Nature will protect its resources by its own way!. Imagine the heavy rainfall and afforestation in recent years. What happens if there is an absence of this weed Sphagneticola trilobata?
Can weeds help farmers? Or does it suppresses the yield? If you think weed is an enemy you will lose soil fertility. If you consider weeds as soil cover you will improve your soil health. Soil comprises many flora and fauna. Alge to tree all is their role in soil structure improvement. Sphagneticola trilobata recently entered the creeper plant by the grace of nature. It protected the topsoil and covered the soil with live mulch. If there was no such plant cover upon soil there was a huge loss of fertile soil, by erosion.
- Now everywhere we find earthworks.
- Day and night soil digging work is going on by JCBs and other excavating machines.
- They turn up the soil.
- In this activity, soil stiffness will be lost and it will easily be prone to erosion.
- In recent years many un utilized land are used to cultivate crops and other purposes.
- In this process, it is essential to land preparation.
- Mechanical land preparation is the ultimate way now.
- So soil turning and soil erosion is very common.
- This weed covers any type of soil within a short span.
- It covers the land completely and retains more and more years.
- Even weedicides are also not destroyed.
Nature’s gift why?
- Around 30-40 years back, there was a weed plant Chromolaena odorata that entered our heavy rainfall belts.
- People thought it is impossible to control this weed.
- Without any measures, plants become very rare now.
- In this place, the new plant a wild chrysanthemum entered and protected our precious soil.
- This creeper plant survives in adverse climates and also grows in very poor soil.
- The plant has got roots in every leaf axils and even a pice also survive.
- The flower of the plant has a good anther to pollinators.
- Initially, people thought it is a useless plant.
- But now almost all use this for fodder for cows and buffalo It is fibrous fodder that will increase the milk yield.
- If this creeper is not entered there was a huge loss of topsoil in heavy rainfall areas.
- Topsoil erosion is the ruin of food production.
What happened nowadays?
- Unfortunately, now we are not following the traditional method of crop cultivation because of several problems.
- Undulated lands and less fertile lands have also become cropping areas.
- Soil covers like shrubs and lower plants are uprooted.
- We are cultivating more and more land for our survival.
- In this process, we neglect the top soil importance.
- Topsoil is the main factor in agriculture productivity.
- If we lose a small portion of topsoil, we lose more.
- Now every year we are losing a maximum amount of topsoil because of cover less soil surface.
- The major problem in agriculture is fertility loss.
- We supplement lots of organic compounds to soil, but it will be lost because of water erosion.
- One ton of organic matter creates less than 100 kg of topsoil.
- If there was no sufficient top soil there was less number of soil organisms like earthworms and bacteria and beneficial fungi.
- Soil cover prevents erosion and living much will provide continuous organic substances to the soil.
- This weed covers the like a mat upon the soil and does not allow erosion.
- Its roots till the top soil surface and become loose.
- Under the plant moisture will retain.
- Soil organisms are more active under this cover.
How to utilize this plant:
- This weed is a fast-growing creeper. So if you prune with any mechanical cutters it will spurt immediately.
- When we have works like harvest and manuring in that time we have some problems in this weed.
- Deep pruning in summer, will be an organic much for soil. It will decompose early.
- There were no studies on the nutritional facts of this plant.
- In general, it is good organic matter. Some people tried this to feed chickens also.
- But it is commonly used for cow and buffalo fodders.
We can use this plant as a soil conservator on the roadsides, and on unutilized lands. Public parks, it is a good and attractive land cover. On river banks, it will reduce the erosion problem. In summer it conserves moisture. In the rainy season, it prevents erosion. There are a lot of benefits from the plant. But few people are using weedicides for its control. But permanent removal is not an easy task.
