Page 81 - Final Report Improving information and developing a repository of sustainable soil management practices in Asia

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7. EXTENSION OF USING THE GREEN MANURE PLANT (SUNN. HEMP) IN SALINE

SOILS

1. General Information and description of best practice/technology

Information

Due to the fact that chemical fertilizers are currently expensive, farmers cannot afford to

buy them sufficiently to meet the demand of plants. There is also shortage of materials to make

compost. Therefore, green manure crops are materials for saline soil amendment suitably to
increase organic matter and nitrogen to soil. This is because they are cheap when compared with

using other types of organic fertilizer. There are no residues in soil. This aspect is good to the
environment. Green manure is grown to be chopped and covered up into the soil in improving the

soil in order to increase crop yields. This method can increase the available nitrogen for crops.
This approach is pretty much focused on currently in the age of high costs. It is considered as an

important method which makes people become aware of importance of reducing costs of

production in improving soil qualities to increase plant yields. Moreover, this approach helps
reduce soil salinity indirectly. In other words, soil properties are improved in terms of the fact that

the soil becomes more friable. As a result, salt on the ground is washed off to the soil at the bottom
more easily. There has been gathering of farmers in the area of Ban Kok Phrom, Non Thai sub-

district, Non Thai district, Nakhon Ratchasima province and areas of sub-districts nearby because

most farmers have an occupation of conducting rice farming mainly. Soil has low fertility due to
problems regarding degradation of soils having been used for planting industrial crops for a long

time. Therefore, this requires soil amendment in terms of physical, chemical and biological
structures. Therefore, the outreach is to make farmers in the area know the benefits from plowing

up and over to cover green manure plants, to demonstrate how to plough up and over to cover

green manure plants correctly and suitably so that farmers can rely on themselves and can apply
the knowledge in developing land in their own areas.

Initially, there were applicants applying to be members of the group accounting for 50
people. There is an operation committee consisting of 9 people. The establishment of the group

replacing agricultural chemicals with organic substances. Strong Farmers Extension Group in the

project of promoting organic substances use replacing agricultural chemicals.

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