Cover/Inter Crops cultivation in mango orchards

Cover/Inter crops mean crops, especially leguminous plants that cultivate within the main crops. The cultivation of cover crops such as Maskalai beans, soybeans, lentils, Mustards and alfalfa on the land increases crop production by increasing the nutrient content of the soil without harming the main crops. Cultivating these crops plays a significant role in improving the environment by reducing the chemical uses meanwhile, creates additional economic benefit for the farmers.

Under the initiative of the Ghashful SEP project, the mango farmers of the project area have always been getting advices on cover crop cultivation. As a result, in the current season (2022), about 30% (estimated) of mango farmers in the Sapahar and Niamatpur areas have been cultivated Maskalai in mango orchards as a cover crop was almost zero earlier in 2020 (Chart).

Chart: Trend in cultivating cover crops (Mashkalai) in project area. 

In comparing the trend of planting mango with other crops, the study found that farmers' perceptions about cover crop cultivation have changed significantly. Many farmers have been showing interest in cover cropping/intercropping within the mango orchard because the method has been given additional income to the farmers. According to chart no 4, the study has found that after the intervention of the SEP project, mango farmers in those areas showed interest in producing cover crops along with principal crops. Ghashful SEP project has given out about 161kgs of Maskalai among the 20 mango farmers to create awareness among the mango growers. And that resulted remarkably in the project area. About 180 beneficiaries of the SEP project cultivated Maskali on 240 acres of land. About 62.4 tons of Maskalai will be produced this upcoming season as projected, and the market value of this Maskalai is about BDT 54,60,000. Mr. Abdul Motin, a mango producer in Niamotpur, said that he has been contemplating to grow more crops from the same land focused on getting additional economic benefit from the mango orchard. He affirmatively response that the training of the SEP project makes familiar us about the Maskalai cultivation which is a very eco-friendly, income-generating crop and easy to nurture very economical way. At first, villagers discouraged me, saying that it would not be wise to produce crops inside the mango orchard since crops and the Mango would be damaged due to cultivating and irrigating the land for crop production. But, I tilled the land and cultivated Maskalai there. There was a bumper production of Maskalai inside the orchard, assuming I would earn around 2.3 lakhs taka from the Maskalai. 

Farmers are naturally habituated regarding the herbicides used in their orchards at least four times every season, but cover crops disrupt the growth of weeds in the orchard and lower the use of herbicides in mango orchards by 50%. Root nodules (leguminous species) of cover crops absorb nitrogen directly from the air and supply it to the soil, thereby reducing soil nitrogen deficiency. It aids farmers to reduce the financial expenses and maintains soil structure by developing the soil eco-system on the other hand it creates a natural habitat for the beneficial microorganisms and prevents soil erosion.