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permaculture - multi-use leaf crops (fwd)

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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <london@calypso-2.oit.unc.edu>
  • To: permaculture-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
  • Subject: multi-use leaf crops (fwd)
  • Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 01:16:08 -0400 (EDT)


-------------------------------------------------------
Lawrence F. London, Jr. - london@sunSITE.unc.edu
http://sunSITE.unc.edu/london/Information_By_Topic.html
-------------------------------------------------------
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 14 Aug 95 21:56:22 EDT
From: therese . M. Hildebrand <76473.64@compuserve.com>
To: sanmessage <sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu>
Subject: multi-use leaf crops

Hello,

I work with trying to help people, especially in the tropics, improve their
health by making better use of leaf crops in their diets. An area that I need
some help researching is the partial harvest of leaves from multi-purpose
crops. For example, winter wheat being grazed until snowfall then
recovering
in the spring to produce a seed crop. I am having a very hard time finding
information about this agricultural technique, which seems to have a lot of
potential for increasing total nutrient production for peasant farmers and
gardeners. These folks often suffer from malnutrition and often have to
produce
food for their families on very small parcels of land. This seems like a
technique that doesn't require any capital investment to increase food
production, just some practical information.

Edible wild greens and garden and field weeds can contribute significantly to
the food supply when combined with improved leaf drying techniques. I feel
that
the use of partial leaf harvests from cultivated crops would greatly
strengthen this strategy. But it is quite difficult finding information about
it.

I would very much appreciate any help in the search for information along
these
lines (including anything on the grazing of winter wheat). So far I've seen
one
article on partial leaf harvest of Cassava in Zaire, which I can no longer
locate, and the following mention of partial leaf harvest of cowpeas:
"According to Oomen and Grubben, some African farmers believe that a
moderate harvest of cowpea leaves and stem tips (about 2T/ha) at flowering
increases seed yield, while removing over 4 t/ha reduces seed yield. " I did
some encouraging rough studies with okra and sweet potatoes but without strict
enough control or enough replications to rely on.

Among the crops grown commercially that have edible leaves as a potential
secondary value are:
Abelmoschus esculentus Okra
Allium cepa Onion
Allium sativum Garlic
Amaranthus cruentus Mexican grain amaranth
Artocarpus heterophyllus Jackfruit

Benincasa hispida Wax gourd

Beta vulgaris Sugar beet
Boermeria nivea Ramie
Capsicum annuum Sweet pepper

Capsicum frutescens Hot Pepper

Carica papaya Papaya
Chenopodium quinoa Quinoa
Clitoria ternatea Butterfly pea

Colocasia esculenta Celery Stem Taro
Cucurbita maxima squash gourd

Cucurbita pepo summer squash
Cyamopsis tetragolonobus Guar, or Cluster bean
Hordeum vulgare Barley

Ipomoea batatas Sweet potatoes

Lablab purpureus Hyacinth bean, lab lab
Phaseous vulgaris Common Bean
Pisum sativa Garden Peas
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus Winged bean
Raphanus sativus Radish
Sechium edule Chayote
Sesamum indicum Sesame

Spondias purpurea Spanish Plum, Jocote
Tamarindus indica Tamarind

Telfairia occidentalis Fluted Pumpkin

Trigonella foenum-graecum Fenugreek

Triticum x aestivum Wheat
Vigna radiata Mung bean
Vigna umbellata Rice bean
Vigna unguiculata Cowpea
Vitis vinifera Grape


Thanks for any information or leads on where to find it. Peace and Light,
David Kennedy




  • multi-use leaf crops (fwd), Lawrence F. London, Jr., 08/15/1995

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