Production Of Culinary Herbs In Rotation With Green Manures In The Virgin Islands

A study was conducted over two cropping seasons to evaluate the production of culinary herbs planted in rotation with legume green manure crops: cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) and sunnhemp (Crotolaria juncea). Green manure crops were established in replicated plots in the summer of 1996 and 1997. In each year, the green manure crops were mowed in October and plots were disk-plowed to incorporate green manure residues into the soil. Two months later, plots were prepared for planting of culinary herbs including chive (Allium schoenoprasum), basil (Ocimum basilicum), parsley (Petroselmum sativum), sage (Salvia officinalis), and cilantro {Coriandum sativum). Each plot consisted of three rows, 4 m long. The trial used a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results in general showed that although there were no significant differences in plant fresh and dry matter yield, herbs grown in rotation with sunnhemp and hyacinth bean tended to produce higher yields than those grown with cowpea or fallow rotations. Basil and cilantro grown after sunnhemp and hyacinth bean produced taller plants than those grown after cowpea and fallow. Sage was benefitted by sunnhemp in terms of increased plant fresh and dry matter yield. The benefit of green manure rotations on growth and yield of parsley and chive was about the same. These results suggest that without chemical fertilizers, legume green manure crops, particularly sunnhemp and hyacinth bean, can increase yield of culinary herbs in a crop rotation system