Annadana

Soil and Seed Savers

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

SoilFertilityManagementTechnique

Annadana

Componentsofsoilfertilitymanagement

1.Greenmanure

4.Botanicalcakes

2.Compost

5.OGP

Soil & Seed Savers

3.BioCharcoal

6.Mulching

7.Croprotation

Annadana

1.Greenmanure

Soil & Seed Savers

Green manure can be defined as

the practice of turning fresh
green

plant

tissues

green

biomass from 10 to 20 tonnes

per acre in 45 days into the soil
to develop the soils

physical

structure, increasing soil fertility

Greenmanure(greenbiomass)

and organic matter content.

Daincha

Sorghum+Cowpea

Cowpea

Sunhemp

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

1. During the fallow season, grow

different green manure plants on the
vegetable beds
2. It is essential to keep a high Carbon
nitrogen ratio in our choice of green
manure pump plants, a cover crop
combination.
3. The concept is to mix one plant with a
high Carbon content and one which is
a leguminous plant.

Daincharootzone

Cowpearootzone
4. Leguminous green manure crops
adds nitrogen essential for plant
growth, to the soil by fixing
atmospheric nitrogen in the roots.
5. Fiber crops add bio mass, roots,
carbon and lignin to the soil,
which will decay and produce the
life giving substance known as
humus.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Cultivatinggreenmanure(Gr.M)
inraisedbed.

Sunhemp Seed highcarbonand

highnitrogen Gr.M

MixingSunhempandCowpeaseeds
beforesowing

Sunhempandcowpea
Cowpea Seed leguminous
nitrogenfixingGr.M

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Makearaisedbedbyusingthesoilfromthepathinbetween2raisedbeds.
Raisebedoptimaldimensionare:10minlengthorwhatisconvenient,0.8m
to1minbreathand5 10cminheightbeforegreenmanuresowing.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

SelectedGr.Mseedsreadyfor

Gr.Mseedsaresownontop of

sowing

thenewlypreparedraisedbed

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Soil & Seed Savers

Gr.Mseedstobesownby

CoverthesownGr.Mseedsby

providingoptimumspacing

turninggently thesurfaceofthebed

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Soil & Seed Savers

Or,cover thesownGr.Mseedswith

Or,coverthesownGr.Mseedswhile

soilfromthepath

raking

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Soil & Seed Savers

Afterhavingcoveredtheseedswithsoil,Water thesowngreenmanureseeds
orwaitfortherainifplannedin a rainyseason

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Germinatedgreenmanurecropgrowthafteraweek

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Soil & Seed Savers

Greenmanureat20Daysafter

Greenmanureat30Days after

Sowing(Days)

Sowing

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Soil & Seed Savers

Greenmanurecropgrowthat35days aftersowing

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Soil & Seed Savers

Greenmanurecropgrowthat40days aftersowing

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Soil & Seed Savers

Greenmanurecropgrowthatthetimeofincorporation 45 50days

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Soil & Seed Savers

CuttheGr.M atthebaseleavingthe

Chopthecutgreenmanureforquick

roots insidethesoil.

andeasydecomposition

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Soil & Seed Savers

Thechoppedgreenbiomassshould
bespread ontopofthevegetable
raisedbedfordecomposition

Inoculated withOGP

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Coverthegreenmanure(greenbiomass)withthesoilfromthepath to
activatedecomposition.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

After 3 weeks the bio mass

decomposition has transformed
the original soil (red) into a
blackish, sweet smelling, fertile
soil.

The original poor soil had

become well structured and
inhabited by an impressive
population of earth worms.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Sorghum andcowpea,indigo,sunhemp

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Soil & Seed Savers

Cuttingandincorporationofgreenmanure
sorghumand sunhemp

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AddingOGPandcoveringwithsoilfromthe
pathtoactivatedecomposition.

Soil & Seed Savers

Fewothercombinationsofgreenmanurecrop atthetime Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

ofincorporation

Indigo

Sorghum&Indigo

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Sunhemp

Sorghum&Sunhemp

MultiplebenefitsofGreenmanure

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Green manure crops generate 10 to 20 tonnes per acre of green bio mass in 45
days, depending on soil and climatic conditions.
It also increases organic matter content,
earthworms

occurrence

and

beneficial

microorganisms in the soil.

It increases soil fertility and improves soil
structure and helps prevent soil erosion.
It increases the soils available nitrogen and
promotes moisture retention.
It brings deep minerals to the surface and
break up soil hardpans.
It improves water, root and air penetration
in the soil and suppresses the weed
growth.
It is economical and easy to grow.

Annadana

2.Compost

Soil & Seed Savers

Compost is the residue created from the

decomposition and recombining of various
forms of plant and animal life such as leaves,
grass, wood, garbage, natural fiber, bones or
any natural bio mass materials. This compost is
obtained through composting process.
Composting is the controlled decomposition or
breakdown of organic matter by a large number
of mixed populations of microorganisms in a
warm, moist, aerated environment. It is a
process

of

transformation

of

raw

organic

materials into biologically stable humus

substances, suitable as plant nutrients.

Compostapplicationtechnique

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Preparepitsinthevegetableraisedbed,3dayspriortocomposting

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Add2handfullorabout1kgofcompostineachpitat3differentlevel. In
total3kgor3doublehandfullofcompostare required.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Level1 Addfirst1handfullor
1kgofcompostinthepit.

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Soil & Seed Savers

Mixwellthecompostandpit
soilbyhandhoeorspadeor
throughhand

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Soil & Seed Savers

Level2 Addasecondhandfullor1kgofcompostinthepit

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Mixthecompostandthesoilin
thepitwelleitherbyspade,
hoeorviahand.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Level3 Addlastandfinala
handfullor1kgofcompostin
thetoplayer.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Mixthecompostandthetop
layersoilwell

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Mixwellandmakeaheapandallowthepittosettleforafew
days,iftimepermits,beforesowingortransplanting

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Multiplebenefitofcompost
1. Compostcontainsplantnutrients
2. Compostimprovesthephysical
conditionofsoils
3. Compostincreasesthewaterholding
capacity ofsoil
4. Compostenhancesplantroot
penetration
5. Compostpreventssoilerosion
6. Compost concentrates farm residues
7. Compost promotes soil health and plant
productivity
8. Compost helps to combat
pathogens and weed seeds

plants

9. Compost releases nutrients slowly

Annadana

3.BioCharcoal
Biocharcoal
is
biomass
(wood,
branches, trimmings,) that is converted
into charcoal through a process of
pyrolysis: heating in the absence of
oxygen, and prevents burning of the
biomass (which happens in open fires)
Biocharcoal is nothing but carbon
having a structure made of millions of
tiny air sac pores. This air sac pores
increase the total internal surface area of
the charcoal up to 300 2,000 sq.m per
gram.
The biocharcoal acts as a food bank and
stores precious nutrients, moisture and
microorganisms in its structure. It is
durable and remains for years acting
further as a regulator.

Soil & Seed Savers

FreshBioCharcoal

Tinyairsacporousin
biocharcoal

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Bio charcoalapplicationtechnique

PreparedOGPmixturetoinoculate
biocharcoal

PreparedOGPandbiocharcoal

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Addbiocharcoalintothe
OGPmixture

Allowthismixturetosoakfor1dayprior
topitpreparationandstirwell
periodically.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Taketheinoculatedbiocharcoal
fromtheOGPmixture

Theinoculatedbiocharcoalis
readyforapplication.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Enrichedbiocharcoalkeptready
forpitapplication

Applyonehandfull(100gms)of
enrichedbiocharcoalinaprepared
pit

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Equallyspreadtheinoculatedbiocharcoalinthepitafterapplicationof
compostandbotanicalcakes

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Mixthebiocharcoalwithotherinputslikecompostandbotanicalcakesalong
withsoilandmakeaheap.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Multiplebenefitofbio charcoal
1. Theextremelyhighabsorptionandretentionofnutrients bytheairsacpresent
inthebiocharcoal.
2. Theextremelyhighpersistenceofbiocharcoal(stability)
3. Biocharcoal,highlyincreasesthesoilmicrobialfunctions andsoilwater
holdingcapacity.
4. Whenaddedtothesoilitcansignificantlyimproveyieldimmediately
especiallywheninoculatedwithOrganicGrowthPromotersandBioPlant
extracts.
5. Thecarbon,whenrecycledintothesoil,providesastablelongtermremovalof
carbon(dioxide)fromtheatmosphere.

Soilswithbiocharcoaladditionsaretypicallymorefertile,produce
moreandhealthycropsoveralongerperiodoftime.

Annadana

4.Botanicalcakes

Soil & Seed Savers

After the extraction of oil from certain

oilseeds, the pith / residue obtained is
called a botanical cake.
Botanical cakes is a good source of organic
nitrogen.
Botanical cakes have pesticide property
Neemcake

and disease control.

The

cake

obtained

from

groundnut,

sesame, neem and pongam seeds is used as

organic manure and bio pesticide.
Neem cake and pongam cake applications
act as both manure and pest control, since
they have biopesticide, insect repellant
and anti feeding properties.

Pongamcake

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Botanicalcakeapplicationtechnique

ReadyNeemcakeforapplication

Apply100gramsNeemcakeper
pit

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Addtheneemcakeintopit

Neemcakeaddedalongwith
compostandbiocharcoal,
duringthepitmixture
preparation

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Mixwellalltheingredients(compost+biocharcoal+neemcake+
soil),andmakeaheap

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

5.Organicgrowthpromoters
OGP are plant biostimulants that promote
plant growth and development.
The importance of OGP lies in their ability
to promote hormonal activity in plants.
Plant

hormones

are

chemical

communicators, or agents, which help

Panchagavya

regulate a plants development and its

response to its surrounding environment.
OGP also promotes antioxidant production
in plants.
They are used in small concentration, thus
being economical, but to be applied 46
times during a plant life cycle for optimum
results.

Efficientmicroorganism

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

OGPapplicationtechnique

PreparedOGP:panchagavyaand
efficientmicroorganism

Panchagavya

Efficientmicroorganism

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

AddOGP,300mlof
panchagavyaand50mlof
efficientmicroorganisminto
therosecan

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

InoculateOGPinthe
preparedpitheap

Addwater

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

InoculateOGP,immediatelyafteraddingpitmixture(compost,bio
charcoalandbotanicalcakes)inthepit3dayspriorsowingor
transplanting,iftimepermits.

Annadana

MultiplebenefitofOGP

Soil & Seed Savers

Spraying organic growth promoters

enhances the production of a bigger and
denser canopy, activates biological efficiency,
enabling
production
of
maximum
metabolites and photosynthesis.
The trunk produces side shoots, the stem
growth stocky, leaves growth bigger, the
plant growth healthier and is capable of
supporting maximum fruits to maturity.

Amirthakaraisal

The rooting is profuse and dense,

spreading and growing into deeper sub soil
layers. This helps maximize intake of
nutrients and water and subsequently
increases the yield.
The organic growth promoter forms a thin
oily film on the leaves and stems, thus
reducing
evaporation
and
enhancing
drought hardiness.

Fishextract

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Soil & Seed Savers

Transplantingseedlings

Afteraweekthepreparedpitsarereadyfortransplanting

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Digaholemanuallyinthepreparedpitsbeforetransplanting

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Soil & Seed Savers

Carefullytransplanttheseedlingintothepreparedpitand
compactthesoilsurroundingit

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Soil & Seed Savers

Transplantedseedlingintothepreparedpit

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Transplantedfieldintothepreparedraisedbedsandpits

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Soil & Seed Savers

Thepreparedheaphas
tosettledown tothe
groundlevel.Healthy
seedlingsarereadyfor
transplanting

Transplanted
seedlinginthe
preparedpit

Healthygrowth
andhighyieldis
ensured.

Annadana

6.Mulching

Soil & Seed Savers

Mulch is simply a protective layer

of biomass material that is spread
on top of the soil. This protective
layer is biodegradable.
It

prevents

evaporation

and

regulates soil temperature which is

favourable for root development.
A variety of materials are used as
mulch:

organic

residues,

grass

clippings, leaves, hay, straw, roof

clips, shredded bark, coconut fibre.
Many of these materials also act as
indirect composting system.

Mulchingenrichesandprotectsthesoil,providingabettergrowing
environment.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Organic mulch is usually applied

towards the beginning of the growing
season, and may be reapplied as
necessary.
Organic mulch like straw and hay, are
cut into clips and spread by hand
around emerged plants. This mulch is
usually piled up two to three inches
or more. They settle and decompose
during the season.

Roofclipsmulchinginwatermelon

Grassclipmulchinginwatermelon
Mulches made from grass,
straw, hay and coconut fibre,
are generally lighter and easier
to use, with the added
advantages of being bio
degradable. They also retain
moisture and control weed to a
certain extend.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Mulching

Harvestthoseplants.

Selectgrasses,weeds(without
seeds),freegrowingplantsfor
mulching

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Choppedclipsofbiomass
mulcharereadyformulching

Transferthemulching
materialstowardthegarden

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Mulchingdoneinbhendi
plants

Coverproperlyallthesoil
surfacearoundthecrops

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Mulchingdoneincapsicum
plants

Mulchingdoneincornplants

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Soil & Seed Savers

MultiplebenefitsofMulching

Mulchingadjustsandregulatetemperature.Ithelpsthesoiltostaycool
duringhotandsummerconditionsandretainsheatduringthecoolseason.

Itcontrolsweed growthbyblockingthesunlightandgermination.

Itretainswaterbyslowingdownevaporation.

Itaddsorganicmatterandnutrientstothesoilthroughthegradual
breakdownofthemulchmaterial.

Itcontrolssoilerosion byprotectingsoilfromrain.

Mulchesslowlydecompose,theyprovideorganicmatter whichhelpskeep
thesoilloose,improvesrootgrowth,increasestheinfiltrationofwater,and
waterholdingcapacity ofthesoil.

Organicmatterisasourceofplantnutrientsandprovidesanideal
environmentforearthwormsandotherbeneficialsoilorganisms.

7.CropRotation

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Soil & Seed Savers

Crop rotation is the practice of growing alternatively different types of crops

(different species) in the same area in sequential seasons for various benefits.
A component of polyculture and biodiversity.
Growing the same crops in the same site year after year can encourage a build
up of pests & diseases in the soil. Crops should be moved to a different area of
land each year, and not returned to the original site for several years.
Vegetables also have various mineral needs and continuous cropping of one
particular crop can lead to the imbalance levels of nutrients in the soil.
When crops are rotated, it prevents the build up of pests and diseases in the soil
and aid the vegetables in their nutrient needs.
For vegetable crops a 3 to 4 year rotation is usually recommended as a
minimum.
It is a fact that the vegetables growth and yield is better in a soil when a different
crop has been grown prior, than in a soil that has been used with repeated crops.

Annadana

Bhendi/
Amaranth
(May Aug)

Capsicum/
Chilly
(Nov April)
3rd ear

Green
manure
(Sep Oct)
3rd year

Green
manure
(Sept Oct)
1st year

Soil & Seed Savers

Tomato/
Brinjal
(Nov April)
1st year

ExampleofCrop
rotation fora3year
periodinthesame
pieceofland

Cucumber/
watermelon
(May Aug)
2nd year

Corn/Beans
(Nov April)
2ndyear

Squash/
Gourds
(May Aug)
1st year

Green
manure
(Sept Oct)
2nd year

Annadana

Multiple Uses of Crop rotation

Soil & Seed Savers

It avoids the build up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one
species is continuously cropped.
It also seeks to balance the fertility demands of various crops to avoid
excessive depletion of the same soil nutrients.
A traditional component of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen
through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals / millets /
vegetables and other crops.
It can also improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deeprooted
and shallowrooted plants.
Crop rotation also helps a variety of natural predators to survive on the
farm.
Controls soil erosion
Mitigates the risk of weather changes
Finally increases yields and net profits.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Reapresultsby
thispractice of
sustainable,high
yielding,fertility
managementsystem.

Takecareof
thesoilandthe
plantswill
takecareof
you.

Annadana

Soil & Seed Savers

Forfurtherenquiries,contactusat:
AnnadanaSeedBank
AurovilleBotanicalGarden
Auroville,Villupuramdist,Tamilnadu 605101.
Email:seedbank@annadana.com
Phone:04132622667

Formoreinformationlogontoourwebsite
www.annadana.com

Thankyou