Imperial Valley press., 1926-06-18
USES OF SUMMER
LECUME CROPS IN
IMPERIAL VALLEY
Agricultural Expert Tells
of Benefits Culture May
Afford Our District.
BY E. L. GARTHWAITE
agriculture Extension Service)

Summer legumlnous crops can be
used in Imperial Valley for four
purposes:
|. For green manuring to increase
Or maintain the fertility Of the soil:
(a) for vineyards, citrus and other
orchard crops; 90 in the interval
petwecn two vegetable crops; (c) in
he interval between two cereal
crops.
>. For forage: (a) as supple
nent to alfalfa during the hot sum
| mer months when alfalfa normally
makes littlc.or no growth. the fields
usually being choked with water
and bermuda grass; (b) as a forage
crop after winter vegetable crop.
prior to seeding fall alfalfa.
). For intercroppimg: as an inter
crop with Indian corn or honey sor-
ghum for silage.
planting purposes, turning the straw
and roots under for green manur-
ing; (c) for oil and meal manufac-
ture.
l. For use as green manure
| crop, Brabham or iron COW peas
head the list of summer legpmcs at
the present time. In experimental
tests at the Meloland station these
have equalley or outyieldcd all
other summer lcgumcs. In tests
carried on by farmers cooperating
with the farm advisor, these two
have outyiclded all other varieties.
Besides they are resistant to ne
matodcs, which is of prime import
| ance on light or medium soils. Vic
tor, also ncmatOdc resistant, is the
most vigorous grower of all the
COW peas. Red whippoorwill, red
ripper, kanaka, early red and won
dcrful COW peas are all vigorous
growers and excellent for this pur-
! pose.
Sesbania is the best summer lc-
| gume of all for hard alkal soils as
a green manure crop.
Moth bean is the best summer lc-
gumc for vineyards as it can be
planted late, i. e., after grape har-
vest, will grow till frost, and will
only grow a foot high but will
0Pitdu lOuI Itcl.
Several varieties of soy beans
have shown up remarkably we'll for
/ grccn manuring purposes in tests at
the experiment station and in tests
with farmers. These varieties are
laredo, o-too.tau, biloxi, Toxic,
Wilson five, Virginia and Ilabcr-
Iaudt. OF these the laredo is the
only one that is nematodc resistant,
and is also early.
Of the mung beans there are soy
cral strains that might fit in as
green manure crops. The Hastings
and the KcancN muug seem TO be
the two that head the list. The
Kcarncy is less subject to attack by
the red spider and grows latter in
the fall, It is however somewhat
later than the other mmg>.
During the last TWO scusouS the
velvet beans have stepped promi.
ncntly into place rs good summer
/ legumcs for green mauuring purpoa-
/ Is, though as Il rule farmers have
not been successful in raising vel,
vet beans here. They should not be
grown IN orchards or vineyards, but
should be grown in the open field.
Velvet beans at the experiment sta
tion during the past two years have
made an enormous top growth, have
shown little or no injury from hot,
/ dry winds, or from insect injury,
and remain green late in the faIl,
! They are very ncmatodc resistant,
hence could be used ON light soils.
Guar and the new era pigeon pea
are two new lcgumcS that look cN-
trcmcly promising in addition to the
above for green manuring purposes.
Both are rank vigorous growers, the
former produces nitrogen nodulcS,
and both are free from insect and
/ disease injury.
:, IVs 4o4JSe purposes those Ic.