Effect of leguminous cover crops on the growth and yield of abaca (Musa textilis Nee)

This 6-year study was conducted to determine the effect of three leguminous cover crops on the growth and yield of abaca and measure the contribution of the cover crops in restoring and conserving the inherent fertility of the soil. In the later years of the experiment (2000-2002), cover cropping with Desmodium ovalifolium and Calopogonium muconoides significantly increased the stalk and leaf lengths, and stalk circumferences. Fiber yield also significantly increased in plots with C. muconoides as plant cover. Among the cover crops used, D. ovalifolium showed the highest biomass production of 8.9 and 8.6 tons/ha in the 1999 and 2000 data gathering, respectively. Highest N content in the tissues among the covercrops used was noted in C. muconoides. Accumulation of soil organic matter was observed in plots with D. ovalifolium while higher total N in the soil was found in plots cover cropped with C. mucunoides. Among the cover crops tested, Centrocema pubescens is not an effective companion crop for abaca. However, lower erosion rates were noted in plots planted with cover crops.