Its recent inclusion in the CAP for areas of ecological interest, its dual aptitude as green manure or fodder and a very short vegetative cycle, have multiplied the attractiveness of this crop.
Crotalaria juncea is an annual herbaceous species of the legume family that stands out for its rapid establishment and a very short vegetative cycle, only 5-7 weeks, in which it reaches a height of approximately 1.6 -1.7 meters. . Originally from Thailand, it has many advantages that are encouraging many Spanish farmers to cultivate it, especially in the Levante area and in Castilla y León.
“It is becoming an alternative for many areas such as Andalusia, Castilla y León, Murcia or Almería. Areas that seek to improve their soils in an ecological way by sowing it after the main crop,” explains Jesús Rabanillo, director of Efectos Soluciones, one of the companies that markets the sale of seeds of this species in Spain.
Crotalaria juncea is a rustic crop that adapts to all areas and soils because it is not very demanding, adapting to both sandy soils and some slightly stronger ones. Planting is done between spring and summer because it needs warm temperatures. “Normally, the sowing season begins in the southern zone from April and then, around the second half of May, when the heat begins in Castilla y León, it begins in the northern zone,” explains Rabanillo.
The water needs are not demanding and in some areas it is even cultivated in dry land. The irrigation of nascencia is essential and many times it is almost enough to complete the cycle. “Compared to the 9,000 cubic meters of corn or the 6,000 of alfalfa, the crotalaria juncea needs between 1,000 and 1,200 depending on the climate or types of soils,” says the director of Efectos Soluciones.
This legume does not require any special machinery either. We can sow it with a conventional cereal machine and incorporate it in case of using it as green manure with a rotavator or a harrow. An important fact to take into account is the planting surface, which must be 1 centimeter deep. The use of a roller compactor improves the quality of sowing based on the uniform acceleration of seed germination. “The ideal planting time is when the light and temperature are adequate for germination, which usually coincides with minimum temperatures above ten degrees Celsius,” warns Rabanillo.
A crop with two options
Its two different uses is one of its great attractions. On the one hand, we can grow it for green manure or as a cover crop to provide organic matter and nitrogen in the period between the main summer and winter crops. It is one of the main uses in the east to recover the soil and fix nitrogen.
Since this plant is a legume, it supplies its own nitrogen and provides residual nitrogen to the crop that follows. “By fixing atmospheric nitrogen, the crotalaria juncea can accumulate up to 201.6 kg of nitrogen per hectare,” remarks Rabanillo.
Another aspect to point out is the incorporation of organic matter, around ten tons, an essential aspect in itself that is complemented by improving the textures of the land. If they are sandy, get soils with more body, so that the fertilizers and moisture are available for more time for future crops, or in the case of strong soils, leaving them more hollow, so that they do not have as much compaction power” , explains the director of Effects Solutions.
The cultivation of Crotalaria juncea for fodder is also very interesting because it provides quality hay that is very palatable to animals due to its high sugar content. “It is a crop that offers a hay with good percentages of protein, fiber and an in vitro digestibility of 70 percent,” highlights Rabanillo. The palatability -that the animals like-, in addition, in all types of animals is very high, significantly reducing losses. “An aspect of great importance, especially in small ruminants, where the losses mean a very high percentage of the feeding costs of a cattle farm”, comments this expert in the cultivation of Crotalaria juncea.
The average production when its destination is fodder is usually around 7 tons of dry matter per hectare depending on the place where it is grown. Crop costs are around 140-150 euros per hectare with a sowing dose of between 40-60 kilos per hectare. “The price if we sell it for fodder fluctuates a lot, but it usually yields an average price of between 120 and 140 euros per ton,” explains Jesús Rabanillo.
Another benefit of this crop is its nematicidal power, eliminating some types of phytoparasitic nematodes in percentage terms. Thanks to its high nematicidal power, Crotalaria juncea eliminates nematodes from the Meloidogyne javanica, Meloidogyne incognita, Globoreda and Heterodera families, which are the most common in Spain.
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