
Hairy Vetch Mulch System Moves to PolandBy Tara Weaver May 14, 1997Hairy vetch is being auditioned in
Poland as a natural mulch for growing vegetables--a system developed by a plant
physiologist with USDAs Agricultural
Research Service. Hairy vetch offers a number of advantages as a mulch for tomatoes and other
summer vegetables. Since the vetch is a legume, it is capable of
fixing nitrogen from the atmosphere, transforming nitrogen in the
air into a form the plants can use for growth. This reduces the need for
commercial nitrogen fertilizer--good news for the environment. The legume-mulch also increases yields, boosts the soils organic
matter, reduces the need for pesticides--by crowding out weeds--and stops soil
erosion by providing a protective cover for the soil surface. Traditional
farming practices that include plowing and chemical applications do not offer
any of these advantages. In collaboration with the ARSscientist, a researcher at the Entomology and Plant Protection Techniques
Laboratory at Skierniewicie (pronounced scare-na-vich-ee), Poland,
is evaluating hairy vetch and other cover crops for adaptability to
Polands chilly climate. The scientists also want to find out whether the
natural-mulch system can help overcome other problems faced by Polish farmers,
such as limited rainfall and contamination of surface and groundwater by
chemical fertilizers, manures and pesticides. Field studies are under way on Polish farms to compare the effectiveness of
the legume- mulch system with traditional Polish farming practices. One study
focuses on growing tomatoes and cabbage using hairy vetch, crimson clover and
rye cover crops. Another study is evaluating soybeans and blackeyed beans as
cover crops in no-till production of cabbage and cauliflower. Information from
these studies will be useful in development of affordable, environmentally
friendly vegetable production systems for small Polish farmers. Scientific contact: Aref A. Abdul-Baki, ARS
Vegetable Laboratory,
Beltsville, Md., phone (301) 504-5057, fax (301) 504-5555,
[email protected].
Stanislaw Kotlinski, Entomology and Plant Protection Techniques Laboratory,
Skierniewicie, Poland, phone 48-46-33-2947,
[email protected].
Story contacts Vegetable Laboratory U.S. Department of Agriculture | |