Sesbania vs Sunn Hemp – Which Green Manure is Better?

Overview

Sesbania and sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) are the two most popular tropical green manure crops, each with distinct advantages. Sesbania excels in waterlogged and flooded conditions, while sunn hemp performs better on well-drained upland soils. The choice between them depends on your specific farming system.

Details

Nitrogen fixation rates are comparable: sesbania fixes 80-200 kg N/ha while sunn hemp fixes 60-170 kg N/ha. However, sesbania produces more biomass in waterlogged soils and decomposes faster after incorporation. Sunn hemp has the advantage of also being a nematode-suppressive crop, making it valuable in systems with root-knot nematode problems.

Why Choose Us

Many progressive farmers use both species in different parts of their farm — sesbania in lowland paddies and sunn hemp in upland fields. We supply both sesbania and sunn hemp seeds and can help you design a green manure program using the optimal species for each field.