T Shobha Rani, Dr. R Umareddy, Ch Ramulu and T Sukruth Kumar

No crop will grow well without adequate nutrition and it has to be remembered that maximum performance will depend on a good nutrient balance, adequate moisture levels and an appropriate pH. As a rule short term green manures should not need additional fertility inputs as long as nutrient balances are addressed. Green manures as fertility building crops, they have been used in traditional agriculture for thousands of years but conventional farming systems largely rejected them as the use of fertilizers and pesticides became more common. Although they have many roles they are still often under utilized by today's organic farmers. However, recent emphasis on reducing the environmental impact of all farming systems has led to a growing interest from the conventional sector. A wide range of plant species can be used as green manures. Different ones bring different benefits and the final choice is influenced by many considerations which will be discussed in this review. If the most is to be made from green manure crops it is important that they are carefully integrated into the crop rotation and proper attention paid to their husbandry.

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