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The use of Cynodon dactylon as soil cover for direct seeding in Madagascar

Rakotondramanana, Husson O., Charpentier H., Razanamparany C., Andriantsilavo M., Michellon R., Moussa N., Séguy L.. 2006. In : Husson Olivier (ed.), Rakotondramanana (ed.). Voly rakotra. Mise au point, évaluation et diffusion des techniques agro-écologiques à Madagascar : articles et posters présentés au troisième congrès mondial de conservation Nairobi, Kenya, octobre 2005. Antananarivo : GSDM, p. 18-21. Congrès mondial d'agriculture de conservation. 3, 2005-10-03/2005-10-07, Nairobi (Kenya).

Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) is known as a very invasive weed, difficult to get rid of. All over the world, practices have been developed to try to eradicate this widely spread and common weed (Burton and Hanna, 1984). They are often based on intense land preparation with several ploughings and important work for removing the rhizomes and weeding. However, Cynodon dactylon is a good forage and has several properties of a good cover crop: growing on poor soil, rapidly covering the soil and thus preventing erosion, having a deep and dense rooting system (improving soil structure, recycling nutrients), suppressing most other weeds, etc. Trying to get benefit from these qualities, TAFA and CIRAD have developed with farmers techniques of direct seeding, using Cynodon dactylon as a soil cover.
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