2. DEFINITION Practice of growing crops (mostly legumes) and ploughing them under the soil when their tops are green. NOTE : Legumes are the best green manuring crops.

3. Why legumes are preferred?  They have ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil.  They are readily decomposing crops.  They add more organic matter.

4. Why Green Manuring is Necessary  To add organic matter into the soil  To maintain soil fertility level.  To improve the structure of soil.  To fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil.

5. Criteria For Green Manure Crops  Crop should be of short duration.  Vegetative growth rate should be high.  Produce more biomass.  Rapaidly decomposing.  Should have Fibrous root system.

6. Time Of Green Manuring  Mostly practiced in kharif season  High temperature help in rapid decomposition.  Six weeks usually required to complete decomposion.

7. Incorporation of green manure crops

8. GREEN MANURE CROPS GREEN BIO- MASS (t/ha) DRY BIO- MASS (t/ha) N CONTENT (%) N (Kg/ha) Cow pea9-103-41.4-1.5140-150 Mustard 3.5 Pigeon pea9-105-7 Susbania 1.5-44.3250-360 Soybean 5-7.4 310 Sunhemp5-195.5-61.7108 Sweet clover1262 PROPERTIES OF GREEN MANURE CROPS

9. Benefits Of Green Manuring  Increase in organic matter  Increase in soil fertility.  Reduction of inorganic fertilizer use  Increase in food quality  Improvement in soil properties  Increase in water holding capacity.

10.  Increase in porosity.  Improvement in soil structure  Toxic effects of heavy metals are reduced  pH of soil is reduced.  Cation exchange capacity of soil is increased  Leaching losses are reduced  Microbial activity is increased.

11. Major Green Manure Crops o Jantar o Guara o Sesbania o Berseem o Lucern o Sunhemp