha) was obtained from plot applied with vetiver cut leaves and crotalaria green manure, while that covered with vetiver cut leaves gave a yield of only 129 kg/ha (Thepsuporn et al. 2005).. Ta-oun and Panchaphan. (2005) conducted an experiment by growing sweet corn in the rainy season, followed by tomato in the succeeding dry season on acidic-sandy soil of the Roi Et series in the Northeast. Four treatments, namely: (i) control, (ii) with vetiver hedgerows around the crop plots, (iii) applying chemical and organic fertilizers, and (iv) applying chemical and organic fertilizers with vetiver hedgerows around the crop plots. Both sweet corn and tomato gave the yields in the same pattern, i.e. the control plots and those with vetiver (but no fertilizer) gave the lowest and low yield, respectively. The yield was higher in the plots applied with fertilizers, and highest in the vetiver-surrounding plots applied with fertilizers. 2.1.2. In Non-agricultural Land: The Highway Department planted vetiver along Hwy# 3277 in Kanchanaburi, at 7 sites, with 21 experimental plots. The objectives of this experiment were: (i) to study the methods and cost of maintenance after planting vetiver, (ii) to study the efficiency of Arachis ‘Pinto’ in combination with vetiver to control weeds and provide nitrogenous fertilizer to vetiver, and (iii) to study the spacing of Arachis ‘Pinto’ for maximum benefit to vetiver. It was found that: (a) there is a need to fertilize the soil with basal application of chicken manure or chemical fertilizers, (b) poly-bagged vetiver slips at the age of 45-60 days should be employed with proper maintenance after planting during the first year interplanting with Arachis ‘Pinto; this could cover 25-30% land area within 4 months, and 8-90% within one year, and could significantly reduce the cost of weeding (c) optimum spacings of Arachis ‘Pinto were 10x10 and 25x25 cm (Sa-nguankaeo 2005). The study on the impact of management system of soil and water conservation on hydrology and water quality revealed that the areas covered with forest could hold the greatest amount of water and moisture, while agricultural areas interplanting with vetiver could hold higher amount of water and moisture than the pineapple-planting areas. Other parameters such as precipitation, water, soil moisture, sedimentation and plant nutrient were all in favor of agricultural areas with vetiver (Pongkanchana 2005). Three ecotypes of vetiver were grown in Oxic palcustults, a low nutrient soil, were found to disintegrate and release plant nutrients from their root systems. ‘Songkhla 3’ had the highest rate of disintegration (89.87%) while ‘Prachuap Khiri Khan’ released 87.58% within 8 weeks of growth. The amounts of nutrients released from the two ecotypes were similar; the order of nutrient

84 release was: N, K and P. The duration of 6-8 weeks was the maximum releasing period (Panchapan et al. 2005a). 2.2 Reclamation of Problem Soils: Sukkasem et al. (2005) studied the benefit of VS and other natural grasses in stabilizing the stream banks of the riparian degraded land eco-system, using RBD with 4 treatments: (i) complete control of weeds, (ii) control plots, (iii) vetiver plots at 25x25 cm spacing, and (iv) vetiver plots at 10x50 cm spacing. The experiment was replicated 4 times with the following objectives: (a) to study the changes in physical condition of degraded soil, and (b) to study the growth and fresh weight of vetiver and other natural grasses, and (c) to arrive at the ways to reclaim the stream bank ecosystem of degraded land areas. It was found that planting different kinds of grasses resulted in different growth pattern which benefits soil covering and maintains stability of the stream banks. Planting vetiver at the spacing of 10x50 cm gave the highest fresh weight yield of the biomass of 506.7 kg/ha, followed by 25x25 cm spacing, and natural grasses, giving the yield of 469.3 and 296,5 kg/ha, respectively. Moreover, after 6-14 months of the experiment the plots with vetiver, spaced at 10x50 cm, gave the highest moisture content of 4.78%, which is similar to the plots with vetiver spaced at 25x25 cm having 4.35% moisture, as compared to the ones with natural grasses of 3.43%, and control plots of 0.71%. 2.3. Wastewater Treatment: The investigations on the use of vetiver in treating wastewater have been quite actively conducted by various investigators from many institutions in Thailand in recent years. Different types of wastewater, including leachate and effluent, which have been treated by vetiver were from such sources as: (i) domestic wastewater (ii) food manufacturer, (iii) shrimp pond, (iv) whisky distillery, (v) paper mill, (vi) rice mill, (vii) tapioca flour mill, (viii) dairy plant, (.ix) battery manufacturer, (x) lamp- shade manufacturer, (xi) printing ink manufacturer, and (xii) garbage landfill. The nature of wastewater varied with the sources, all of which are of high BOD and COD, some are eutrophicated waters with high amounts of N, P, and K; some are high in heavy metal contamination. Various approaches have been attempted, e.g. through constructed wetland, with combination of other aquatic plants, in combination with chemical treatment (PAC) after sedimentation, etc. Three ecotypes of vetiver (‘Kamphaeng Phet’, ‘Songkhla 3’, and ‘Prachuap Khiri Khan’) were found to be able to grow for 4 months in wastewater from whisky distillery containing high amounts (in mg/l) of: BOD (450), total solids (6,750), Pb (26), Zn (187) and Hg (185). This indicated that the three ecotypes could be used in treating water from whisky distillery as such water also contained plant nutrients which induced their growth even though it contained high amounts of toxic substances upon which these ecotypes could tolerate (Yothasiri 2005a). Two ecotypes of vetiver (‘Songkhla 3’ and ‘Prachuap Khiri Khan’) were found to be able to grow in mixed wastewater from three industries – paper mill, rice mill and cassava flour mill. The reductions in the amounts (in mg/l) after 4-month growth of the two ecotypes of vetiver, respectively, were: BOD (464 to 7.8 and 9.1), total solids (8,180 to 1,899 and 1,883), Pb (30 to 0.05 and 0.05), Cr (36 to 7 and 6), Zn (29 to 0.01 and 0.01), Hg (0.9 to 0.71 and 0.67). However, most other ecotypes tested were not able to grow in such wastewater as the absorption of heavy metals into their roots and shoots caused a reduction in their growth; some ecotypes even died since they could not tolerate heavy metal toxicity (Yothasiri et al. 2005b). Three ecotypes of vetiver (‘Kamphaeng Phet’, ‘Sri Lanka’ and ‘Surat Thani’) were found by Tangruengkiat et al. 2005) to be able to grow in wastewaters from 4 factories, namely: (i) dairy (W1), (ii) battery (W2), (iii) lampshade (W3), and (iv) printing ink (W4). It was found that W1 gave the highest growth and W4 the lowest, as it contained high concentration of heavy metals. The vetiver plants could reduce 71 and 55% of BOD and COD; 84, 97, and 48% of N, P and K, respectively from wastewaters. Heavy metals in wastewater were also reduced, viz. 5.78 mg/l of Pb in W2, 6.83 mg/l of Zn in W3, 8.00 and 11.43 mg/l of Fe and Cu, respectively, in W4. Three ecotypes of vetiver (‘Monto’, ‘Surat Thani’ and ‘Songkhla 3’ were used to treat wastewaters from tapioca flour

85 mill factory (Techapinyawat 2005e). Two systems of treatment were employed namely: (i) drain wastewater into a vetiver wetland for 2 weeks and then drained off, and (ii) drain wastewater into a vetiver wetland for 1 week and drain it off continuously for a total of 3 weeks, then drained off. It was found that in both systems, ‘Monto’ ecotype had the highest growth of shoot, root, and biomass, and was able to absorb maximally P, K, Mn and Cu in the shoot and root, Mg, Ca and Fe in the root, and Zn and N in the shoot. ‘Surat Thani’ ecotype could absorb Mg in the shoot and Zn in the root maximally, while “Songkhla’ ecotype could absorb Ca, Fe in the shoot, and N in the root maximally. Four ecotypes of vetiver (‘Indonesia’, ‘Surat Thani’, ‘Sri Lanka’ and ‘Songkhla 3’) were grown hydroponically on a platform (2x18m) across the channel of running domestic wastewater from Kasetsart University community (Techapinyawat 2005a). It was found that all ecotypes could grow well in wastewater. Ecotypes ‘Surat Thani’, ‘Indonesia’ amd ‘Songkhla 3’ could reduce BOD by 18.67, 31.61 and 29.86% respectively at the distance of 18 m, while “Sri Lanka’ ecotype could reduce BOD maximally (46.28%) at the distance of 6 m. In another study, using 3 ecotypes of vetiver (‘Songkhla 3’, ‘Sri Lanka’ and ‘Surat Thani’) grown in the wetland supplied with wastewater from shrimp pond, Techapinyawat (2005a) found that (i) there were significant differences in the growth of the three ecotypes at the age of three months, (ii) ‘Songkhla 3’ could accumulate maximum dry weight (104.94 g) and biomass (135.20 g), with maximum absorption of K, Mg in the shoot and P in the root. ‘Surat Thani’ ecotype gave the highest yield of root (35.03 g) and absorb N, K, Ca, Mg in the root, and N, P and Ca in the shoot maximally. Comparative studies of vetiver grown in domestic wastewater from the Royal Irrigation Department community revealed that different ecotypes exhibited different growth and adaptability. ‘Surat Thani’ ecotype was found to exhibit the highest ability (in percentage) to reduce: nitrate (49.33), bicarbonate (42.66), EC (5.81), and TSS (82.78), while ‘Monto’ cultivar exhibited the highest ability to reduce: BOD (75.28), total N (92.48), K (14.00), and Na (3.14). The efficiency of wastewater treatment was found to increase with the age of vetiver plant, and the highest was at 3 months of age (Techapinyawat et al. 2005d). The ability of vetiver to absorb heavy metals was revealed in the study by Rungtanakiat (2005 a) who grew vetiver both in the green house and in the field using leachate from a garbage land field. It was found that, although the height of vetiver was reduced, the amounts of heavy metals in the shoot and roots were increased when vetiver was watered with higher concentrations of leachate. In another experiment, Rungtanakiat (2005 b) found that vetiver could grow well in lead mine tailings. The application of compost or chemical fertilizer resulted in better growth in height and dry weight than not applying, but did not increase the concentration of lead in the vetiver plant. Higher concentration was found in the root than in the shoot. The total amount of lead in vetiver applied with fertilizers was statistically higher than not applying. Ta-oun et al. (2005) found that ‘Songkhla’ ecotype of vetiver could grow well in wastewater, giving dry weight of shoot and root in the winter of 11.71 and 2.56 kg/m2, respectively, at the age of 4 months, while in the summer, of 19.85 and 4.92 kg/m2, respectively, at the age of 8 months. Vetiver could also reduce the ill effects of pollutants in wastewater particularly in the summer, the period which created the maximum toxicity in the Northeast. The smell and BOD of the wastewater were reduced in proportion to the distances traveled through vetiver plots. All in all, it can be summarized that vetiver is an amazing plant that can tolerate high amounts of nutrients with high BOD and COD, as well as heavy metals. All these pollutants have been absorbed by profuse root system of vetiver, and mostly stay in the roots, with very little move up to the shoot. It is a low-cost and environmental-friendly technology. 2.4 Increasing Soil Fertility and Crop Productivity: Growing vetiver in the soil with high acidity and low contents of N P K, in combination with three species of mycorrhiza (Acaulspora scrobiculata, A. spinosa + Scutellospora sp., and Glomus aggregatum) and a

86 free-living N-fixing bacterium (Azotobacter sp.), together with chemical (N P K at 4.8 kg/ha) and bio-liquid fertilizers, was found to have beneficial effects on the growth of corn and sorghum as evident from plant height, number of leaves and biomass. For sorghum at the age of 54 days, vetiver together with A. spinosa + Scutellospora sp. and Azotobacter sp., with chemical fertilizer gave the highest height (81.65 cm), number of leaves (12 leaves/plant) and total biomass (105 g/plant). For corn at the age of 52 and 84 days, vetiver together with G. aggregatum, Azotobacter sp. and chemical fertilizer gave the highest total biomass (135.75 and 228.5g/plant), while vetiver together with A. scrobiculata and Azotobacter sp. with chemical fertilizer gave the highest height (95.43 and 117.32 cm) and the highest number of leaves (13.98 and 16.90 leaves/plant) (Techapinyarat 2005c). 2.5 Socio-economic Benefits of Planting Vetiver: A study was made on the acceptance and participation of the villagers in planting vetiver for soil and water conservation of the watershed areas in Chiang Mai by Preechapanya (2005a). It was found that the level of acceptance is related to the gender, duration of the settlement of the villages, family income, the frequency of meeting with the agricultural officers, the holding of the position in the village committees, and the membership in the farmer’s groups. As the benefit of growing vetiver is mainly on the environment rather than on the economy, the title of the agricultural officer should be changed to the environmental officer and should work with the farmer’s group rather than individual farmers. The socio-economic benefits to the communities in growing vetiver for watershed conservation in 3 villages in Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai revealed that the farmers earned higher gross income because there were: (i) an increase in production potential of the soil, (ii) employment of labor for vetiver planting, (iii) greater farm areas and more family members, and (iv) income from secondary occupation. However, the farmers with secondary income earned less gross income. In the final analysis, there was a trend in reduced migration of the farmers, the reduction in forest clearing (Preechapanya 2005b). 2.6 Salt Tolerance in Vetiver: Through the use of tissue culture technique by growing vetiver callus on salt-containing medium, salt-tolerant explants have been selected. Exposing them to gamma radiation, higher salt tolerance has been obtained; the gamma-radiated explants were found to contain higher K and Ca ions than the untreated ones, while the amounts of N and Cl ions were similar. Callus exposed to 50 Gray could tolerate as high as 4.0% NaCl while the untreated callus could tolerate only 3.0% NaCl. The problem still remains in inducing the callus with very high salt tolerance to differentiate into explants. This requires further trial on using different media to differentiate the callus into explant, or the use of seed which has well-developed system in stead of callus which has less-developed system of organ formation (Nanakorn 2005). To select for salt tolerant strains of vetiver for growing in soils with high amounts of salt contents, Phrueksapong and Pongkanchana (2005) studies the survival rate of vetiver exposed to salt condition of coastal areas by the use of 13 ecotypes of vetiver in their pot experiment using CDR with 4 replications and 4 treatments (Tr. 1 - control with normal water, Tr. 2 – received 8 dS/m salt water, Tr. 3 - received 16 dS/m salt water, and Tr. 4 - received 20 dS/m salt water). All plants were grown in pots receiving normal water for two months prior to the experiment. The following data were collected: (i) number of plants and leaf growth every 10 days, (ii) chlorophyll contents every 7 days, (iii) salt contents in the soil before and after vetiver planting. As the experiment is still going on for a few more months, no result has been obtained, except for the observation which indicates that vetiver could survive in soils with high salt contents and there is difference in the ecotypes with respect to the degree of salt tolerance.

87 3. Discussion

The foregoing paragraphs presented mostly the research results on vetiver conducted in Thailand during the past two years, with almost nothing on the dissemination of vetiver technology for practical application. This, however, does not mean that there have been no dissemination during this period, but none of them have been presented in the recent conference on vetiver. Various government agencies have been active in growing vetiver for soil and water conservation, both in the public land and water such as the highway embankment, reservoir and pond embankments; for wastewater treatment in the canals and ponds by using vetiver grown in floating platform, etc. and the private agricultural land such as farm pond embankment, on the sloping area of the farms, especially cassava fields, etc. Unfortunately, none of these have been reported or published. As far as research on vetiver in Thailand is concerned, the most active field is that of wastewater treatment in which at least 10 papers have been published during this period. This fact indicates that the problem of wastewater is a serious one in Thailand. Vetiver has been found to be able to solve this problem effectively at a low cost based on simple technology. In agricultural land, vetiver has been found to increase the yield of several crops, either alone or in combination with the application of compost or chemical fertilizer, or green manure. Such an increase is through the accumulation of plant nutrients and moisture contents of the soil used to plant crops, including the use of cut leaves of vetiver as mulch. Since there are large areas of soil with high salt contents in Thailand, both on the coastal areas affected with salt spray, and in land through capillary rise of underground salt deposit, the need for salt-tolerant vetiver strains is obvious in order to rehabilitate these lands to make use of them for agricultural production. Although the result obtained from the research to induce salt tolerance in vetiver is not conclusive as yet, there is a high hope to obtain such strains through more intensive research along this line.

4. References (All papers cited, except those with asterisk (*), are derived from the papers presented at the Fifth Thai National Conference on Vetiver (THNCV-5), held at the Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand, 28-29 November 2005. References are made by page number(s) appeared in the Abstracts. All in Thai language)

NaNakorn, M. 2005. Development of salt tolerant vetiver. p.66. Panchapan, S. et al. 2005a. Digestion and release of nutrients from root system of vetiver for soil improvement in Northeastern Thailand. p.76. Panchapan, S. et al. 2005b. The use of vetiver together with chemical and physical methods in wastewater treatment. p.78. Pongkanchana, A. 2005. The effect of soil and water conservation on hydrological feature and water quality in the Huai Sai Basin, Phetchburi Province. p.57. Preechapanya, P. 2005a. Acceptance and participation of the community in using vetiver for watershed conservation. p.58. Preechapanya, P. 2005b. Economic and social returns to the communities in using vetiver for soil and water conservation. p.59. *Phrueksapong, A.; and Pongkanchana, A. 2005. Survival rate of vetiver under salt condition of coastal areas. Paper presented at the Workshop on Research, THNCV-5. Roongtanakiat, N. 2005a. Vetiver and heavy metal uptake from wastewater. Proc. THNVC- 5*, p. 73. Roongtanakiat, N. 2005b. Effect of fertilizer on lead uptake by vetiver. p.74. *Roongtanakiat, N. 2005c. Increasing of heavy metal uptake efficiency of vetiver grass. Paper presented at the Workshop on Research, THNCV-5.

88 Saengthongpinit, C.; Thepsupornkul, A.; Suwanchart, S.; and Sriyam, K. 2005. The efficiency of the vetiver system in retaining soil moisture and increasing soil fertility in sweet corn growing.. p.55. Sa-nguankaeo, S. and Sawadimongkol, L. 2005. Improving the efficiency of the vetiver system in the highway slope stabilization for sustainability and saving of maintenance cost. pp.50-51. Sukkasem, A.; Srithongchim, S.; Thepsupornkul, A.; and Wrueksapongse, A. 2005. Management of the VS to increase water-holding capacity of the stream bank in order to reclaim riparian degraded land ecosystem. pp.52-53. Suwanchart, S.; Sukkasen, A.; Thepsuporn, A.; and Saengthongpinit, 2005. The effect of vetiver and compost on sandy soil moisture conservation for planting curcuma. p.54 Tangruemgkiat, S.; Rungtanakiat, N.l and Meesat, R. 2005. Potential use of vetiver in industrial wastewater treatment. p.72. Ta-oun, M. and Panchapan, S. 2005. The use of vetiver to increase crop production in saline and sandy soil in the Northeast of Thailand. p.75. Ta-oun, M.; Panchapan, S.; and Thirachindakajorn, P. 2005. The potential of vetiver in water quality improvement of wastewater in the Northeast of Thailand. p.77. Techapinyawat, S.; Baebparsert, C.; Chaem-ulitrat, O.; and Sakaranukit, T. 2505a. The use of vetiver to absorb pollutants and to treat wastewater from the community and food factory. p.62. Techapinyawat, S.; Baebprasert, C.; Areerop, V. and Pengpit, U. 2005.b. The use of vetiver to treat wastewater from shrimp pond. p.63. Techapinyawat, S.; Panichnok, K.; Baebprasert, C.; Tabngoen, S. and Somwang, T. 2005c. The use of vetiver in combination with microorganisms to increase the soil fertility and increase the yield of field crops. p.64. Techapinyawat, S.; Baebprsert, C.; Pochapan, P.; Pengpit, U.; and Siriworakul, M. 2005d. Efficiency of growth adaptabilty and wastewater treatment of vetiver in wastewater from the Royal Irrigation Department. p.69. Techapinyawat, S.; Baebprasert, C.; Sirivorakul, M.; Pochanapan, P. and Yothasiri, A. 2005e. The efficiency of using vetiver for industrial tapioca wastewater treatment . p.70. Thepsuporn, A.; Sukkasen, A.; and Sriyam, K. 2005. The effect of vetiver and green manure on soil moisture conservation and the yield of cucumber grown in sandy soil. p.56. Yothasiri, A.; Somwang. T.; Tubngoen, S.; Panichnok, K.; Limarun, S.; Techapinyawat, S.; and Rungthanakiat, N. 2005a. Growth of different vetiver ecotypes as affected by wastewater from industrial plants: Whisky distillery. p.67. Yothasiri, A.; Somwang. T.; Tubngoen, S.; Panichnok, K.; Limarun, S.; Techapinyawat, S.; and Rungthanakiat, N. 2005b. Growth of different vetiver ecotypes as affected by wastewater from industrial plants: Paper mill, rice mill and cassava flour mill. p.68.

89 Propagation of Vetiver*

1. Propagation vs Multiplication There are a few terms commonly used to describe the mode of reproduction of vetiver. The two most common terms are ‘propagation’ and ‘multiplication’, which are used interchangeably by some authors. Others use the term ‘propagation’ to mean any means of reproduction of vetiver, irrespective of the ultimate goal, while the term ‘multiplication’ is used to solely increase the number of individuals of vetiver plants, without having the objective of planting them in the field. Some authors, however, use the term ‘propagation’ in place of ‘multiplication’, and vice versa. In this manual, ‘propagation’ is defined as “any means of reproduction, either for increasing the number of individuals or for subsequent planting out in the field”, while ‘multiplication’ is “any means of reproduction solely to increase the number of individuals”. It is implied that ‘propagation’ is used as a general term of reproduction of vetiver; it also includes ‘multiplication’ through various means to increase the number of individuals. The ultimate goal of ‘propagation’ is to grow individual vetiver planting materials in the field, either through the process of ‘multiplication’ first, or directly growing the propagules in the field.

2. Vetiver Parts Used in Propagation Vetiver plant in cultivation rarely produces seeds. Thus, only asexual reproduction will be treated in this manual. In the vetiver literature, several terms have been used, sometimes indiscriminately, to designate the parts of the vetiver plant that can be used in propagation. In this manual, all these terms are being compiled, and, to avoid further confusion, their definitions which are based on: (1) Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, 1993, written in italics; (2) www.dictionary.com, underlined; and (3) the lecturer’s own, specifically for vetiver, in italics and underlined, are provided together with their explanations. They are given below: 2.1 Tiller: (1) A shoot growing from the base of the stem of a plant (2) A shoot, especially one that sprouts from the base of a grass (3) A shoot sprouts from the base of the stem of a vetiver plant. Tiller is the most popular part of the vetiver plant used in propagation since it is available in large quantity, employs simple technique, and gives good result. 2.2 Slip: (1) A stem, root, twig, etc. cut or broken off a plant and used for planting or grafting; cutting; scion (2) A part of a plant cut or broken off for planting; a cutting (3) A shoot cut off from a vetiver clump used for planting. Many authors used this term synonymously with tiller. Some (e.g. National Research Council 1993) even called it a ‘root division’. In vetiver, the structure from which the slip grows is the base of the stem, not the root. As it is a rather confusing term, and the fact that the term ‘tiller’is more appropriate, the present paper will not use this term to avoid further confusion.

* A lecture given at the International Training Course on the Vetiver System organized by ORDPB, 19-30 November 2000. In Manual of the Training Course, pp. 25-33.

90 2.3 Culm: (1) A stalk, stem; the jointed stem of various grasses, usually hollow (2) The stem of a grass (3) The above-ground part of the stem of a vetiver plant. The culm of the vetiver grass is strong, hard, and lignified, having prominent nodes with lateral buds that can form roots and shoots upon exposure to moist condition. Laying the cut pieces of culms on moist sand, or better under mist spray, results in the rapid formation of roots and shoots at each node.

2.4 Cutting: (1) A slip or shoot cut away from a plant for rooting or grafting (2) A part of stem removed from a plant to propagate new plants, as through rooting (3) Vetiver culm cut into sections with at least one node each used to propagate new plant. Although commonly used as propagating material in horticultural crops, ‘cutting’ is rarely used in vetiver. This term is probably synonymous with ‘cut culm’ or ‘culm-cutting’ (as referred to by Yoon 1991).

2.5 Culm-branch: (1) There is no definition of such a term in Webster’s Dictionary (2) There is also no definition from www.dictionary.com (3) A branch developed from the lateral bud of a culm. It is a term derived from similar structure in bamboo and other ramified grasses. It was Yoon (1991) who used this term in vetiver literature for the first time to mean a branch developed from a lateral bud of a culm of more than three months old whose main culm has been repeatedly cut down to induce tillering.

2.6 Clump: (1) A cluster, as of shrubs or trees (2) A thick grouping, as of trees or bushes (3) A cluster of tillers developed originally from a mother plant of the vetiver in all directions. In vetiver, a clump is formed when a plant has been grown for a certain period and produces numerous tillers in all directions.

2.7 Ratoon: (1) A shoot growing from the root of a plant (esp. the sugar cane) that has been cut down (2) A shoot sprouting from a plant base as in the banana, pineapple, or sugar cane (3) A shoot (tiller) sprouting from the base of the vetiver plant that has been cut down to induce sprouting. As vetiver (or even the sugar cane!) does not seem to re-sprout from the root when the clump is cut down to the ground, but rather from the base of the stem, thus the re-sprouting structure is actually a ‘tiller’ which has been induced to sprout by cutting down the top part. This term will not be used in this paper to avoid further confusion. 2.8 Tissue-cultured plantlet: (1) There is no definition of such a term in Webster’s Dictionary (2) There is also no definition from (3) Differentiated tiny plant developed from explant through tissue-cultured technique.

91 Unlimited number of plantlets can be produced in aseptic condition from the explants deriving from shoot tip, lateral bud, young inflorescence, etc. Upon attaining a good size, these ‘plantlets’ can be transplanted in the containers or in the fields similar to tillers, although much smaller in size. Tissue-cultured plantlets can be produced within a relatively short time with reasonable expenses. They also have certain advantages over other planting materials in that they are small in size, easy to transport, and free from pathogen (as they are grown, and still remain, in aseptic condition) which makes them safe for international movement, especially across the countries with strict plant quarantine system. Of all these parts, only the first and the last are used extensively in most vetiver- growing countries to propagate the vetiver plant, simply because they are the convenient parts to be used in propagation. Besides, the cost of their production is relatively lower than that of the other parts while the success is higher. Of the remaining structures, culm (including cutting and culm-branch) and clump are also used in propagation to some extent while the rest are either not used for practical reason, or do not exist.

3. Techniques Commonly Employed in Vetiver Propagation

3.1 Planting Bare-Root Tillers in Cultivated Land for Multiplication: This traditional method of planting vetiver has been done since the old days when people started to grow vetiver for erosion control in India some 200 years ago. It was the most convenient method so far practiced in those days when no polybags were available and no other parts were used. This method is still in use even nowadays in many countries. For multiplication purpose, tiller can also be planted directly on cultivated land. In Thailand, this is normally employed in the government-owned vetiver multiplication centers, such as the Land Development Department’s stations, or multiplication plots of other agencies. These are normally located near the area where vetiver will be transplanted. Depending on the kind of cultivated land used in multiplication, this type of planting can be separated into three categories, viz.: 3.1.1 On Upland Fields: Large-scale vetiver multiplication requires a large to number of tillers well suited government agencies, or large-scale plantations or companies. The system is suitable for non-irrigated areas. After land preparation, tillers whose shoots are trimmed to 20 cm and roots to 5 cm are planted when soil is moistened. Two or three tillers are used in each hole at a spacing of 50 x 50 cm. However, to make it easier for caring and best time for the operation is mid-rainy season (between mid-June and mid-August). In this method, each 4-5 month-old tiller can generate an average of 50 new shoots per clump during the period of multiplication of about six months. 3.1.2 On Raised Beds: This method should be applied in area where there is a good watering system. Under proper cultivation practice, this system is highly productive. Moreover, tillers can be produced on a year-round basis. The tillers used in planting are obtained from the selected clump, and then trim the top to 20 cm and the roots to 5 cm. After that, the shoots are separated and bound together in bunches. The roots are soaked in water for four days, after which they start to grow. This will give more than 90% survival rate. Tillers are then planted on prepared raised beds of 1 m width with a walk path of 1 m. On each bed, the tillers are planted in double rows at a spacing of 50 x 50 cm. Watering after planting to maintain soil moisture is necessary. At one month, each tiller should receive approximately one teaspoonful of 15-15-15 fertilizer. Each clump will generate 40-50 new shoots after 4-5 months, and one ha of land can yield 750,000-975,000 new shoots. 3.1.3 In Paddy Fields: This practice is done in the paddy fields with good drainage or other areas having good watering and draining system. The same procedure of the above methods can be applied in this method.

92 3.2 Planting Tillers in Polybags and Transplanting Them in the Field: This is a technique that has only recently been developed when vetiver has been popularized to be grown for soil and water conservation as the result of promotional campaign of the World Bank in the late 1980s. 3.2.1 The Technique: Individual tillers are separated from the clump. The shoot is cut off to about 20cm and the root to about 5cm in length. Each tiller is inserted into a small polybag filled with planting medium, normally composed of burnt rice husk, manure, coir dust, and some topsoil. The techniques of propagation of vetiver employed in various countries differ somewhat. For example, in Thailand, the tillers are planted in polybags for 45 days or more before field planting. The medium used is one part topsoil and one part compost. The best time to transplant is at the beginning of the rainy season. Survival rate is expected to be more than 90%, especially if the rain falls normally (Chalothorn 1998). In Malaysia, Yoon (1991) planted tillers in polybags with sizes of 7” x 15” and 10” x 20”. One nugget of Kokei (6 g) of slow release fertilizer (N, P, K, and Mg) was applied into each bag and a drip-dry irrigation system was used. Plants were divided as soon as they are bag- bound. At four months, the small bags had 17.1 + 1.1 tillers/plant and the larger bags 25.5 + 1.6 tillers/plant. 3.2.2 Problems in Polybag Propagation: Polybag propagation is by far the most popular technique in vetiver propagation. However, it has many drawbacks such as: ƒ Expensive: This includes the costs of polybag, medium (topsoil and compost), nursery, water, labor and transportation. ƒ Problems in Maintenance: A large area of the nursery is needed for keeping the vetiver in polybags for the period of 45 days or more. Watering the young plant everyday requires labor and installation inputs, and a good source of water supply. ƒ Environmental Problem: The disposal of a large number of polybags during field planting is always a problem since most laborers do not pay attention to collecting the polybags after removing the young vetiver plant out for planting. Instead, the polybags are left in the field, thus creating environmental pollution. ƒ Demand-Supply Problem: In many cases, the demand for vetiver planting material does not match the supply. Sometimes a large number of polybags with vetiver is available at the multiplication center while the demand for them is much less. As a result, most of them are to be disposed of, since they are no longer good for planting a few months after their optimum period (of 45 days). In other occasion, there is not enough planting material at the time of need. ƒ Labor Intensifies: Starting from procurement of medium (topsoil, burnt rice husk, coir dust, and compost), cutting the corner edges of the polybags, filling the medium into the polybag, preparing the tillers, inserting the tillers in the polybags, laying the polybags in the nursery, watering and other maintenance, transporting the polybags to the field, removing the polybags, digging holes for planting, placing the vetiver plants in the hole, covering the holes with soil, collecting used polybags, etc., all are quite time- and labor-consuming. Even with all the above drawbacks, planting tiller in polybag is still popularly employed in vetiver propagation in most vetiver-growing countries, as it is the most practical method of propagation. 3.2.3 Types of Polybag Propagation: Planting vetiver in the polybags is both clean and easy to maintain; however, it requires proper tools for watering and caring. Depending on the objective, two sizes of polybags are used: small polybags for field planting, and large polybags for multiplication. ƒ In Small Polybags for Field Planting: This method is appropriate to be used under various development projects in the initial stage of operation. It is very convenient in terms of

93 distribution and providing services or support to various agencies and interested public for further multiplication or other purposes. It is easy to develop and keep a record of the number of bags and tillers needed to meet the demand. The size of the polybags is about 5 cm wide and 15 cm long, with a diam. of 7 cm when filled with soil. Many other sizes have also been used in several countries. They are suitable for direct transplanting on land or specific areas for soil and water conservation purposes, such as in hedgerows on roadsides and road shoulders, at pond edges, and on paddy buns to hold the soil in dry, impoverished and saline conditions. Planting vetiver tillers propagated in small plastic bags ensures a better survival rate and faster establishment of the vetiver grass than conventional bare-root planting. ƒ In Large Polybags for Multiplication: The large polybag is made of black polyethylene, about 10 cm wide and 25 cm long, with folding at the bottom. When filled with planting soil, the bag will have a diameter of 15-20 cm. Propagation of vetiver tillers in large polybags can produce a large number of new shoots. These shoots are collectively called clump and can be kept in the polybags for an extended period of time. Hence, these vetiver clumps are suitable for further multiplication or for separating into individual tillers (bare root) for large-scale transplanting.

4. Innovative Techniques in Vetiver Propagation

As planting vetiver for soil and water conservation is getting popular, many new innovative techniques of its propagation have been developed to obtain better result in a shorter period of time with less expense. Among these are: 4.1 Tissue-Cultured Technique: As micropropagation through tissue-cultured technique is quite well developed in many vetiver-growing countries, such technique has now been adopted in these countries to mass produce vetiver planting material. This method is appropriate because it does not promote mutation; besides, vetiver plantlets, which are relatively small as compared to conventional tiller in polybags, make it easy for transporting large quantities to other areas (Charanasri et al. 1996). In Thailand, a number of laboratories such as at the Doi Tung Development Project (Charanasri et al. 1996), Kasetsart University (Namwongprom and Nanakorn 1992), and the Land Development Department (Sukkasem and Chinapan 1996) have been involved in such techniques. These are discussed below: 4.1.1 Plant Materials (Explants) Used in Tissue Culturing: In principle, any meristematic tissues of the plant can be used as starting material in tissue culturing. As for vetiver, those from young shoot and young inflorescence are preferred. ƒ Young Shoot: The Botany Department, Kasetsart University has experimented with tissue culturing of young shoot derived from lateral or terminal buds and found that 70% of the plantlets survive which renders the method effective (Namwongprom and Nanakorn 1992). The Department has been producing tissue-cultured plantlets as a service to other government agencies as well as for their own experiments, e.g. to select for salt or toxic substance resistant clones (Na Nanakorn et al. 1996). ƒ Young Inflorescence: The Doi Tung Development Project was successful in propagating vetiver plantlets using meristematic tissue of the inflorescence and culturing it under aseptic condition (Charanasri et al. 1996). 4.1.2 Transplanting Plantlets: Plantlets can be transplanted to various containers and fields:

94 ƒ On Nursery Beds: After the plantlets have been fully developed in the culture medium, they are removed from the bottle and transferred to the nursery beds. Raised beds of 1 m wide and 5-10 cm high should be prepared in the nursery with proper shading using saran (70%) or any other materials available in the locality such as banana or coconut leaves. Watering facility should be available to provide sufficient amount of water for the growing young plants. The nursery should receive full sunlight at least 6-7 hours per day. Immediately after removing from the bottle, the plantlets should be planted in the nursery bed to avoid desiccation. The bed should be watered just before transplanting. Place the plantlets into the holes of the nursery bed at 1 cm depth, and at the spacing between plants of 1-2 cm, and between rows of 7 cm during the dry season and 10 cm during the rainy season. Press the moist soil firmly around the plantlets and water again. During the entire period of growth in the nursery beds, keep the soil moist by watering twice a day. Weeding should be done regularly. Fifteen days after transplanting, replace any dead plants and remove the shade to allow the plantlets to be exposed to sunlight; this will promote hardening of the young plantlets. Fertilizer (manure or chemical fertilizer) should also be applied to the young plantlets at this time. When the plantlets are 20-30 cm tall, they are ready to be transplanted in the field. ƒ In Polybags: The plantlets can also be transplanted into the polybags, using the same technique of polybag propagation described earlier. These are to be kept in the nursery during the first 15 days, after which the shade is to be removed to allow the plants to expose to full sunlight and fertilizer be applied to promote growth and development of the plantlets. When they are 20 cm tall or 60-90 days old (after transplanting from the bottle), they are ready to be transplanted in the field. ƒ In the Field for Multiplication: The 60-90 days old plantlets grown in the nursery beds or in the polybags are ready for field planting for further multiplication, using the same techniques described earlier. ƒ In Other Containers: Similarly, the 60-90 days old plantlets can also be transplanted in strips, dibbling tubes, or nursery blocks (see later). In fact, plantlets obtained from tissue culture technique have an advantage over tillers as they are small in size that fit well in small structures of the dibbling tubes and nursery blocks. 4.2 Planting Specially-Treated Bare-Root Tillers Directly in the Field: A new technique in vetiver propagation has been developed by Chalothorn (1998) at the Huai Sai Development Study Center by using bare-root tillers planted directly in the field. The procedure includes digging up the well-developed vetiver clump, chopping the shoot to 20 cm and the roots to 5 cm, then split the clump into individual tillers, tie them together into bundle, and keep them in shallow water for four days (to induce new root formation) before planting. This method is quite efficient, especially if operation is done in the rainy season after the soil has been sufficiently moistened. The survival rate is promising with this method. It is quite convenient and economic since it does not require polybag, medium, nor maintenance, and also save a lot of labor. As compared to the polybag method, transportation cost to the site of planting is much less. A further improvement has been invented by Jirasathaworn and Sutharuk (1995, cited by Inthapan and Boonchee 2000) who submerged bare-root tillers in humic acid solution for three days until they produced new roots. They were found to grow faster after transplanting in the field (in the middle of May to the end of June) than tillers grown in polybags. 4.3 Planting Tillers in Strips for Field Planting: The Khao Hin Son Royal Development Study Center (1998) has developed a new propagating technique by making a long strip which would facilitate transportation and planting. It is a labor-saving practice with high survival rate since the roots are not disturbed as in the case of using polybags. It is also environmental friendly because no waste material (used polybags) is left in the field.

95 The materials employed include two rows of cement blocks (each is 20 cm high, 30 cm long and 4 cm thick) placed at a distance of 1.3 m apart and any length depending on the length of the area. Steel rods or bamboo stakes are placed 5-6 cm apart across the width of the cement blocks to support plastic sheet. With a piece of stick, push the sheet down and fill the cavity with planting medium (soil mixed with compost). Plant vetiver tillers along the length of the cavity at the spacing of 5 cm. After two months, the roots will form a closely tight net such that the whole strip can be lifted up without damaging the root system. Normal nursery practices such as watering and shading are given. No watering is given to the young vetiver plants seven days prior to field planting to reduce the weight of the strips in order to facilitate transportation. In field planting, a grove is made in the soil along the contour of the slope to place the strip in it. Press the soil along the strip tightly. Since the whole strip (of 1 m length) is planted together in one operation, no damage is caused to the root mass; thus every plant starts to grow immediately after planting. 4.4 Planting Tillers in Dibbling Tubes: During the 1970’s the author introduced the use of dibbling tubes to grow fast growing nitrogen-fixing trees with considerable success. He recently advised the scientists at the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research to conduct an experiment on propagating vetiver in a dibbling tube, which is a cylindrical plastic tube of the size of 12 cm long and 3 cm diameter, with a 1 cm diameter opening at the lower end to allow excess water to pass through (Anusonpormperm et al. 2000). The tube is made of durable black polyethylene with three groves along its length to prevent coiling of the roots. The tube is filled with nutrient-enriched medium (compost mixed with slow- released fertilizer) and placed on aluminum tray with 80 holes to hold the tubes vertically. Each tray has four legs of 15 cm long at the corners. Thus the lower end of the tube is 3 cm above ground. This ‘air pruning’ effect makes it difficult for the roots of the young vetiver plant to reach the soil below, but remain stagnant until they actually reach the soil after field planting. Vetiver tillers of the size of around 20-30 cm high are preferable since they are still small enough to be inserted in the opening end of the tube but large enough to produce roots from accumulated nutrient in the plant tissues. Tissue-cultured plantlets can also be used, especially after being established in a nursery for a few weeks. Normal nursery practices, such as shading, watering, and liquid fertilizer spray, are given to the vetiver tillers for about 8-12 weeks at which time the root mass will fully occupy the medium in the tube. When they are ready for transplanting in the field, sprinkle water to add moisture to the medium; this will also facilitate the separation of the root mass from the tube. When pulling it up, the whole mass (consisting of the medium and the root mass) comes up as a single, tightly-held piece in the shape of the tube. This can be packed in a carton of corrugated paper with plastic sheet lining and transported to the field site for transplanting. Field planting is done by inserting a hole-maker into the ground. The apparatus is made of steel with three iron rods of the shape and size of the tube, spaced at 5 cm apart. When the hole-maker is pressed by foot into the soil, it makes three holes in one operation. Each hole is 12 cm deep. Such a depth is a perfect fit for the root mass of the tiller grown in the 12 cm- long tube to be in touch with the soil. In practice, one person makes the holes along the line while another person simply inserts root mass of the tiller into the hole. Once the root mass touches the soil in all direction, each root quickly grows in the soil. Survival rate is close to 100%, especially if grown in the wet season. This method is highly recommended for areas which are difficult to reach such as on steep slopes since materials to be carried up there are light-weight cartons of vetiver root- mass (about 80 per carton) and the hole-making apparatus. After planting, there is no used polybags to collect and bring back. Corrugated cartons are reusable for several times; they can be folded flat to save space.

96 4.5 Planting Tillers in Other Containers and Biodegradable Nursery Blocks: A number of used containers such as soft drink cups, cans, etc. have been tried to hold medium for vetiver growth. It was found that although the growth of the vetiver planted in such containers was good and the cost of the containers is negligible, but there was a problem in transport of vetiver plants still in the containers as well as in pulling the whole mass in the containers up before planting in prepared hole; such operation is likely to damage the root system, causing death or poor growth of the newly planted vetiver tillers. This has led the Doi Tung Development Project in Chiang Rai and the Highland Land Development Office in Chiang Mai to try an alternative approach by producing biodegradable blocks from vetiver biomass (mainly leaves and culms). The blocks are made by a simple machine using manual labor or a small engine. They come in various shapes and sizes; the most common ones are cylindrical and cube. Important features include solid nature of the block with small hole at the top to facilitate insertion of the tiller in place. Once the vetiver plant is ready for planting, the whole block with vetiver plant is then placed in the prepared hole without having to pull the vetiver plant out from the block. The block, which contains considerable amount of nutrient and moisture, nourishes the vetiver plant both in the nursery and in the field. This approach is very adaptive to planting in critical areas such as on side slope of the highway or rail road, along the newly compressed ridged of the farm ponds or reservoirs, since the block slowly disintegrates while releasing plant nutrient to the growing vetiver plant. Such biodegradable block is also ecological friendly since it is made mainly of organic matter; and no ‘garbage’ of any kinds is left in the field as compared to polybag technique. 4.6 Planting Tillers in Pots Made from Vetiver Leaves: Thiramongkol and Baebprasert (2000) experimentally produced pots from clay, dry vetiver leaves and binder (polyvinyl alcohol or ‘Poval’). In one of their trials, they planted vetiver tillers in such ‘vetiver’ pots after the latter had been hardened for a while. These tillers in the ‘vetiver’ pots were placed across the slope of the plantation area of the Doi Tung Development Project, Chiang Rai, Thailand. All vetiver planted in this way has grown successfully. This work has demonstrated that it is possible to recycle the vetiver grass through the ‘vertiver’ pot to the vetiver grass again. 4.7 Using Growth Promoters in Tiller Propagation: Ho et al. (2000) tested three commercial brands of growth hormones and two levels of auxin plus minerals in shortening the growing period of vetiver. By soaking the tillers for 15-20 min in growth hormone solutions and immediately planted in the polybags, the growth rate of the vetiver tillers was found to have increased considerably and can potentially reduce the growing period by as much as 50%. The gain in shoot and root length in just three weeks was almost double that of the control (water). An auxin level of around 0.34 ppm was preferred since this amount did not appreciably inhibit root growth and yet produced a good enough shoot growth. Bernal (2000) used bencil adenine purine (BAP) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) to induce adventitious bud development of vetiver cuttings. It was found that BAP at 500 and 1,500 ppm gave better result than the control treatment, while 10 cm cuttings with 500 ppm NAA and 20 cm cutting without NAA were the two best combinations. When different concentrations of NAA were combined with applied time, it was found that 500 ppm for 60 min gave the best result.

5. Guidelines to Choose the Techniques of Vetiver Propagation

The above document provides up-to-date information of the various techniques of vetiver propagation employed in Thailand as well as in some other countries. It is up to the manager of the project to select which one he wants to employ in his project, and how it is accomplished to obtain the best result. The following paragraphs provide the guidelines in

97 choosing the techniques to be used in propagating vetiver and also the ultimate goals in vetiver propagation. The various techniques of vetiver propagation presented above are an asset for those who are working on the transfer of technology of planting the vetiver grass to the farmers or other users. The followings are the guidelines for the users to choose which one they want to employ: ƒ Availability of the mother plants ƒ Availability of the facility ƒ Availability of the techniques ƒ The demand of vetiver planting material ƒ The distance to transport ƒ The terrain in which the transplanting is to take place.

6. Goals in Vetiver Propagation Vetiver is easy to propagate at a relatively low cost. Under normal conditions, propagation by using tillers grown in small polybags will give satisfactory results. However, it has certain disadvantages such as being labor intensive, high weight per plant ratio, and may create environmental problem if polybags are not collected after field planting. Thus other alternative techniques of propagation, e.g. using bare-root tillers, growing tillers in other types of containers, or using tissue-cultured plantlets, may be of some advantages. Non-conventional parts may also be used in propagation in certain special conditions. These methods are by far much cheaper than if they were to be multiplied by tissue culture method. However, once the principal source for multiplication is established, the normal method of tiller planting should suffice. It is therefore very important to set the goals in propagating vetiver before the operation is started. The following goals are the criteria for the manager of the project to choose appropriate techniques for vetiver propagation.

6.1 Quality of Planting Materials: One of the major goals in propagating vetiver is to produce only high-quality planting material. Remember that only high-quality planting material should be used in transplanting in the field. High quality includes healthy and vigorous growth. Poor-quality planting materials will result in slow growth or even death of the transplanted tillers. Even re-planting may be possible at a later date, this will not be as good as when every tiller survives and performs its function the moment it was transplanted. 6.2 Low Cost: Efficient nursery management will reduce extra cost of propagating vetiver. However, from a planning perspective, high input approach should be aimed at, especially to produce good quality planting material mentioned above. Nevertheless, especially in large-scale propagation, economic consideration should be of prime importance. The economies of scale and inputs will help to solve the problem considerably since the bigger the operation the cheaper the unit cost of production. The returns to production for a given input will often more than pay for themselves. Input and material savings can be tremendous. However, being a living organism, vetiver needs some inputs like water, nutrient, light, etc. It will not grow if no water is provided. Similarly it cannot grow well if it has no nutrient upon which to draw. It cannot compete with weeds or animal grazing. It also needs subdue sunlight for its early growth in the nursery, and brighter sunlight at a later stage, especially during the hardening period (see later).

6.3 Hardiness: By its nature, vetiver is a tough plant. However, during its early stage of growth as propagating material grown in any form of containers, it is rather weak, especially when subject to long transportation through rugged terrain in the hot sun before being transplanted. Thus planting material should be durable in the sense that it will withstand such conditions without severe setting back. Since such material is aimed at planting in the field

98 exposing to strong sunlight, a young propagating plant kept in shady nursery for a long time, for example, will not be able to withstand exposure to strong sunlight immediately after transplanting. A period of hardening or acclimatization, i.e. exposure to sunlight, prior to field planting is needed. 6.4 Being Easy to Transport: Containerized-planting material is considered most practical. However, it would be quite difficult during transportation if the container is large, and planting medium is bulky and/or heavy. Trays to hold polybags or other containerized planting materials should also be lightweight, small volume and easy to handle. A one-way transport, like the use of strip planting, biodegradable nursery blocks, dibbling tubes (tubes removed and retained), etc. has the advantage in that no containers and other materials are to be collected and returned to the nursery for re-use or throwing away.

References

Anusonpornperm, S.; Supattanakul, W.; Pongpangan, L.; Wattanakul, J.; and Wilairat, P. 2000. The use of dibbling tube in vetiver propagation. In: Abstracts of poster papers presented at ICV-2, p. 35, ORDPB, Bangkok. Bernal, H.Q. 2000. Effects of two growth regulators on development of vetiver cuttings. In: Abstracts of poster papers presented at ICV-2, p. 37, ORDPB, Bangkok. Chalothorn, C.1998. Planting vetiver using the bare root soaking technique. In: Proc. ICV-1, p. 44, ORDPB, Bangkok. Charanasri, U.; Sumanochitrapan, S.; and Topangteam, S. 1996. Vetiver grass: Nursery development, field planting techniques, and hedge management. An unpublished paper presented at ICV-1, Chiang Rai, Thailand, 4-8 Feb.96. Chomchalow, N. 2000. Techniques of vetiver propagation in Thailand. AU J.T. 3: 113-124. Ho, H.T.; Manarang, M.N.S.J.; and Anicete, A.B. 2000. Increased efficiency in vetiver propagation with the use of growth promoters. In: Proc. ICV-2, ORDPB, Bangkok (in press). Inthapan, P.; and Boonchee, S. 2000. Research on Vetiver Grass for Soil and Water Conservation in the Upper North of Thailand. In: Proc. ICV-2, ORDPB, Bangkok (in press). Khao Hin Son Royal Development Center. 1998. Development and Promotion for the Utilization of Vetiver Grass. Khao Hin Son Royal Development Study Center, Chacheongsao, Thailand (in Thai). Namwongprom. K; and Nanakorn, M. 1992. Clonal propagation of vetiver in vitro. In: Proc. 30th Ann. Conf. on Agriculture, 29 Jan-1 Feb 92 (in Thai). Nanakorn, M.; Surawattananon, S.; Wongwattana, C.; Namwongseprom, K.; and Suwannachitr, S. 1996. In vitro induction of salt tolerance in vetiver grass. In: Abstracts of papers presented at ICV-1, p.33, ORDPB, Bangkok. National Research Council. 1993. Vetiver Grass: A Thin Line Against Erosion. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. Sukkasem, A.; and Chinapan, W. 1996. Tissue culture of vetiver grass. In: Abstracts of Papers presented at ICV-1, p. 61, ORDPB, Bangkok. Thiramongkol, V.; and Baebprasert, B. 2000. The Vetiver Grass Pot: Production and Utilization. In: Proc. ICV-2, ORDPB, Bangkok (in press). Yoon, P.K. 1991. Extracts from A Look-See at Vetiver Grass in Malaysia - First Progress Report. Vetiver Newsl. 6: 86-96.

99 Constitution of the International Conference on Vetiver*

1. ORGANIZATION NAME: International Conference on Vetiver (ICV)

2. PURPOSE: The purpose of the ICV is to promote interchange of research and development (R&D) on vetiver. The period between the following ICV’s is left to the next host country to decide, usually it should be around 3 to 4 years. The purpose is to discuss R&D progress since the previous ICV, and opportunities for development in the future.

3. MEMBERSHIP: Attendance at the ICV is open to all that are interested in any aspect of R&D of vetiver in any country of the world. The membership (registration) fee shall be set by the host institution in consultation with the Continuing Committee (CC) (see Section 6). There shall be two types of membership:

3.1 Full Members (with voting rights): Payment of the full registration fee gives the individual voting rights at the Business Meetings held during the ICV. The host institution has the right to waive the membership fee of persons invited to address the ICV. Persons whose membership fee is waived will have full voting privileges.

3.2 Associate Members (without voting rights): Associate members are persons who are charged a fee that is less than the full registration. This includes persons who register on a daily basis, students, and family members.

4. VOTING PROCEDURES: For the purpose of conducting Conference Business, only full members of the ICV are entitled to cast one vote for each issue for which an election is held. Voting will be by a show of hands, unless a ballot is specified by the Chair of the CC. Evidence of voting eligibility may be required by the CC. The CC shall maintain a permanent record of all elections that are held.

5. AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION: Proposed amendments to the Constitution may be made by any individual who was a Full Member of the immediate past ICV. They must be sent in writing to the Chair of the CC at least six months before the ensuing ICV. The CC will decide by a simple majority if the amendment should be brought to vote at the next ICV. The proposed amendments will be announced by the Chair of the CC at the first Business Meeting and the final decision for adoption will be made by voting at the final Business Meeting of the same ICV. Two-thirds of the total valid votes must be affirmative for the amendment to be adopted. Any amendment that is passed will come in force at the end of the ICV in which it was adopted.

6. CONTINUING COMMITTEE (CC):

6.1 Members of the Continuing Committee: The CC will have 13 members. It shall include the immediate the past President of ICV as an Ex-Officio (EO/CC) member, and two vetiver specialists from each of the following six regions as Regional Representatives (RR/CC). Region 1: Southeast Asia (SEAS) Region 2: East Asia, Oceanic and the Pacific (EAOP) Region 3: South Asia (SOAS) Region 4: Middle East, Europe and Africa (MEEA)

* A draft presented at an informal discussion to organize the International Conference on Vetiver (ICV) on a reguilar basis during the First International Conference on Vetiver held at Dusit Thani Hotel, Chiang Rai, February 1996. Amended during Business Meeting of ICV-4). 100 Region 5: Sub-Sahara Africa (ASAF) Region 5: The Americas and the Caribbean (AMCA) 6.2 The Term of Office: The term of office for the EO/CC is one term of ICV, and that for the RR/CC is two consecutive terms of ICV. A term is defined as the period between the close of the final Business Meetings of two consecutive conferences. 6.3 The Procedure of Election: The procedure of election shall be as follows: Each of the ten members shall nominate three candidates (only one per any country) from his/her own region (total of six from each region) and shall submit all names (total of 30) for election by the Full Members during the ICV. In the Business Meeting of ICV, there shall be an agenda for the final election of the CC from the list submitted. In order to have a continuity of the RR/CC members, the terms of office shall be arranged such that there shall be a rotation of half of the members at each ICV. Thus a new set of five RR/CC will be elected during each ICV. Regional representation will be maintained by the replacement of RR/CC members with the candidates from the region nominated by the out- going RR/CC members. If a member of the CC cannot serve the full term, the Chair shall solicit names of at least two candidates from the same region. The CC shall vote on the candidates and the individual with the majority shall be elected to complete that term. 7. Organization and Responsibilities of the CC: The CC shall elect from among its members a Chair. For the purpose of electing a new Chair, the out-going Chair will convene the CC after the final Business Meeting and hold the election either by raising hands or written ballot. The newly elected Chair of the CC will assume his/her responsibilities immediately after being elected. The out-going Chair shall submit to the new Chair a review of the activities of the CC during his/her term of office. The CC shall: - ensure that action is taken on all the resolutions adopted at the past Conference, - conduct any other necessary affairs that require attention between ICVs, - select a substitute if the original host is unable to proceed with an ICV, - serve as an advisory committee to the host for planning the forthcoming ICV. The Chair shall receive invitations from potential hosts of the next ICV at least three months before the forthcoming ICV. The Chair shall put the names of the potential hosts to vote by the members of the CC before or during the ICV. The potential hosts will provide details of the personnel and facilities that they can offer. If one potential host receives more than half of the votes, it will be elected to hold the next ICV. If no potential host receives over half of the votes, the Chair shall put the names of the two potential hosts receiving the highest number of votes before the CC. The potential host with the majority in the second election will be declared the host for the next ICV. The Chair of the CC shall declare the result at the final Business Meeting of the CC. The Chair shall maintain a list of members of at least the past two ICVs and of other interested persons to whom the host should send the first circular regarding the forthcoming ICV. The Chair shall preside over the Business Meetings at the ICV and convene the CC after the final Business Meeting for the purpose of electing the new Chair.

8. HOST AND ICV PRESIDENT: - The host shall have the authority to appoint the President of the ICV. The ICV President should preferably be a vetiver specialist. - The host and ICV President will be responsible for planning and implementing the ICV. - The CC will provide guidelines to the host.

101 - The collection, disbursement, and accounting of funds to support the ICV will be the responsibility of the host. Any surplus funds available at the completion of the ICV will be disbursed at the discretion of the host. - At the completion of the ICV, the host and ICV President should provide as much information as possible to the host of the next ICV. - After completion of the ICV, the out-going ICV President will become a member of the CC for one term or shall appoint a representative, but cannot submit name of the candidate for new CC members.

9. ICV SESSIONS: At the beginning of the ICV, the first Business Meeting shall be called by the Chair of the CC. Details of this meeting will be determined by the Chair in consultation with the ICV President. The final Business Meeting will be held near the end of the ICV.

10. ICV PUBLICATIONS: The host will be responsible for providing abstracts of invited and contributed papers for distribution at the ICV. The proceedings will be distributed by the host within one year after the ICV is completed. The abstracts and the proceedings in the preceding clauses can be in the forms of publications, handouts, or CD-ROM. The content of the abstracts and proceedings have no copyrights and can be copied and used widely without getting permission from the authors. However, the acknowledgement of the source should be made. In addition to the abstracts and the proceedings, the host should add all activities that occur during the conference such as the pictures from the field trip and personal pictures, in the CD-ROM so that the participants will have a complete set of the conference event.”

102 Report of the Vetiver Grass Introduction Mission to Southern Shan State of Myanmar during 12-19 June 1999*

1. Introduction

1.1 Background: One of the FAO-executed projects in the Union of Myanmar, namely “MYA/96/007 - Environmentally Sustainable Food Security and Micro Income Opportunities in Critical Watersheds (Southern Shan State)”, is in urgent need to introduce vetiver grass in its project areas around Taunggyi township, Shan State to solve the problem of soil erosion. Having leant the great success in the development of vetiver grass technology in Thailand through the coordination of the Royal Development Projects Board (RDPB), the project would like to request the assistance of Thailand to provide technical guidance as well as to procure plant material. In particular, a request is for Thailand to provide 200,000 plantlets of vetiver grass for the development of upland area of Myanmar and for the transfer of technology through the consultants in introducing this promising grass there.

1.2 Terms of Reference: The following terms of reference has been issued by the project:

Vetiver Grass Introduction Mission (1) Advise and oversee the introduction of 200,000 vetiver grass plantlets in the five project Townships. (2) Train senior project officials in conducting different experiments and trials on vetiver grass to meet multiple objectives on the use of vetiver grass to address diverse erosion control requirements in the project area. (3) Train project extension staff on the propagation, planting, maintenance of vetiver grass in different situations. (4) Assist the project in the selection of suitable ecotypes of vetiver adaptive to local conditions. (5) Prepare a farmer friendly manual describing propagation and use of vetiver grass which could be translated into the local language. (6) Prepare a ground for potential “institutional twining” between the projects and different projects of similar nature in northern Thailand. (7) Submit a final report on the mission’s work activities (a single report to be prepared by the mission members as a team). Duration : 1 week EOD : Beginning of June 1999 Duty Station : Taunggyi with extensive visits to five project Townships Language : Excellent knowledge of reading, writing and spoken English

1.3 Mission Members: The Mission members consist of the following three members of the Sub-committee on Technical Matters, Planning and Monitoring (of the Committee on the Development and Promotion of the Utilization of Vetiver under His Majesty’s Initiative), namely:

* Submitted to FAO Project - MYA/96/007 “Environmentally Sustainable Food Security and Micro Income Opportunities in Critical Watersheds (Southern Shan State)”, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand.

103

(1) Dr. Narong Chomchalow, former Regional Plant Production Officer (Industrial Crops), FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, as Mission Leader. (2) Dr. Weerachai Nanakorn, Director of the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Chiang Mai. (3) Dr. Uthai Charanasri, Adviser, Doi Tung Vetiver Development Project and Nong Nuch Garden.

1.4 Programme of Visit: The following programme of visit has been prepared by the CTA of the project: Vetiver Grass Mission 12 June Bangkok – Yangon by TG 305: 18:00-18:50 Nightstop in Yangon 13 June Yangon – Heho by HK 001: 07:00 - 08:30 Heho – Tanggyi by car Demonstration and training at Lwenyeint, Nyaungshwe Nightstop in Taunggyi 14 June Tanggyi - Taunglelone – Tanuggyi by car Demonstration and training at Tanuglelone Nursery Slide presenttion at the project office in Tanuggyi Nightstop in Taunggyi 15 June Taunggyi - Htethun - Pindaya by car Demonstration at Pawnu, Pindaya Township Nightstop in Pindaya 16 June Pindaya - Thegon – Kalaw by car Demonstration at Thegon and Kyone, Kalaw Township Nightstop in Kalaw 17 June Kalaw - Ywangan - Kalaw (Group 1) by car Kalaw - Pinlaung - Kalaw (Group 2) by car Demonstrations at Ywangan and Pinlaung Nightstop in Kalaw 18 June Kalaw - Heho by car Heho – Yangon by TG HK 002: 10:40 - 12:10 Meeting with FAOR in Yangon (15:00 hrs) Nightstop in Yangon 19 June Yangon – Bangkok by TG 304: 10:35 - 11:45

Procurement of Vetiver Slips

2.1 Prior Arrangement: Through the coordination of Dr. Narong Chomchalow, Mission Leader, arrangements have been made with the Doi Tung Vetiver Development Project at Doi Tung, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, to make available 200,000 plantlets, all originated from tissue culture method, at the cost of Baht 1.50 per plantlets of at least 10 cm in height, FOB Doi Tung, to be transported to Taunggyi, Southern Shan State, Myanmar.

2.2 Transport: Vetiver plantlets of various sizes were packed in used-fertilizer plastic bags and transported to Taunggyi in four batches, viz.

104 (1) 25,000 plantlets grown in the nursery for three months, with an average height of 50 cm, and trimmed to 15 cm, were transported by truck from Doi Tung to Tha Khi Lek, and by air from Tha Khi Lek to Heho on 7 June 1999. They arrived at Taunglelone Nursery on the same day. They were kept in the bags until 13 June when they were taken out for use in demonstration planting at Taunglelone Nursery. They were found to be in good condition. (2) 170,000 plantlets grown in the field for six months, with an average height of 75 cm, and trimmed down to 20 cm, were transported by truck from Doi Tung to Tha Khi Lek on 7 June, and, after re-loading to a new truck from the project, continued a five-day journey to Taunglelone Nursery. The truck was shaded on all sides with double layer of 80% saran. They arrived at Taunggyi on 12 June in satisfactory condition. They were dispatched to field sites in the five project Townships during 13-17 June. Some bags showed symptom of mould and wilt due to prolong period in the closed plastic bags, some of which were exposed to sunlight; nevertheless, they were still alive when they were planted in the fields, even as late as 17 June. (3) 5,000 plantlets grown in the nursery for two months, with an average height of 40 cm, and trimmed to 15 cm, were transported by air from Chiang Rai to Bangkok on 11 June, then continued by air to Yangon on 12 June; and to Heho on 13 June. They arrived at Taunglelone Nursery on 13 June in excellent condition. (4) 220 mature slips of 11 selected ecotypes grown in the collection plots at Doi Tung were transported by air along with those of item (3) above. They arrived at Taunglelone Nursery on 13 June in excellent condition.

3. Field Planting

Two types of field plantings were made, viz.:

3.1 Demonstration Planting: This was done at Taunglelone Nursery near Taunggyi. About a dozen raised beds (2.0 m x 20 m) were prepared prior to the arrival of the Mission. Many beds were used to transplant air-transported materials in order to be used as stocks for later use. A close spacing of about 15 x 15 cm was employed. Some of these beds will be used as propagation plots. A number of beds were used to demonstrate the planting technique to the trainees who are project officials and other high-ranking government officials. Hedgerows of 10 cm spacing between plants and 50 cm between rows were planted.

3.2 Farmer’s Field Planting: During the entire period of visit, the Mission visited several farmers’ fields where field planting was done by the farmers with guidance from the Mission members. These include multiple hedgerows: along the contour strips on gently sloping areas, along embankments of newly made roads and dams, and along cut surfaces of steep slopes; inverted V-shaped across the gullies; multiple hedgerows encircling the rims of large gullies; single semi-circle hedgerow at the crown line of fruit tree at the lower side of slope. Many alternate method of planting were tried, e.g. on raised buns, on flat land with shallow soil preparation, on sloping land without soil preparation but a hole is made by using a stake driven down by force. Multiplication of original clumps (established a few years from materials brought back from Thailand four years ago by Mr. Ko Ko Lat of the Forestry Department who attended the First International Conference on Vetiver in Chiang Rai) has also been demonstrated.

4. Selection of Suitable Ecotypes

Twenty slips of each of 11 ecotypes have been brought along from Thailand by air by the Mission members. They represent the selected ecotypes of two species, Vetiveria zizanioides (lowland type) and V. nemoralis (upland type), grown at the Doi Tung Vetiver 105 Development Project’s Collection Plots. They have been planted in double row, with spacing 50x50 cm on 5x1.20 m plot, with the following objectives:

• To observe the performance in the local condition, • To select the best ecotype(s) for future uses, • To be maintained as germplasm collection plots, • To multiply the ecotypes for future uses. Advice has been given to the project staff to maintain the collection plot. Additional ecotypes should also be planted whenever they are found or available, especially from local areas in Myanmar. Selected ecotypes are to be used for adaptive trials in various conditions.

5. Experiment

A spacing experiment was launched with 4 treatments (10x10, 20x20, 30x30, and 40x40 cm between plants and between rows) to see the effect of plant spacing on the number of tillers at the end of six months, using Complete Randomized Block design with 3 replications, to be conducted at Taunglelone Nursery.

6. Training

On 14 June 1999, the mission members gave lectures to about 30 trainees (see list of participants in Annex 1)on various aspects of vetiver grass technology at Taunglelone Nursery (see outline in Annex 1). These were accompanied by slide presentations at the project head office in Taunggyi in the afternoon (since there was no facility to show slides at Taunglelone Nursery).

7. Documents

The Mission has brought along a number of documents (see list in Annex 2) for distribution and/or to be kept in the library of the Project at its head office in Taunggyi and Yangon. More documents will be sent via FAO pouch to the project office in Yangon.

8. Preparation of Manuals

A set of seven illustrated manuals produced by RDPB (in which the three Mission members have contributed substantially in their preparations) - in Thai language, have been provided by the Mission to the Project, together with their English translation. The titles of these manuals are given in Annex 2 (under item 11):

9. Institutional Twining

During the entire period of visit of the Mission members, several discussions were made with senior project staff regarding the institutional twining. The following approaches have been suggested: • Study tour of senior project officials to visit: (a) Doi Tung Vetiver Development Project in Doi Tung, Chiang Rai, and (b) Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden in Chiang Mai, to observe their activities as well as to bring back more materials if there is a need. • Intensive training for project officials on various aspects such as (a) tissue culture techniques, (b) nursery management, (c) field planting in various conditions, (d) propagating techniques, (d) handicraft making, etc. These can be arranged with RDPB to provide lecturers to give instruction in Myanmar or Thailand.

106 • Participation in the Second International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-2): As ICV-2 is planned to be held in Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand, 18-21 January 2000, there is a good chance for senior project officials to participate at relatively small costs. Arrangements can be made with RDPB to provide domestic transportation from Tha Khi Lek to the Conference venue. All local expenses including food and lodging can also be provided by the organizer. It is suggested that a poster paper describing the project activities on vetiver be prepared and presented at the Conference

10. Comments and Recommendations

10.1 Planting Materials: The materials brought in by air were in excellent condition, even after a few days of storage before use, and in spite of being small size. It is therefore recommended that future procurement of vetiver should be by air, using small-sized plantlets to save cost in transportation. Since the materials are easily available from the Doi Tung Vetiver Development Project in Doi Tung which is located so close to the Thai-Myanmar border, it is suggested that materials from Doi Tung be sent by truck to Tha Khi Lek where they are to be air-freighted on the same day to Heho, and continued to Taunggyi for immediate transplanting at the prepared nursery beds until they attain a good size for field planting. However, in view of having large number of materials planted already through this Mission, there may not be a need to procure additional materials unless there is as urgent need, such as in the case in which a number of farmers at Pawnu requesting for materials for their own planting as they did not have any when demonstration was carried out.

10.2 Techniques of Planting: There are many methods of planting of vetiver depending on the objectives and the topography. The following techniques are suggested to solve the immediate problems observed in the project areas:

10.2.1 Along contour strips on gently sloping land: In general vetiver is recommended to be planted as hedgerows along the contour strips in the cropping areas of gently sloping hillside. The vertical interval between two strips is around 1-2 m. The steeper the slope, the narrower the strip, and vice versa. In practice, however, there were the following problems: (i) Strips not leveled: This was observed the farmers’ field at Thegon. The strips were made as raised buns of 30 cm high and 30 cm wide. The ditches of about 30 cm wide and 30 cm deep were also made along the entire strips. In fact, there is no need to dig ditches, especially if the strips are not leveled as these will create problem of gully erosion due to rapid flow of water along the ditches. Such a practice is not only costly but it may result in the destruction of the bun due to water pressure accumulated after heavy rain. (ii) No preventive measure at the end of the ditch: This was observed at Htethun, Pindaya Township. If a ditch is made and water is allowed to run along the slope, there should be some kind of preventive measure such as pile of stones, bamboo stakes, etc. to slow down the path of water. It is therefore suggested that the strips be made along the contour line, i.e. leveled along the entire strips. Many simple methods can be drawn to make such a strip, e.g. using A- frame or water pipe.

10.2.2 Embankment stabilization: Many sites have been visited where newly- prepared embankments collapse. It is suggested that vetiver should be planted as narrow hedgerows on the embankments to stabilize the soil. In this way, road shoulders, pond banks, irrigation dams, etc., will be prevented from being collapsed as the vetiver hedgerow acts as: (a) Living wall in which its clumps slow down the rapid movement of water, and sieves all organic matters carried along by the water and deposited at the front of the hedgerow, thereby creating a layer of new top soil rich in organic matter and moisture; and 107 (b) Living nail which is able to penetrate deep layer of soil whose texture may be quite hard, and at the same time its ability to hold soil particles together thus avoiding soil erosion due to wind and water.

10.2.3 Controlling gully erosion: Several sites have been visited where large gullies have been observed. These were due to the effect of water running down through the soft soil with no protecting measure. It is suggested that on the upper rim of the gullies, hedgerows of vetiver be planted to slow down runoff and divert water along the hedgerows. Fast growing trees should be planted in the gully beds. Paper mulberry trees are recommended as they can grow in or near the stream; in time, they will stabilize the soil. Income can also be generated by stripping off the bark for sale. For small gullies, vetiver should be planted across the gullies horizontally or in an inverted V shape, called ‘sergeant’s stripe”, pointing against the water flow direction, to prevent the formation of deep gullies. It can also be grown in overflow ditches along contour lines to retain water and help spread it to crop cultivation areas. Growing vetiver in this way traps silt and slows down surface runoff.

10.3 Printing of Manuals: In order to save cost in printing coloured manuals, the Mission suggested that the Project send us the Myanmese editions for printing in Thailand where original colour plates are available

10. Acknowledgements

The Mission wishes to thank the FAO Project – Myan/96/007 for giving an opportunity to visit southern Shan State of Myanmar. The Mission members are greatly indebted to Mr. Kumar Upadhyay, Chief Technical Advisor, as well as all project staff for their warm hospitality and excellent cooperation during their stay in Myanmar.

108 The Pacific Rim Vetiver Network*

Introduction

With the accelerated pace of research and development on vetiver worldwide, a little- known grass with great potential for soil and water conservation, information on vetiver grass technology (VGT), now known in its new name as the Vetiver System (VS), has been gathered by R&D institutes throughout the world. Unfortunately, such information was not available to scientists in developing countries who had no access to modern communication facilities such as email and the Internet. Thus, there was a need to set up a regional network for the Pacific Rim countries to coordinate activities within the region. Besides The Vetiver Network (TVN) in Washington, four networks operate in other regions of the world, namely the South African Vetiver Network (SAVN), the West African Vetiver Network (WAVN) , the Europe and Mediterranean Vetiver Network (EMVN) and the Latin American Vetiver Network (LAVN). The creation of the Pacific Rim Vetiver Network (PRVN) was the result of a proposal made by TVN coordinator Richard G. Grimshaw at the First International Conference on Vetiver (ICV-1) held in Chiang Rai, Thailand, on 4-8 February 1966. Mr Grimshaw suggested that Thailand act as the core of PRVN since she is the site of the world’s largest vetiver project, known as the Doi Tung Development Project, under the supervision of the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board (RDPB), the organizer of ICV-1. RDPB submitted the proposal to His Majesty the King, a keen supporter of the use of vetiver grass, in order to obtain his comments and approval. His Majesty agreed with the proposal and commissioned the setting up of PRVN under the supervision of the Committee on the Development and Promotion for the use of Vetiver Grass (CODPUV) at His Majesty’s Initiative, to be administered by RDPB. In order to provide the network with a common view and flexibility, on 6 May 1997 CODPUV established a task force to handle PRVN. The task force was chaired by Mr Manoon Mookpradit, then deputy secretary-general of RDPB, and has a number of experienced officials from concerned agencies and renowned institutions. RDPB itself functions as the secretariat of the task force.

Objectives

The main objective of PRVN is to serve the countries of the Pacific Rim as the centre to collect, compile and disseminate information on the Vetiver System (VS) in the form of a newsletter, occasional technical bulletins and other publications, and a website. The secondary objective is to assist the member countries in training, attending study tours and obtaining plant materials, as requested and when necessary.

Members

Country Members: Twenty countries situated in the Pacific Rim are automatically entitled to become members of PRVN. These are, in alphabetical order, Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, the Cook Islands, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu and Viet Nam. They are grouped under the following three categories: Countries (4) with a national network and national coordinator (NC)

* Presented at the ICV-2, Cha-am, Phetchburi, Thailand, 18-22 January 2000.

109 China: China Vetiver Network (CHVN) - Prof Liyu Xu Philippines: Vetiver Network Philippines (VENETPHIL) – Mr. Edwin Balbarino Thailand: Thailand Vetiver Network (THVN) - Mrs. Suwanna Pasiri, acting Viet Nam: Vetiver Network Viet Nam (VNVN) - Mr. Tran Tan Van Countries (16 with no national network but with country representative (CR) Australia: Dr. Paul N.V. Truong Brunei: CR vacant Cambodia: Mr. Kong Thann Cook Islands: Mr. Sabati Solomona Fiji: Mr. Jai Gawander Indonesia: Mr. David Booth Japan: Mr. Tsutomo Fujihara Lao PDR: Mr. Boonkong Sengthavon Malaysia: Dr. P.K. Yoon New Caledonia: Mr. Georges Donskoff New Zealand: Mr. Don Miller Papua New Guinea: Mr. Rob Shelton Samoa: Mr. Walter Vermullen Taiwan: Mr. Yue-Wen Wang Tonga: Mr. Siosiua Halavatau Vanuatu: Mr. Henry Kathecau Scientist Members: Scientists of the member countries of PRVN who had made prior contact with the PRVN secretariat are automatically registered as scientist members, and at present amount to about 1000. Others who want to join PRVN can apply directly to the secretariat, giving name, current position, place of work, mailing address, email address, and other information which is deemed necessary.

Activities

The following activities have been carried out under PRVN since it was established since early 1997: Newsletter: An English language quarterly newsletter (12-20 pages A-4 size), VETIVERIM, has been issued since July 1997. Its circulation is 2,000 copies per issue. It has been sent in bulk to national coordinators and country representatives of the member countries for further distribution to scientists and institutes within each country in order to save postage and other difficulties in international mailing. The first bound volume of 11 issues (Nos. 1-11, July 1997-January 2000), with subject index as well as other relevant information is presented to every participant as a gift from the secretariat of PRVN. A four- page index has been attached to VETIVERIM-11 for use in binding by those who do not attend ICV-2 and wish to bind all 11 issues. The second bound volume of issue of 25 issues (Nos. 12-26, April 2000-October 2003). Similarly, An eight-page index has been attached to VETIVERIM-26 for use in binding by those who do not attend ICV-3 and wish to bind all 25 issues. The author, who has been the editor of VETIVERIM from the beginning, has tried his best to include news and articles from as many countries of the Pacific Rim as possible. However, due to the lack of responses, not many news and articles from these countries have been published. It is hoped that with better communication, more news and articles from member countries will be published in future issues. Comments and suggestions for the improvement of VETIVERIM are most welcome. Other regional vetiver networks wishing to receive VETIVERIM should contact the secretariat.

110 Website: From the very beginning, a website for PRVN has been prepared by the secretariat at . Information has been revised from time to time, especially when worthwhile events are happening, e.g. conferences, study tours, visits, exchange of planting material, announcement of awards, research results, etc. It also includes eight pages of the current issue of VETIVERIM. Scientists of the member countries are invited to submit information on research and technology on vetiver, especially those that are appropriate to the Pacific Rim countries. Information and photographs are most welcome. These can be sent to the secretariat by mail, fax or email. Publications: The following publications (1000 copies each), have been prepared and distributed: A. Technical Bulletins: 1. Technical Bulletin No. 1998/1 – “Vetiver grass technology for environmental protection” by Paul Truong and Dennis Baker, August 1998. (A second printing of 1000 copies was made for distribution to scientists of vetiver networks of other regions.) 2. Technical Bulletin No. 1998/2 – “Vetiver grass for slope stabilization and erosion control” by Diti Hengchaovanich, November 1998. (A second printing of 1000 copies has been made.) 3. Technical Bulletin No. 1999/1 – “Vetiver handicrafts in Thailand” by the (Thai) Department of Industrial Promotion, October 1999. 4. Technical Bulletin No. 1999/2 – “Vetiver grass technology for mine rehabilitation” by Paul Truong, November 1999. 5. Technical Bulletin No. 1999/3 – “The use of vetiver grass for erosion control and slope stabilization along the Yadana gas pipeline right of way” by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, December 1999. 6. Technical Bulletin No. 2000/1 - “Techniques of Vetiver Propagation with Special Reference to Thailand” by Narong Chomchalow, September 2000. 7. Technical Bulletin No. 2000/1 - “The Utilization of Vetiver as Medicinal and Aromatic Plants with Special Reference to Thailand” by Narong Chomchalow, September 2001. 8. Technical Bulletin No. 2001/2 - “Vetiver System for Wastewater Treatment” by Paul Truong and Barbara Hart, October 2001. 9. Technical Bulletin No. 2000/3 - “The Development of the Vetiver System in Guangdong, China” by Hanping Xia, December 2001. 10. Technical Bulletin No. 2002/1 - “The Role of the Private Sector in Disseminating the Vetiver System with Special Reference to China” by Hanping Xia, August 2002. 11. Technical Bulletin No. 2000/2 - “The Use of Vetiver for Soil Erosion Prevention in Cassava Fields in Thailand” by Somsak Suriyo and Wilawan Vongkasem, October 2002. 12. Technical Bulletin No. 2003/1 - “Vetiver Root - Oil and Its Utilization” by U.C. Lavania, May 2003. 13. Technical Bulletin No. 2003/2 - “Vetiver Victorious: The Systematic Use of Vetiver to Save Madagascar’s FCE Railway” by Diti Hengchaovanich and Karen Schoonmaker Freudenberger, July 2003. 14. Technical Bulletin No. 2003/3 - “Research, Development and Implementation of the Vetiver System for Wastewater Treatment” by Paul Truong and Cameron Smeal, August 2003. 15. Technical Bulletin No. 2004/1 - “Utilization of Vetiver as Construction Material for Paddy Storage Silo” by Pichai Nimityongskul and Thammanoon Hengsadeekul, September 2004.

111 B. Special Bulletin: 1. Special Bulletin No. 2003/1 - “Vibrant Versatile Vetiver: An Archive of Useful Information of Vetiver – World’ Vetiver networks, World’s Vetiver Awards, Conferences, Meetings, etc. on Vetiver, Vernacular Names of Vetiver, and Glossary of Vetiver Terms” by Narong Chomchalow, June 2003.

C. Other Publications: The following documents have been published with technical support from PRVN:

1. Proceedings of ICV-1 2. Report of ICV-1 3. Proceedings of ICV-2 4. Report of ICV-2

National Activities: Since the system of operation of each national programme is independent of PRVN, no formal report of such activities has been received by the secretariat of PRVN. The Secretariat Office: The PRVN secretariat office is located at the Office of the Royal Development Projects Board, 78 Rajadamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10300; tel. (662) 280 6193 to 280 6200; fax: (662) 280 6206, 280 6209, 280 8915; email address: ; Website: Staff: There is no full-time staff working for PRVN. The responsible person is Mrs Suwanna Pasisiri, head of the Information Section of RDPB. Other staff members of RDPB, especially in the divisions of Compilation and Foreign Relations, also assist in the operation of PRVN. The author himself is working voluntarily as the acting coordinator of PRVN and editor of VETIVERIM and of PRVN technical bulletins. Budget: There is no regular budget for PRVN. All expenses incurred under PRVN are obtained either from RDPB or from the Chaipattana Foundation, His Majesty’s own development foundation. Contributions from The Vetiver Network were also available for specific objectives, e.g. production of CD ROM and poster for worldwide distribution Problems and Prospects Problems: It is understandable that with no budget and staff of its own, PRVN has not functioned fully. However, since the objectives of PRVN are mainly to disseminate information through publications and a website, there seems to be no problem of budget or staff. The only problem is to obtain information and feedback from the scientists of the member countries. Prospects: In spite of existing problems, PRVN has been praised as the most active regional vetiver networks, judging from the issuance of its newsletter, VETIVERIM, on a regular basis (now No. 30), and occasional technical bulletins (now 15 bulletins have been published, average of two bulletins per year), and providing technical advice through correspondents and answers in the column “Letters to the Editor’ in VETIVERIM. We are grateful for various supports given to us by the ORDPB, TVN, member countries and a few dedicated persons. With more useful information being accumulated from the member countries, it is anticipated that PRVN will be more active in the future in the dissemination of information to the member countries.

112 The Thailand Vetiver Network*

Abstract

The Office of the Royal Development Projects Board (ORDPB) established the Thai Vetiver Network (THVN) in 1997 to coordinate the activities on vetiver conducted by around 40 agencies in Thailand. The activities of THVN are more or less overlapped with that of ORDPB. These include: (i) publication of a newsletter; (ii) publication of technical bulletins; (iii) publication of technical manuals; (iv) organization of training courses; (v) technical supports to other countries; and (vi) and setting up a website. Keywords: ORDPB, CODPUV, Bhumivarin Anurak, technical bulletins, training, handicraft making, website.

1. Introduction

The vetiver activities in Thailand started from the work initiated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. From 1991, His Majesty conducted his own experiments and also advised the staff of the Royal Development Study Centers, the royal project’s stations, and various institutions which he visited to do experiments on vetiver for the purpose of soil and water conservation. Realizing the fact that vetiver is most effective for soil erosion control, various institutions began to implement this technology. The Office of the Royal Development Projects Board (ORDPB) established the Thai Vetiver Network (THVN) in 1997 to disseminate the knowledge on the utilization of vetiver in various aspects through different media such as newsletter, technical bulletins, and web site.

2. Objectives

Thirathorn and Pasiri (2002) described the objectives of THVN as follow: (i) collect information regarding vetiver research and development in Thailand, (ii) provide information on the application of vetiver system in Thailand to interested persons and organizations, both in Thailand and abroad, (iii) coordinate activities with other vetiver networks, and (iv) disseminate the information on vetiver, especially works conducted in Thailand in the form of electronic database and websites.

3. Membership

The members of THVN are all governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in the implementation of vetiver projects as well as the use and utilization of vetiver in Thailand. Present members amount to about 40 organizations with more than 300 scientific and extension staff members. All staff members and their organizations are automatically registered as the THVN’s members.

4. Organization

4.1 Office:

The secretariat office of THVN is located at ORDPB whose address is as follow:

* Paper presented at the First National Indian Vetiver Conference, Cochin, Kerala, India, February 2008.

113 78 Rajadamnern Nok Avenue Dusit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand Tel.: (662) 280 6103, 280 6200 Fax: (662) 280 6234 Email: vetiver@ rdpb.go.th Website: http://thvn.rdpb.go.th

4.2 Staff:

There is no full-time staff working for THVN. The person in charge is Ms. Suwanna Pasiri, Director, Project Coordination Division 4. It is supported by the Sub-Committee for Scientific, Evaluation and Monitoring of the Vetiver Promotion Program of the Committee on the Development and Promotion of the Utilization of Vetiver (CODPUV) Other staff members of the Planning and Foreign Affairs Division of ORDPB and other institutions (e.g. implementing organizations and universities) also assist in the operation of THVN. As the expert on vetiver of ORDPB, the author voluntarily acts as the acting Coordinator for THVN at present.

4.3 Budget:

All operational costs of THVN are met by the government budget allocated to ORDPB.

5. Activities

The activities of THVN are more or less overlapped with that of ORDPB. These include:

5,1 Collection of Information:

Information on vetiver has been compiled and published. These include the following: Manual on Vetiver Cultivation (7 chapters, 3 editions) Manual on International Training Course on the Vetiver System Manual on the National Training Course on the Vetiver System Factual Tips about Vetiver His Majesty the King of Thailand’s initiatives

5.2 Newsletter:

A Thai-language newsletter, “Bhumivarin Anurak”, has been published since THVN’s inception in 1997. Although it was originally planned to issue quarterly, a total of 23 issues have so far been published. The Editor together with a few staff members have been provided by the Department of 38 Land Development since 2007. It is expected that “Bhumivarin Anurak” would be published on a more regular basis of every four months, or three issues per year, starting in 2008.

5.3 Technical Bulletins:

So far, three occasional technical bulletins have been published. These are all in Thai language. Details of the three bulletins are given below: “The use of vetiver for soil erosion prevention in cassava fields in Thailand” by Somsak Suriyo and Wilawan Wongkasem, Field Crops Promotion Division, Department of Agricultural Extension, October 2002. 114 “Utilization of vetiver as construction material for paddy storage silo” by Pichai Nimityongsakul and Thammanoon Hengsadeekul, School of Civil Engineering, Asian Institute of Technology, January 2004. “A decade of promotion of vetiver cultivation according to His Majesty’s Initiatives of the PTT Public Co.”, by PTT Public Co. Ltd., July 2007. All three bulletins have been supervised and edited by the author.

5.4 Organization of Training Courses:

Several training courses have been organized, both nationally and internationally, and domestically and abroad, on various topics. So far, about ten courses have been conducted. Examples of these training courses are: International Training Course on the Vetiver System, 19-30 November 2000. Thai National Training Course on the Vetiver System, 12-15 December 2000. International Training Courses on Vetiver Handicraft Making: - The First International Training, 17-28 October 2005, for 3 Venezuelan and 1 El Salvadorian trainees, in Bangkok, Thailand. - The Second International Training, 1-11 May 2007, for 2 Indian trainees, in Bangkok, Thailand. - The Third International Training, for 20 Chinese trainees, 23 October – 3 November 2007, in Guilin, Guangxi Province,

5.5 Technical Supports:

These include, among others, the followings: June 1999: Providing assistance to FAO-executed project to introduce vetiver grass to solve the problem of soil erosion in Shan State. Three Thai vetiver experts, Dr. Narong Chomchalow, Dr. Weerachai NaNakorn and Dr. Uthai Charanasri, were recruited to undertake the project whose mission was to: (i) advise and oversee the introduction of 200,000 vetiver plantlets to Myanmar, (ii) train senior project officials in conducting trials to address diverse erosion control requirements, (iii) train project extension staff on the vetiver system. September 2000: Providing experts to help Madagascar to rehabilitate FCE Railway hit by the cyclone. Two Thai vetiver experts, the late Mr. Diti Hengchaovanich and Dr. Uthai Charanasri, were recruited on a voluntary basis to advise the FCE Railway to rehabilitate the cyclone hit area. VS was introduced to eliminate erosion and/or landslide causing agricultural practices while improving soil fertility and enhancing farmers’ income. Three years later, the train line again operates properly and is protected from future cyclone damage by more than 2.6 million vetiver plants. November 2007: Arranging the staff of T.I.G.E.R (Tiger Initiative Group for Earth Revival) to visit the Department of Industrial Promotion and a fiber board factory. T.I.G.E.R. is an NGO in India whose objective includes planting of vetiver near a tiger conservation park called Bandhavgarh, a prime tourist attraction, in India. In order to stop villagers around the area from poaching in the park, T.I.G.E.R believes that the local people have to be strengthened culturally and economically. Hence the purpose of the visit was to explore the possibility of growing vetiver to use its root for essential oil, its leaves for handicraft making, and its dry part as fiber board, in order to provide extra income to the local people who live around the area. December 2007: Providing DNA analysis to Danida agency in Ghana for 10 clones of vetiver to find the distinction between them and recommend the proper clones for the target area in Ghana.

115 5.6 Provision of Plant Materials:

Vetiver grass planting materials have been provided free- of-charge on various occasions to the following countries: Myanmar, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Timor Leste.

5.7 Website:

The present THVN website (http://thvn.rdpb.go.th), updated by ORDPB, contains the following information in Thai languages: His Majesty the King of Thailand’s initiatives The Committee on the Development and Promotion of the Utilization of Vetiver (CODPUV) The Master Plans of the Development and Promotion of the Utilization of Vetiver Factual Tips about Vetiver Implementing Agencies Vetiver researches Publications Bhumivarin Anurak (Thai-language Vetiver Newsletter) Vetiver news Articles Related Websites Members Website Administrator The information in the website has been updated from time to time.

6. Conclusion

Although not being officially designated with no budget of its own, THVN has served the objectives since its inception. Unlike other vetiver networks, there has never been full time staff of THVN. All the works by THVN were accomplished by the staff of ORDPB and voluntarily by vetiver experts of other cooperating agencies.

7. References

Thirathorn, A. and Pasiri, S. 2002. The Thailand Vetiver Network. Proc. ICV-2, pp. 198-9. ORDPB, Bangkok. Website

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List of PRVN bulletins written by Narong Chomchalow

1. PRVN Technical Bulletin No. 2000/1 - “Techniques of Vetiver Propagation with Special Reference to Thailand”, September 2000.

2. PRVN Technical Bulletin No. 2001/1 - “The Utilization of Vetiver as Medicinal and Aromatic Plants with Special Reference to Thailand”, September 2001.

3. PRVN Special Bulletin No. 2003/1 - “Vibrant Versatile Vetiver: An Archive of Useful Information of Vetiver – World’s Vetiver Networks, World’s Vetiver Awards, Conferences, Meetings, etc. on Vetiver, Vernacular Names of Vetiver, and Glossary of Vetiver Terms”, June 2003.

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