Model 4: Multi-storeyed Coconut based system on Alfisols and Oxisols of Kerala and Karnataka

The multi-storeyed coconut based system practised by farmers in parts of peninsular India has been a successful-soil management module for centuries. Coconut production system practiced in Kerala, Coastal Karnataka, parts of Tamil Nadu and other places utilizes available farm resources like soil and rainwater resources, agricultural inputs to produce both nuts, food and non-food agricultural products from the farm, in a business or profitable way. The components of the production system is a combination of one or more systems: a) Intercropping (short-season crops, long-term crops) and multi-storey or mix cropping, b) Livestock raising (cattle, goat, swine, poultry birds, etc.), by grazing. In this system, all the management practices and component production-systems are maintained to attain high productivity, profitability and sustainability of existing stands of the coconut crop.

Ecological considerations

Land utilization:Morphological features of the coconut canopy necessitate planting at a wide spacing. Active roots of an adult coconut palm are concentrated laterally, within a radius of 2m from the base, and vertically between 0.3 to 1.2m from the surface of the soil. Thus, in a pure stand of coconut, only about 25% of the soil-mass is actually utilized by the coconut. The remaining 75% of coconut land is utilized by the practice of intercropping or farm-diversification.

Soil erosion

In high rainfall areas, particularly in the Wet Zone, a large proportion of intercropped coconut holdings (about 60%) has sloped to undulating lands. Soil erosion in this situation is very high. But, coconut is a known soil-binder and, further to this, intercropping with crops like cacao, black pepper, fruit trees like citrus, banana, fodder grass, and leguminous cover crops are effective checks for preventing soil erosion in these sloping coconut lands.

Utilization of soil moisture and nutrients

In this system, there is a moisture gradient from the base of the palm towards the periphery of the coconut drip-circle. A similar trend can be expected in the distribution of nutrients. High efficiency in the use of available soil-moisture and nutrients is achieved by growing intercrops outside a 2m radius around the base of the palm. This helps better retention of water, as the shade under a coconut stand reduces evaporative demand, and intercropping allows better retention of water in the soil for longer. Further, there is a gradual build-up of organic matter in the soil by addition of leaf litter, pruned material and incorporation of post-harvest crop residues of intercrops. Under this system, there is an increased activity of useful microbes such as phosphate solubilizers and nitrogen fixers, probably due to the favourable eco-climate and addition of leaf-litter from intercrops and cover crops.

On the basis of ecological considerations, utilization of soil moisture and nutrients, and control of soil erosion (besides economic benefits and social acceptance of the multi-storeyed coconut-based system) practised by farmers in parts of peninsular India qualifies as a successful soil-management module.

Coconut-Pepper-Banana-Pineapple-Clove-Nutmeg multi-storeyed system