Description
Calopogonium Mucunoides (CM) is a vigorous, creeping, twining or trailing, short-lived perennial Legume. Calopogonium Mucunoides is a pioneer cover crop used as Nitrogen Fixing Legume in Palm Oil and Rubber Plantations. Mainly used as cover crop in tropical tree plantations in Malaysia, Indonesia and Africa. Calopogonium mucunoides establishes faster after seeding and can cover the soil within few months, or even faster in newly cleared, fertile land. It can be sown alone or with other cover crops like PJ. It adapts wide range of soils types, but it does better on acidic clay soils (pH 4.5-5). The Nitrogen-fixing ability of Calopogonium mucunoides is lower when compare to Pueraria (PJ). Calopogonium mucunoides is moderately shade tolerant and can grow in plantations where light transmission is between 60 and 100 %, but is not tolerant of heavy shade.
Strengths
- Soil Protection against erosion
- Reduces soil temperature
- Improves soil fertility and controls weeds.
- Nitrogen Fixer
- Covers the soil faster
- Adapted to the hot and wet tropics