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rye (Secale cereale), oats (Avena sativa), barley
(Hordeum vulgare), abiding ryegrass (Lolium
perenne), Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum),
buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), chicory
(Chichorum intybus) may however, also be used
as green manuring crops. These crops can also
be grown as an intercrop, i.e., grown along the
main crop and before reaching the flowering
stage they are cut and buried into the soil and
allowed to decompose.
2. Ex-situ green manuring/Green leaf
manuring

Leguminous/non-leguminous tree species may
be cultivated on the boundaries of the field or on
the bunds on the plots. Tree species considered
are as follows: Subabul (Leucaena leucocephala),
Gliricidia spp., Kassod tree (Cassia siamea), Fig 1 : Most used green manure crops and trees
Cassia auriculata, Derris indica, Azadirachta
indica (neem), Cassia tora, Cassia accidentalis, BENEFITS
Tephorsia candida, Hibiscus viscosa, Delonix Effect on Soil Health and Fertility Management
elata, Delonix regia, Peltophorum ferrugenum,
Cassia nigricans. Grasses and weeds like Since continuous and conventional cultivation
Panicum maximum, Pennisetum purpureum, leads to a decline in soil OM content, soil nutrient
Tripsacum laxum, Eicchornia crassipes, holding capacity are affected severely, resulting
Trianthema portulacastrum, Ipomoea carnea, in a loss of soil sustainability. One of the options
Calotropis gigantea. The leaves from these trees to maintain sustainability in agriculture by
may be collected and incorporated in the main restoring soil quality (especially in tropical soils)
field where crops are to be produced. Leaves may and reclaiming degraded soil is to increase soil
also be collected from trees situated in wastelands OM content by green manuring (Pandita, 2013).
and forests. Green leaves are harvested from the Green manure crops are mainly grown for the
plants which are pruned three times in a year, i.e. benefit of the soil and are very commonly referred
in June, November and March. Multipurpose tree as soil fertility building crops. In general, green
species like Leucaena are regularly pruned and manure enriches soil with organic matter and
may be used as cattle feed or for the purpose of nutrients, improves soil physical, chemical and
green manuring. biological properties, causes nutrient and soil
conservation, increases the biochemical activity
in soil, reduces soil compaction, increases soil
porosity, water infiltration and rooting depth and
finally enhances crop health and yield (Kumar,
2020). Thus, in modern agriculture, green
manuring is an effective technology to achieve
sustainable production efficiently.
The nutrients held in green manure crops
are again released in the soil, which become
available to the succeeding crop when the plants
are decomposed after their incorporation in the
soil, and thus help in nutrient recycling. They
serve as a source of nutrients and energy for