Plant Cover Crops

After Clearing

And Burning

Leguminous cover crops should be established as soon as possible after debris has been burnt on newly cleared land, according to agricultural experts attending the recent SPC con ference on coconut production at Rangiroa, French Polynesia.

The experts agreed that the prac tice of burning debris on newly cleared land caused loss of organic matter and nitrogen, and that this can lead to deterioration of the ex posed soil.

However, they said that if burning is not carried out, logs and debris add to maintenance costs of a planta tion for several years and can pro vide breeding sites for harmful insects.