The contribution of cover crops to the sustainability of agriculture is becoming increasingly evident in many regions of the world. Scientists and development agents are striving to integrate cover crops in agricultural production systems in many countries in tropical regions. However:
"mimicking the role of the forest by using short and early maturing species which are biologically very different from trees, entails several problems. The selection of the cover crop should be based on many complex variables: its nature, potential adaptation to the environment, reactions vis-a-vis pests and predators, effects in a given climate on the soil; the nature of the main crop and the potential use of the cover crop as fodder." G. Mangenot (prefacing Henri Botton, 1958: Les plantes de couverture : guide pratique de reconnaissance et d'utilisation des Légumineuses en Côte d'Ivoire)
This concern of Mangenot in 1958 is also our concern thirty years later. We hope that CIEPCA[1], the Center for Cover Crops Information and Seed Exchange in Africa will play a role in helping researchers in Africa to develop appropriate cover cropping systems.
This inaugural issue of the CIEPCA newsletter introduces CIEPCA and briefly describes some work carried out on cover cropping in Africa. It also gives additional sources of information on cover crops. We hope that future issues will carry more information including input from readers.
CIEPCA : historical background
At the initiative of the International Development Research Center (IDRC), a
regional workshop, organized by Sasakawa Global 2000 (SG 2000), the
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and the Ministry of
Rural Development of Benin, and entitled "Cover Crops and Green Manure in
Sustainable Agriculture in West Africa: Constraints and Opportunities" was
held in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, from 1 to 3 October 1997. The workshop,
funded by IDRC and SG 2000, was attended by 50 researchers and development
agents from 10 African countries and elsewhere. During this workshop,
participants identified the lack of information on cover crops and the lack of
seeds as two major bottlenecks to the development and adoption of cover crops
in African production systems.
Therefore, the participants recommended the creation of a nonbureaucratic body
that would facilitate information and seed exchange between West African
countries. This led to the inception of CIEPCA, which will publish biannually,
a newsletter to disseminate information on many aspects of cover crops.
CIEPCA objectives
CIEPCA aims to facilitate information flow on research, development and seed
availability of cover crops in sub-Saharan Africa. The specific objectives
are:
i. Collect all available information on cover crops research and development in
Africa and elsewhere in the tropics. Translate (English/French/English) and
disseminate detailed information where necessary to immediate beneficiaries
(researchers and extensionists developing and testing cover crops systems).
Document efforts toward adoption and actual cases of adoption of cover crops
systems in Africa.
ii. Facilitate information exchange on cover crops within and between countries
in Africa and elsewhere. The media of exchange are print (i.e., newsletter) and
electronic (diskette, e-mail, internet). E-mail connectivity of country contact
persons will be improved. The newsletter will carry abstract of reports,
information on current research and development activities, and sources of
additional information. Electronic information will be similar to print except
that more detail will be made available as databases (legumes, cover crops
researchers, etc.) and full reports.
iii. Multiplication and distribution of seeds of cover crops to researchers and
extensionists in Africa with particular emphasis on the following countries:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria,
Senegal, and Togo. Linkage to IITA for support on characterization, germplasm
storage and phytosanitary guidelines.
iv. Stimulate research on strategic issues influencing the utilization of cover
crops in the region by funding adoption/impact studies, reviewing available
literature, and searching for additional donor support.
CIEPCA Contact persons
Contact persons representing the countries that participated in the
Cotonou workshop were appointed in order to facilitate the distribution of
cover crops seeds (using proper phytosanitary precautions) and the
dissemination of information. They are:
For West Africa
Other regions
(Full addresses via the CIEPCA Coordinator)
More contact persons may be appointed later in order to facilitate information
exchange and seed distribution in these countries or others.
CIEPCA Steering Committee
The CIEPCA Steering Committee is composed of a group of people who can
be easily contacted by the coordinator, either by telephone or by e-mail. They
are as follows:
K. Aïhou, INRAB, Niaouli
(Full addresses via the CIEPCA Coordinator)
The Steering Committee members assist the coordinator in decision making mostly
by e-mail, but also by periodic meetings if necessary
CIEPCA Coordinator
Mr Albert C. Etèka, a Beninese holds a graduate degree from the
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the National University of Benin. From
February 1989 to December 1996, he worked with the Technology Transfer Unit
(TTU), IITA-Benin. TTU's mandate was to liaise between the national
agricultural research systems (NARS) of Benin, Togo, Niger and Chad and IITA,
particularly IITA-Ibadan. Since January 1997 as coordinator of CIEPCA, Mr
Etèka works with IITA's Resource and Crop Management Division (RCMD) which
focuses on the development of sustainable farming systems
Activities of
cover crops workshop participants
During the workshop on cover crops in October 1996, some participants
specified activities they would carry out in relation to cover crops and green
manure. These are reproduced below for your information
Agossou Valérien
Aïhou Kouessi
Amadji Firmin
Amidou Moutaharou
Dagbenonbakin Gustave
Gokou Gérard
Houngnandan Pascal
Vissoh Pierre and Fantchede Ambroise (Benin/Togo)
Yaï Kegnidé
Segda Zacharie
Zougmore Robert
Youri Alphonse
Fianu Franck
Dembele Elie
Zoumana Kouyaté
Seydou Diémé
Sock Issa
If you are interested in any of these activities, please contact the CIEPCA
Coordinator for the address of the contact persons.
ABSTRACTS OF REPORTS RELATED TO COVER CROPS
GEPRENAF's work on yam-based systems
Recently, the GEPRENAF[3] (Participatory
Management of Natural Resources and Fauna) project requested a World Bank team
to conduct a study on the stabilization of yam-based systems. This study was
conducted in the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire and the south of Burkina
Faso which are major yam-producing areas. The study concluded that soil
fertility is a constraint to yam production. Based on their observations and
discussions with farmers, extension workers, and scientists from many West
African countries, the Review Team indicated that the introduction of
Mucuna and Pueraria into the rotation scheme seems to be the best
method of improving the yam-based system in the future.
For further information, please contact Lassa Traoré, Coordinator,
GEPRENAF, Banfora (Burkina Faso) or Fanny N'Golo, Coordinator, GEPRENAF
(Côte d'Ivoire), Tel: 225-21-07-00, Abidjan
Chromolaena odorata : Weed or cover crop?
Following a study conducted in the Gagnoa (Côte d'Ivoire) forest
zone, P. Aufray and H. Gbaka Tchetche reported that Chromolaena odorata
(Asteraceae) could be used as a cover crop, has a very high mineral
content, and that the nitrogen content of its leaves is close to that of fodder
legume crops. Their analyses revealed that 2 t/ha of C. odorata leaf dry
matter provides 60 kg/ha of nitrogen, 5 kg/ha of phosphorous, 46 kg/ha of
potassium, and 43 kg/ha of calcium. They suggested the need to relativize
biological control programs of this weed. Indeed, they suggest the use of C.
odorata as mulch (in association with the application of herbicide
containing 2,4-D) as a simple alternative to shifting cultivation. However,
they suggested improvements in these management practices, given that weed
proliferation is the major constraint to the establishment of agricultural
activities in humid zones.
For further information please contact P. Aufrey: CIRAD-CA, B.P. 1465,
Bouaké 01, Côte d'Ivoire or H. Gbaka Tchetche: IDESSA, B.P. 633,
Bouaké 01, Cˆte d'Ivoire.
Canavalia ensiformis for animal feed and human
consumption
For further information, please contact:
Benin: Albert Etèka
Burkina Faso: Zacharie Segda
Cameroon: Alphonse Youri
Côte d'Ivoire: Mathias Becker
Ghana: Paterson Osei-Bonsu
Mali: M'Piè Bengaly and Elie Dembélé
Senegal: Fatou Gueye
Togo: Ambroise Fantchede
France: Pascal Marnotte
Zambia: Freddie Kwesiga
M. Galiba, SG2000-Cotonou,
S.A. Tarawali, IITA/ILRI, Ibadan,
R.J. Carsky, IITA, Cotonou
A.C. Etèka, IITA, Cotonou
Adelabou Jérémie
- Assess the impact of Mucuna on maize in the Atacora
department
- Jointly organize with the Training Service, an information and training
workshop on cover crops and their benefit in livestock-crop
integration
- Propose a preextension theme on sole Mucuna cropping for one
year in an improved fallow
- Request the R&D unit in the Atacora department to conduct tests on (i)
Mucuna/cereal rotation for Striga control and (ii) trials on the
use of woody legume hedgerows for Mucuna plots
- Identify short-duration varieties of Mucuna for the far northern
region of Benin
- Conduct trials on the efficiency of fences in protecting improved fallows
planted with Mucuna
- Propose alternative management practices: study farmers' perception on
burying Mucuna at the end of the rainy season (end of cycle tillage) in
the absence of fencing
- Conduct quantitative and qualitative evaluation of selected varieties
of Mucuna sp. in the Niaouli collection
- Study the effect of cover plant x amendment x manure interaction on maize
yield
- Study the effect of the following rotations: maize/Mucuna sp.,
maize/Canavalia, maize/egusi, Canavalia/Tephrosia, and
maize/cassava on soil and crop productivity
- Inspect diseased or attacked Mucuna plants to identify the
vectors (in collaboration with IITA)
- Study the evolution of organic matter in tillage (Ouémé) and
non-tillage cropping systems (Mono) in collaboration with Centre National d'Agro-Pédologie (CENAP)
- Conduct trials on the use of Mucuna in weed control, e.g.,
Imperata
- Determine the chemical fertilizer formula on maize after one, two,
and three years of fallow planted with Canavalia ensiformis and
Aeschynomene histrix
- Introduce short-duration Mucuna in Benin for trials in the
northern region
- Use selected legumes in the biodegradation of natural phosphate and
limestone in Onigbolo
- Monitor the pH levels in the plots of farmers who adopted Mucuna
- Conduct legume-based intercropping for soil fertility restoration
- Plant cover crop varieties in the coastal region to eradicate
Imperata cylindrica
- Study the symbiotic properties for a better establishment of Mucuna
in the production systems in various soil types in Benin
- Study various processes in the dynamics of Mucuna organic matter
- Assess the efficiency of organic and inorganic nitrogen utilization in relay
cropping with cover crops (Mucuna)
- Assess the impact of Mucuna on Striga in northern Benin
and Togo
- Assess the usefulness of the Mucuna pruriens var.
utilis seed project in order to meet the needs of pastoralists and
agropastoralists in the area
- Propose thorny hedgerow tree species for use as fence for fodder plots
Nonguierma Edouard
- Promote the use of Mucuna for the recovery of soils under
intercropping in reafforested areas not currently exploitable and for the
regeneration of soils under heavy degradation
- Integrate Lablab into the soil to enhance soil fertility
- Introduce Mucuna pruriens, Canavalia ensiformis,
Centrosema pubescens, and Calopogonium mucunoides on farm
- Conduct varietal trials on Mucuna and creeping Canavalia whose
cycles are adapted to the duration of the rainy season in dry areas
Mbarga Célestin
- Integrate Mucuna into the sedentary production system to
enhance the productivity of the environment
- Use Mucuna as a cover crop to control Comelina sp. in northern
Cameroon
- Use Lablab as a cover crop, fodder, and to enhance milk production
Becker Mathias
- Conduct research on legume crops intercropping
Dogbe Wilson
- Conduct maize-Mucuna rotation trials
- Conduct alley cropping trials using Cajanus cajan, Leuceana,
and Glyricidia as hedgerows mixed with Mucuna and Dolichos
lablab
- Conduct strip cropping trials using pigeon peas, Leuceana, and
Glyricidia with cereal crops mixed with Mucuna and
Dolichos
- Conduct legume crop intercropping trials (Mucuna-Canavalia,
Mucuna-Pueraria, Mucuna-Dolichos,
Calopogonium-Stylosanthes followed by Stylosanthes-Mucuna)
- Assess the effect of nutritional levels of Mucuna fodder on the
performance of ruminants
- Assess the effect of nutritional levels of Mucuna grain flour on the
performance of pigs and poultry
Bengaly M'Piè
- Identify Mucuna varieties that are adapted to semiarid zones (800-1000
mm) during a 4- to 5-month vegetative period and that can be mixed with cereal
crops
- Conduct large-scale dissemination of workshop results, notably
opportunities, experiences of other countries in terms of cover crop
performances vis-a-vis soil fertility, significant reduction of
weeds, and fodder production
- Sensitize production units to the need for an appropriate incorporation of
cover crops during the forthcoming cropping season
- Provide the CIEPCA coordinator with all the extension technical forms (used
by CMDT)
- Formulate Lablab and Sesbania rostrata-based recipes for human
consumption
Fatou Gueye
- Introduce short-duration Mucuna varieties to selected pilot
farmers in the Niayes zone in order to enhance soil fertility
- Assess the varietal performance of short-duration legume cover crops and
green manure on station
- Assess the effect of Mucuna on irrigated soils infested by nematodes
in the research station of the "Centre pour le Développement de
l'Horticulture de Cambèrène" in Dakar
- Conduct performance trial on Dolichos lablab, Canavalia
ensiformis, and any other short-duration varieties
- Introduce Mucuna to small-scale irrigated schemes in the Northern
part of Senegal
- Assess on-farm adaptability of Mucuna as manure in irrigated rice
production and conduct performance trials
Kwesiga Freddie
- Assess Mucuna performance in subhumid zones in Zambia
Farmers in northern Thailand use C. ensiformis to control
Imperata cylindrica and its immature pods for human consumption. People
in the Huai Hom community (northern Thailand) are fond of young pods of C.
ensiformis. Mature pods are poisonous (unless they are well cooked; they
must be boiled in water which should be changed a number of times during the
cooking.
3907 Crestview Rd.
S. W. Calgary, Alberta
CanadaT2T-2L5
Tel/fax: (403) 243-2452
E-mail: (RD-JOHSON@msn.com)
| Species | Area (ha) |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
| Mucuna spp. var Rajada[4] | 5.5 |
| Mucuna spp. var Preta | 7 |
| Mucuna utilis | 3 |
| Mucuna cochinchinensis | 0.25 |
| Canavalia ensiformis[5] | 1 |
| Aeschynomene histrix | 1 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
| Total | 17.75 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
When the multiplication plots were visited in October 97, collaborators were setting up firebreaks around these plots. Indeed, in the West African subregion, bush fires are a calamity for crops such as Mucuna in particular. Mucuna spp. var Rajada was already producing pods while M. utilis was yet to flower. If this operation goes smoothly, about five tonnes of M. spp. var Rajada is expected in 1998.
LEXSYS 2.1
LEXSYS is a database of herbaceous legumes (90 data fields) and software which makes it possible to search the database using 45 selection criteria. The legume crops are classified on the basis of ecological adaptability, cropping systems niche (characteristics which influence the integration into the cropping system), contributions to the production systems, and pest problems. Each procedure identifies a list of legumes which meet the selection criteria. The references used to set up the database can also be accessed. LEXSYS runs on a personal computer with DOS.
Both the LEXSYS 2.1 program and manual are available at CIEPCA; please contact the CIEPCA Coordinator.
Cover crops directory
The directory on cover crops in Africa is composed of persons interested in R&D or in the promotion of cover crops in Africa. All the Cotonou workshop participants expressed their wish to be in this directory. Others who would like to be included should fill in the form on the last page of this newsletter. You can make photocopies of the form and distribute them to your colleagues.
Please return the form to the CIEPCA Coordinator in order to receive future issues of the newsletter.
Contributions on experiences, research or observations, literature, etc., on cover crops are most welcome and may be sent to the CIEPCA Coordinator for publication in future issues of the newsletter. Brief articles (one page or less) can be included in the newsletter as submitted, however the editorial committee will be happy to summarize a longer report.
Next issue
The next issue of the newsletter, due in August-September 1998, will include the following :
Directory form on Cover Crops in Africa
(Please fill in and send back to CIEPCA Coordinator[6])
Name (in capital letters):
Language in which you wish to receive the newsletter: French ( ) English ( )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brief description of your experiences on cover crops:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title of your article for the next newsletter:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First name (s):
Profession:
Title:
Telephone (home):
Mailing Address (PO Box):
Town:
Street:
Country:
E-mail:
Fax:
Name of your institution or section :
Name of the Section Director :
Governmental institution ( ) NGO ( )
Telephone (office):
E-mail:
Fax:
Information (description) on the location of your work place:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
08 B.P. 0932 Tri Postal Cotonou, Benin (West Africa) Tel: 229-35 01 88 Fax: 229-35 05 56 E-mail: <a.eteka@cgnet.com> |