Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1738588467

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-115043

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

Place of publication:: Nairobi

Publisher:: East African Standard

Year of publication:: 1926

Scope:: VI, 337 Seiten; Ill.

Digitisation:: 2020

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part II. Agriculture

Collection:: Economics Books

PART 17. Two indigenous crotalarias, C. intermedia and an as yet unnamed species, have proved most promising. These two species are very widely distributed, growing at all altitudes from 5,000 to 8,000 feet, so could be used in all coffee plantations. © As compared to Sunn hemp both are heavier growers and more suitable for green manuring. For maize and for wheat the problem would seem to be much simpler. An unexpected difficulty lies in the selectivity of the ordinary legumes to environment. For example, a variety of cowpea, that at an altitude of 5,800 feet, gave a yield of about a ton and a half of dry matter per acre, at an altitude of 6,600 feet on the same type of soil grew miserably, even though the plants had formed nodules. It is this selectivity that complicates the search for leguminous green manures; a legume may be the best for one altitude and fail at another not far removed. The crotalarias, mentioned above, are suitable for a large range of conditions but very little seed is available; the growing seed forms the favourite food of the caterpillars of a group of blue butterflies. Many of the legumes widely used for green manurial purposes are badly attacked by disease and parasitical plants. Of eight varieties of cowpeas tried so far, two were sensitive to and completely destroyed by rust and a leaf disease, three produce much seed but little growth and thus unsuitable for green manuring, one is chlorotic while two are just suitable. Velvet beans are attacked by a leaf spot fungus and a species of Orobanche, besides not growing as strongly as some more resistant legumes. Several species of Lupin, Dolichos lablab, Phaseolus inamoenus, certain species of Crotalaria and a cowpea obtained from the Embu district are, of the legumes tried, the most suitable. All of these will do well at altitudes from 4,000 to 6,000 feet, while the first two are suitable up to 7,500 feet. = While ordinary string and runner beans and field peas do well at altitudes up to 9,000 feet, search is being made for a crop that will give heavier growth under these conditions. Arrangements are being made for the establishment of a group of trial plots at these greater elevations, those at the lesser have already been arranged, but it will require a little time before sufficient data can be obtained upon which to base recommendations. Any strong growing plant, whether leguminous or not, will serve for the simple addition of humus to the soil. Certain attributes beyond mere growth are again necessary for the non-leguminous crop. The psychology of the farmer must be taken into account. If one of the ordinary cereals be sown and it promises to give a good crop, it is certain that it will never be treated as a manure. Many of the less usual crops, such as mustard, may be used but there is a danger of such a prolific seeder getting out of hand and becoming a weed. It is essential that the non-leguminous crop plant should not produce too valuable a crop, should not be too prolific a seeder, nor its seed be minute. Another desideratum is that it should grow rapidly and be capable of smothering weeds. Buckwheat appears to be one of the most suitable. It grows very rapidly, will smother weeds, occupies the soil for a short time, its seeds are not minute, and it is easily controlled. That the weed problem is one to be considered seriously, is shown by the condition of some of the fields in the maize area, where quick seeding weeds. capable -of seeding between the last cultivation the 34

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation