Vetiver grass : a thin green line against erosion / Board on Science and Technology for International Development, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Science and Technology for International Development.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vetiver.

Plants for soil conservation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (185 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1993.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

For developing nations, soil erosion is among the most chronic environmental and economic burdens. Vast amounts of topsoil are washed or blown away from arable land only to accumulate in rivers, reservoirs, harbors, and estuaries, thereby creating a double disaster: a vital resource disappears from where it is desperately needed and is deposited where it is equally unwanted. Despite much rhetoric and effort, little has been done to overcome this problem. Vetiver, a little-known tropical grass, offers one practical and inexpensive way to control erosion on a huge scale in both humid and semi-arid regions. Hedges of this deeply rooted species catch and hold back sediments while the stiff foliage acts as a filter that also slows runoff and keeps moisture on site. This book assesses vetiver's promise and limitations and identifies places where this grass can be deployed without undue environmental risk.

Contents:

Vetiver Grass

Copyright

Preface

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

1 Worldwide Experiences

ASIA

India

Nepal

Sri Lanka

Indonesia

Philippines

China

AFRICA

Kenya

Tanzania

Mali

Burkina Faso

Nigeria

Ethiopia

Zimbabwe

Other African Nations

CARIBBEAN

St. Lucia

Trinidad

Haiti

Barbados

SOUTH AMERICA

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

CENTRAL AMERICA

Costa Rica

Guatemala

NORTH AMERICA

United States

OCEANIA

Australia

Fiji

Other Pacific Locations

EUROPE

2 Case Studies

UNITED STATES

ST. LUCIA

INDIA

MALAYSIA

SOUTH AFRICA

MADAGASCAR

3 Conclusions

VETIVER WORKS

VETIVER IS UNIQUE

VETIVER BRINGS NEW ADVANTAGES

VETIVER IS NOT A PANACEA

VETIVER IS COMPATIBLE

4 Questions and Answers

WILL VETIVER STOP THE LOSS OF SOIL?

IS IT SAFE?

DOES VETIVER REDUCE RUNOFF WATER?

WILL FARMERS ADOPT VETIVER?

WILL FARMERS DIG UP THEIR HEDGES?

DOES VETIVER AFFECT ADJACENT PLANTS?

IS VETIVER PRONE TO PESTS AND DISEASES?

IS ITS SOIL ADAPTABILITY AS BROAD AS CLAIMED?

WHAT RANGE OF CLIMATES CAN THE PLANT WITHSTAND?

AREN'T THERE OTHER SPECIES THAT CAN DO THE SAME JOB?

ISN'T IT A THREAT TO HAVE EROSION CONTROL BASED ON A MONOCULTURE?

WILL THE PLANT FOSTER DISEASES OR PESTS THAT MIGHT ATTACK CROPS?

IS VETIVER STERILE?

HOW LONG WILL A HEDGE LAST?

DO VETIVER HEDGES REQUIRE MAINTENANCE?

IS IT EXPENSIVE?

IS IT EASY TO ESTABLISH?

MUST THE HEDGES BE UNBROKEN?

WOULDN'T A PLANT WITH MORE USES BE BETTER?

DOES VETIVER CAUSE EROSION?

IS IT DIFFICULT TO GET RID OF?

WHY HASN'T VETIVER BEEN WIDELY USED BEFORE?

5 The Plant

NATURAL HABITAT

THE TWO TYPES

PHYSIOLOGY

ARCHITECTURE

Crown

Leaves and Stems

Flowers

Roots

FERTILITY

ECOLOGY

VETIVER OIL.

ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITS

DISEASES

PESTS

Root-Knot Nematodes

PROPAGATION

Hedge Formation

Management

CONTROLLING VETIVER

6 Next Steps

CONTINUATION OF WORLD BANK EFFORTS

PRACTICAL STUDIES

Agriculture

Forestry

Public Works

Siltation

Flood Control

Desertification

Sustainable Agriculture

Economic Development

BASIC RESEARCH

Morphology

Physiology

Ecology

Cold Tolerance

OPERATIONAL RESEARCH

RESTORING DEGRADED SITES

SPECULATIONS

Strip Farming

Warding Off Weeds

Blocking Crabs and Rats

Repelling Insects

Foiling Fires

Eliminating Striga

Catching Birds

OTHER SPECIES

Appendix A Great Challenges, Great Opportunities

Appendix B Other Potential Vetivers

VETIVER'S CLOSE RELATIVES

VETIVER'S DISTANT RELATIVES

Lemongrass

Citronella

Gamba Grass

Sugarcane Relatives

Maize Relatives

Sorghum and Its Relatives

TROPICAL GRASSES UNRELATED TO VETIVER

Napier Grass

Other Pennisetum Grasses

Rhodes Grass

Tropical Panic Grasses

Calamagrostis Species

TEMPARATE-ZONE SPECIES

Switch Grass

Wheatgrasses

Pampas Grass

Feather Grasses

Jiji-Sao

Miscanthus

Bamboos

Giant Reed (Spanish Cane)

Ribbon Grass

SHRUBS AND TREES

Sea Buckthorn

Alders

Leucaena

Asparagus

Siberian Pea Shrub (Caragana)

Appendix C Selected Readings

NEWSLETTER

HANDBOOK

REVIEWS

TECHNICAL REFERENCES

Appendix D Research Contacts

ARGENTINA

AUSTRALIA

BANGLADESH

BARBADOS

BELGIUM

BELIZE

BENIN

BHUTAN

BOLIVIA

BOTSWANA

BRAZIL

BURKINA FASO

BURMA (MYANMAR)

BURUNDI

CAMEROON

CANADA

CAPE VERDE

CHILE

CHINA

COLOMBIA

COMOROS ISLANDS

COSTA RICA

COTE D'IVOIRE

CYPRUS

DENMARK

DOMINICA

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

ECUADOR

EGYPT

EL SALVADOR

ENGLAND

ETHIOPIA.

FIJI

FINLAND

FRANCE

GAMBIA

GERMANY

GHANA

GUATEMALA

HAITI

HONDURAS

HONG KONG

INDONESIA

IRELAND

ISRAEL

ITALY

JAMAICA

JAPAN

KENYA

KUWAIT

LAOS

LEBANON

LESOTHO

MALAWI

MALI

MAURITIUS

MEXICO

MOROCCO

NEPAL

NETHERLANDS

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

NEW ZEALAND

NIGER

NIGERIA

PAKISTAN

PANAMA

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

PERU

PHILIPPINES

PORTUGAL

RWANDA

SAUDI ARABIA

SCOTLAND

SENEGAL

SIERRA LEONE

SINGAPORE

SOLOMON ISLANDS

SOUTH KOREA

SRI LANKA

ST. VINCENT

SUDAN

SWEDEN

SWITZERLAND

SYRIA

TAIWAN

TANZANIA

THAILAND

TOGO

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

TURKEY

UGANDA

VIETNAM

WESTERN SAMOA

YEMEN

ZAMBIA

ZIMBABWE

Appendix E Biographical Sketches

The BOSTID Innovation Program

Board on Science and Technology for International Development

MEMBERS

HOW TO ORDER BOSTID REPORTS

ENERGY

TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS

PLANTS

INNOVATIONS IN TROPICAL FORESTRY

MANAGING TROPICAL ANIMAL RESOURCES

HEALTH

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

FORTHCOMING BOOKS FROM BOSTID

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Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 128-129).

ISBN:

9786610212415

9781280212413

1280212411

9780309598149

0309598141

9780585143026

0585143021

OCLC:

647365692