Green manuring can be explained as undecomposed green plant tissues for improving physical structure as well as soil fertility is called green manure. Green manuring, The principal means adding organic matter to the soil. The green-manure crop supplies organic matter as well as additional nitrogen for crops, extremely if it is a legume crop, due to its ability to fix nitrogen from the air with the help of its root nodule bacteria. The green-manure plants also help to protect against leaching and soil erosion. Before the flowering stage, Green manure to be mixed in the soil because they are grown for their green leafy material, which gives is more nutrients and helps the soil protection. Green manures will easy decomposition into the soil so quickly, but gradually, and it gives high nutrients to the soil for the next plants or crop.

Green manures It contains in two ways: by growing green manure crops in agricultural land or by collecting green leaf from plants grown in forest wastelands, and field bunds.Cowpea The crops that are grown and help for green manure known as green manure crops. The crops sunnhemp, dhaincha, pillipesara,cluster beans, and Sesbania rostrata are the most important green manure crops.

Green Leaf Manure

The collection of twigs of trees, green leaves and herbs and shrubs from where ever else is known as green leaf manuring. From the help of Forest, tree leaves are the important sources for green leaf manure. Plants that grow in wastelands , field bunds, etc., are the other source of green leaf manure. The subabul ,neem, mahua, glyricidia,wild indigo, Karanji, calotropis,and other shrubs. are the very important plant trees useful for green leaf manure.

Characteristics of green manure crops

• High nutrient ability, Short duration, fast-growing
• It helps to flood, shade, drought and reduce temperatures
• Pest and disease resistant
• Ease in incorporation
• Timely release of nutrients
• Efficiency in the use of water
• High-speed production
• Wide ecological adaptability
• High N accumulation rates
• High seed viability

Different types of green leaf manure crops

COWPEA

• Cowpea is one of the most important leguminous green leaf manure crops.
• Cowpea very well suited for green manure purposes and the plant is easily decomposable.
• In the months of June-July are best suited for the sowing of this manure.
• Even though in the summer month of March to April is also being cultivated.
• With the help of Rhizobium bacteria increase the fixation of nitrogen up to 40 kg/ha.

DHAINCHA (SESBANIA ACULEATE)

• Dhaincha is grown in loamy and clayey soils.
• Dhaincha has fairly grown in drought as well as the stagnation of water.
• And also it grows well even in alkaline soils and it has grown repeatedly for 4-5 years.
• The roots have plenty of nodules.
• Dhaincha yields about 10-15 tonnes of green manure per ha and gets a 30-40 kg/ha seed.
• With the help of Rhizobium strain with seeds fixes the Nitrogen 1 kg / day.

SESBANIA SPECIOSA

• It is a most important green manure for wetlands and grown in a wide range of soils.
• This green manure Sesbania seedling (21days) after can be planted in a single line at 5-10 cm in the borders of the fields.
• In 90 days SESBANIA SPECIOSA can produce about 2-4 tonnes of green manure per ha.
• Sesbania plant does not affect the rice yield by shading or root effect.
• When we second rice crop is planted immediately after the first crop, the manure can be incorporated into the field.
• Sesbania 300-400g of seeds is to raise nursery and plant the seeds around the boundary of one hectare.
• It helps to control insects Verticillium lacanii fungi is useful.

SUNNHEMP (CROTALARIA JUNCEA)

• Sunnhemp is an easy and fast-growing green manure crop and gets ready for mixed in the soil about 45 days after sowing.
• It does not require heavy irrigation leading to flooding.
• The crop is damage by leaf-eating caterpillars.
• The crop can produce about 8-12 tonnes of green manure per ha. and you will get the seed of 30 kg/ha.

INDIGO (INDIGOFERA TINCTORIA)

• Indigo looks the same wild indigo and is a long duration crop with looks bunch of leaf.
• It grows well in clayey soils with one or two irrigations.

PILLIPESARA (PHESEOLUS TRILOBUS)

• Pillipesara is a dual-purpose crops and good fodder for the cattle and green manure.
• Pillipesara grows up well in summer and grows well in loamy or clayey soils are best suited.
• The crop can be incorporated into the soil after light grazing by animals, or one or two cuttings for fodder.
• And you get 5-8 tonnes of green manure that can be obtained from one ha.

SESBANIA ROSTRATA

• It is one of the most important for green manure and produces nodules in the stem.
• It has a higher N content of 3.56% on a dry weight basis.
• The biomass content is higher during the hot session April - June than in winter Dec - Jan.
• Sesbania rostrata planted in the paddy field along the bunds or as an intercrop with rice. This can help as green manure and also be produced seedlings (30 days old).
• With the help of Rhizobium bacteria increases the nitrogen fixation about 60-100 kg/ha/year.

CALATROPIS (CALOTROPIS GIGANTCA)

• The plant grows under different kinds of soil and climatic conditions and grows On roadsides and fallow lands.
• Calatropis plant can produce about 4-5 kg of green manure and the leaves are more succulent.
• And it also helps in controlling soil born pests like a termite.

Advantages of green manure:

1. It decomposes rapidly and retains the organic matter in the soil
2. Green manures help the soil to improve both physical and chemical content
3. It gives energy to microbes
4. They provide nutrients to the present crop and also to the next crop
5. The green manure crops to prevent soil erosion
6. green manure crops help to control weeds
7. Most of the green manure crops are legumes, the use of nitrogenous fertilizers can be reduced