Potential Use of Mucuna Bracteata As a Cover Crop for Coconut Plantations in the Low Country Intermediate Zone of Sri Lanka
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Journal of Food and Agriculture 2017, 10 (1 & 2): 26 - 34 DOI: http://doi.org/10.4038/jfa.v10i1-2.5210 Potential use of Mucuna bracteata as a Cover Crop for Coconut Plantations in the Low Country Intermediate Zone of Sri Lanka H.M.P.M. Herath1, H.M.I.K. Herath1,* and W.M. Ratnayake2 ABSTRACT plots had significantly lower bulk density, higher organic carbon content than the Cover crops provide a wide range of control and there was no significant bracteata ecological and environmental benefits. planted in three rows is the most suitable Mucuna bracteata is one of the leguminous planting method being able to give better creepers which has superior characteristics ground cover, lower soil bulk density and such as fast growth, high nitrogen fixation higher soil nitrogen than other treatments. ability, high biomass production, and free According to the results of the study, it can from pest and diseases. While this plant has be concluded that Mucuna bracteata could be recently been used as a cover crop in rubber well grown as a cover crop under coconut in plantations in the Wet Zone of Sri Lanka, it the Intermediate Zone of Sri Lanka. Also, it has not been tested under coconut cultivation can be suggested that Coconut with Mucuna in the Intermediate Zone. Therefore, this bracteata planted in three rows is the most study aimed to assess the suitability of suitable planting method being able to give Mucuna bracteata as a cover crop in coconut better ground cover, lower soil bulk density plantation in the Low Country Intermediate and higher soil nitrogen than other Zone of Sri Lanka. Four treatments tested in treatments. the experiment were, T1 - Mucuna bracteata planted in two rows, T2 - Mucuna bracteata Keywords: Coconut plantation, Cover planted in three rows, T3 - Mucuna bracteata crop, Soil quality, Weed control planted in four rows in center of square under coconut cultivation and T4 - Coconut without cover crop (control). The treatments INTRODUCTION were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Soil Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is the most chemical and physical properties were widely grown plantation crop in Sri Lanka. analyzed at 5 cm - 25 cm depth. The ground cover, weed density and total biomass It covers more than 440,500 hectares of land production were also evaluated in different in both estate sector and smallholders’ planting systems. The highest ground sector in Sri Lanka. Coconut is mainly coverage and the lowest weed density were cultivated in Low country Intermediate observed in coconut with Mucuna bracteata in three rows at 75 days after field Zone and Wet Zone in Sri Lanka. The establishment. Mucuna bracteata planted current contribution by coconut sector to the Sri Lankan Gross Domestic Production 1Department of Plantation Management, Faculty of (GDP) is 0.6 % (Anon, 2017). Agriculture and Plantation Management, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura, Gonawila (NWP), 60170, Sri Lanka Coconut is mainly a rain-fed plantation 2Coconut Development Training Center, Coconut crop and it requires a regular supply of Cultivation Board, Bandiruppuwa estate, Lunuwila, Sri Lanka water to maintain its growth and nut *[email protected] production. The drought condition causes a This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC 4.0), which permitsunrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 26 H.M.P.M. Herath, H.M.I.K. Herath and W.M. Ratnayake severe impact on coconut production in weed management program has to be major coconut growing areas such as practiced. Kurunegala, Puttalum and Gampaha. During the drought, due to the soil moisture As a solution to most of these stress, the cells of the absorption zone of problems, cover crops can be established coconut roots become inactive adversely and maintained under coconut plantations. affecting the water and nutrient absorption Cover crops provide a wide range of processes (Vidhana- Arachchi et al., 1996; ecological and environmental benefits. Vidhana-Arachchi et al., 2000). Soil They prevent soil erosion by providing moisture stress also retards growth of young ground cover building up soil aggregates by palm, delays flower initiation, increases using organic matter and roots exudates. It button nut and immature nuts fall and also improves the soil structure, aggregate reduces the nut size as well as number of stability, water holding capacity like soil nuts (Abeywardena, 1971). Therefore, soil physical conditions and reduces the moisture conservation becomes one of the leaching of nutrients. Furthermore, it major factors that should be considered conserves soil moisture by acting as a mulch under coconut cultivation. and reducing evaporation and increasing infiltration (Samarappuli, 1992). In Most of the coconut lands which are addition, cover crops suppress weeds and concentrated in the Low Country minimize the pest and diseases problems by Iintermediate Zone and Wet Zone are flat or providing habitat for beneficial organisms have a gentle slope. Still, due to the heavy and natural enemies. Hence, it may helpful water flow during intensive rains, soil can to reduce the need for herbicides and be eroded in these areas. Furthermore, as a insecticides. result of continuous cultivation, soil nutrient content has been declined leading A good cover crop should have to deterioration of soil quality. Therefore, characteristics such as easiness to practice of soil and moisture conservation propagate, rapid rate of growth and being method for coconut plantation has become able to cover the soil within a short period essential. of time, and resistance against pests and Canopy structure of coconut palm diseases. If the cover crop can fix nitrogen requires wide spacing between palms from the air and provide it to the soil, it is allowing the incident of high amount of considered as an additional advantage. sunlight to the ground. This condition promotes weed growth creating a Mucuna bracteata is one of the competition with coconut for soil moisture leguminous creepers which has a potential and nutrients in the coconut plantation to be used as a cover crop. It is native to (Senarathne and Gunathilake, 2010). To Kerala, South India and has reported to have avoid the reduction of nut yield, a proper a fast growth, maximum nitrogen fixation, high drought tolerance, high biomass 27 Mucuna bracteata as a Cover Crop for Coconut Plantations in Sri Lanka production, free from pest and diseases, T1 – Mucuna brateata planted in two effectively prevent soil erosion and prevent rows in center of square under coconut weed growth (Mathews, 1998; Samarappuli cultivation et al., 2004). T2 – Mucuna brateata planted in three rows in center of square under coconut Mucuna brateata is already used as a cultivation cover crop in rubber plantation in Sri Lanka T3 – Mucuna brateata planted in four (Samarappuli et al., 2003) and oil palm rows in center of square under coconut plantation in Malaysia (Samedani et al., cultivation 2015). However, it has not been tested T4 – Coconut without cover crop under coconut cultivation in Sri Lanka yet. (control) Therefore, the objective of this Establishment of Treatments study was to assess the potential of Mucuna bracteata as a cover crop in coconut Nursery was prepared inside the net house plantation in the Low Country Intermediate conditions and seeds were sown at 1 - 2 cm Zone of Sri Lanka. The suitability was depth into polybags of size 7 cm × 15 cm. assessed in terms of improving soil Polybags were filled with top soil, sand and properties and surface characteristics organic matter. For better germination, including ground cover and weed control. polybags were kept in 50 % shade for two weeks and after that they were exposed to MATERIALS AND METHODS direct sunlight. Experimental Site Mucuna bracteata seedlings were The study was conducted in the Low transplanted in the field after four weeks. Country Intermediate Zone (IL 1), North The land was ploughed and sixteen beds Western Province of Sri Lanka. The were prepared. The size of each bed was 4.5 experiment was established under 20 - 25 m × 3.6 m. Planting was done with spacing year old coconut plantation on red yellow of 1.2 m × 0.9 m (Figures 1, 2 and 3). podzolic soil (FAO: Ferric Plinthosols). Parameters Measured Experimental Design and Treatments Soil samples were collected for chemical The following four treatments were and physical analysis from three different arranged in a randomized complete block places in each field at 5 cm - 25 cm depth design (RCBD) with four replications. The initially and after 75 days of transplanting. treatments were randomly arranged to the plots in each block. 28 H.M.P.M. Herath, H.M.I.K. Herath and W.M. Ratnayake Figure 1. Coconut with Mucuna brateata planted in two rows (T1) in the center of square of coconut (40 days after field planting) Figure 2. Coconut with Mucuna brateata planted in three rows (T2) in the center of square of coconut (40 days after field planting) Figure 3. Coconut with Mucuna brateata planted in four rows (T3) in the center of square of coconut (40 days after field planting) 29 Mucuna bracteata as a Cover Crop for Coconut Plantations in Sri Lanka Soil organic carbon was analyzed by using establishment of cover crop, T2 recorded Walkey and Black method (Nelson and maximum dry matter production while Sommers,1982), total soil nitrogen by minimum dry matter production was Kjeldahl method (Bremner and Mulvaney, recorded by T1 (Table 2). When 1982), available phosphorous by Olsen considering T2 and T3, there was no bicarbonate method (Olsen et al., 1954), statistically significant difference between bulk density by core sample method (Blake the two treatments. and Hartge,1986) and soil pH by using a glass electrode. Table 1.