VETIVER NEWSLETTER - The Vetiver Network International

“Green Book”). There are still many ofyou who rely on TVN’s ‘conventional’means of getting information to you.However, at this time, because TVN isan all-volunteer effort, our slow down inconventional activities has also beendue to a busy year in our “other” jobs.Unfortunately, this slow down has alsocome at a time when the global activitiesof TVN have expanded considerablyand thus more opportunities. So,both for you who rely on hard copies ofnewsletters, information packages,etc. and for those who have yet to hearabout the VS, we are hoping toimprove our capabilities and overcomeour limitations as a voluntary service.To this end, we have been looking at anumber of alternatives:• Forming a partnership with aWashington, DC-based private,non-profit, international developmentorganization (ACDI/VOCA)which would operate the “VetiverInformation Network” (VIN) with afull-time coordinator, backed by anexperienced and well-funded, nonprofitdevelopment agency.• Decentralize completely such thatthe national and regional Networksbecome the primary providers ofinformation, with the web-site as aclearing house for global information.• Other? Suggestions welcome.So, while we may have been a bitslow this last year, the TVN and itsmembers around the world have beenworking hard and getting results. Useand knowledge of The Vetiver Systemis now expanding at a faster pace thanever before. Here are just a couple ofhighlights:The dates for the ThirdInternational Vetiver Conference(ICV-3) have been moved up by oneyear to October of 2003. TheConference will be held in Guangzhouand Dr. Luo Fuhe (President,Guangdong Academy of AgriculturalScience and Director, GuangdongProvincial Grass Industry andEnvironment Association) has agreedto become the President of ICV-3 andtake responsibility for providing thenecessary arrangements for the event.These arrangements are the results ofthe hard work by Prof. Liyu Xu, theCoordinator of the China VetiverNetwork, Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul,Secretary-General of the ChaipattanaFoundation and Chairman of theContinuing Committee (CC) of the ICV,and Dr. Narong Chomchalow,Coordinator of the Pacific Rim VetiverNetwork and Secretary of theCoordinating Committee for ICV-3.John Greenfield’s new and comprehensivebook on the VS is justabout ready for publishing. The book,entitled, Vetiver Grass — An EssentialPlant for the Conservation of PlanetEarth, has been several years in themaking with John diligently scribblingaway and patiently suffering the editorialcomments of TVN members.John’s new book pulls together thethousand plus year of history of vetivergrass and “aims to provide planners inthe government and private sectorswith as much information as possibleon this natural system of conservationfor future application…”, which itadmirably does. The book will beavailable in August from InfinityPublishing.com. See page 6 of thisnewsletter for details.In looking back over what we knowhas been accomplished in the last yearwhat is striking is how one sees that itis people, not organizations or institutionsthat are making all the difference.Criss Juliard in Senegal has beenparticularly busy spreading the word,including setting up demonstrations,looking at applications for Vetiverianigritana and traditional uses of vetiveras a decorative plant.Additionally, you can find on thewebsite reports on all the new developmentsover the last twelvemonths…any of which we would behappy to download, print out and sendto those of you without any means ofaccessing the website. Among thethese developments you will find: InVietnam, vetiver is now being used toprotect ditches and river bank properties.There is a ‘Growing VetiverMovement’, in India, for soil and moistureconservation in tea plantations. InPortugal for highway landscaping. InChina there are new projects in southChina’s Dabie Mountains; vetivergrass was demonstrated at a gardenshow for landscaping and handicrafts;and a Vetiver Conference was held bythe Highway Bureau of FujianProvince. Reports were received fromChina on the “Stabilization of aRailroad Embankment with Vetiver inSouth China”, on work in theDatianshan Landfill in QuangdongProvince, on the "Stabilization Of aBuilding Site at Huizhou University inSouth China”, “Using Vetiver GrassStabilization of a Sports Stadium Site"and "Environmental Mitigation -Landfill Stabilization and CleanupUsing Vetiver". In Bali, The East BaliPoverty Project is harnessing ‘ThePower Of Vetiver Grass’. In Thailandwe have the reports from Thailand on"The Use of Vetiver Grass System forErosion Control and SlopeStabilization along the Yadana GasPipeline Right of Way", and "Utilizationof Vetiver as a Medicinal and AromaticPlants". In Madagascar, the protectionof infrastructure (railroads, ponds,highway) using VS continues to grow.In Australia, "Brisbane Schists [havebeen] Stabilized with Vetiver Grass".Many of the new uses for the VS havebeen documented in Australia: forWaste Water Treatment, forAgrochemical Pollution Control, forWater Quality Improvement in AcidSulphate Soils, for Landfill LeachateControl, for Algae Bloom, and forTreating Sewage Effluent.Finally, as you may have heard,vetiver's taxonomic name has beenchanged from Vetiveria zizanioides(L.)Nash to Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.)Roberty. Do not expect to see achange in the name of the network…the VS remains the same, vetivergrass is what holds it all together, andTVN will carry on promoting it as asolution for your problems. v2 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24

ANNOUNCEMENTSTHIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ONVETIVER & EXHIBITION (ICV-3)The Vetiver Network is pleased to announce the ThirdInternational Vetiver Conference in Guanzhou,Guangdong Province, in southern China from October 6to 9, 2003. The theme of the conference is ‘Vetiver andWater’ and the focus will be on the Vetiver System’s (VS)application to improve water quality and distribution in theenvironment. Topics will include application of VS for:runoff control, groundwater recharge, erosion control andslope stabilization, pollution control and water quality protection,purification of landfill and mining leachates, earthworkstabilization, plant production, extension strategies,and other grasses for water and soil conservation. Theconference is being organized to focus on the needs ofusers of VS by concentrating on providing informationand site visits to see applications and generate discussionto will help guide the practioner.It is anticipated that participants from over 30 countrieswill attend. The conference will be conducted inEnglish with simultaneous translation to and fromChinese. A conference announcement and registrationform is posted on the Vetiver Network Homepage and at. Information can also be obtained at:ICV-3 Office, Guangdong Academy of AgriculturalSciences, Wushan, Guangzhou 510640, tel: 86-20-85514259; fax: 86-20-87503358; Email: . vKING OF THAILAND VETIVERAWARDS ANNOUNCEDTVN has been informed that Princess Maha ChakriSirindhorn, Chairperson of His Majesty the King ofThailand’s Chaipattana Foundation, has agreed to grantUS$10,000 from the Chaipattana Foundation for “The Kingof Thailand Vetiver Award” for the most outstanding workson vetiver. This is the third time that such an award hasbeen made This award will be split into two prizes, valuedat US$5,000 each; one prize will be awarded to the mostoutstanding research on vetiver and the other to the bestprogram for dissemination of vetiver technology.Nominations for the award may come from any personof any nationality. Please send nominations to:Office of the Royal Development Projects Board78 Rajdamnern Nok Ave.Dusit, Bangkok 10300, ThailandFax: (66-2) 280-6206, 629-8915Email: Please include a self-addressed card that can bereturned to the nominees to acknowledge receipt of nominations.The nominations must be postmarked on orbefore 30 June 2003.The announcement of the winners will be made inAugust 2003. The winners will receive the awards from HerRoyal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, thePatron of the Vetiver Network, on His Majestry’s behalf.The presentation of the Award will be made during theOpening Ceremony of ICV-3 in Guangzhou, Guangdong,China on 6 October 2003. The award does not cover thecost of participation at ICV-3. vVETIVER NETWORK AWARDS PROGRAMUPDATE… NOMINATIONS WANTEDThe Vetiver Network reminds you that the third series ofVetiver Awards (announced in Vetiver Newsletter #23),totaling US$45,000 in prize money will be awarded thanksto a generous grant from the William H. DonnerFoundation. In anticipation of the Third InternationalConference on Vetiver, to be held in China in October 2003,whose theme will be “Vetiver and Water”, one category ofthe awards will be VS applications in relation to water. Asin the past, the TVN hopes to receive many nominations foreach category. The deadline for nominations will beJuly 2003 (note that in Newsletter 23 the deadline was listedas October 2003 – this has been moved forward for theconference). Award winners will be announced at the ICV-3 Conference in October 2003.As a reminder, the Awards categories are as follows:• Water Applications (Watershed Protection/Improvement, Engineering – Natural and Constructed,Quality – Pollution Control and Treatment)• Engineering/Infrastructure Protection• Land Reclamation• Dissemination• Country Vetiver Award• Farmer/User Awards – Regional (Asia, Africa, LatinAmerica)• Other• Vetiver “Champion”Refer to Newsletter 23, Page 4 for details or check theVetiver Network Homepage . vNote address change for nominations:The Vetiver Network709 Briar RoadBellingham, WA 98225USAThe Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 3

Project Recipient Total GrantUse of Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides)with Leguminous Species for theConservation and Recovery of Soils.Utilization of Vetiver for Treating AcidMine Drainage TreatmentRelation Between Fats and VetiverGrass and Counter-measuresVetiver System For Erosion Control inthe Central Highlands, VietnamA Study on Purification of Vetiver ManmadeWetland for Industrial WastewaterVetiver Grass Technology for Wave andCurrent Erosion Control in the MekongDelta, VietnamAssistance to Vietnam Donner ResearchGrant ProjectsStudy on the Effectiveness of VetiverHedges in Reducing Sediment andPesticide Movement from AgriculturalLandsGrowing Vetiver in the Polluted Water:Generating Income for the Poor in Peri-Urban AreasUPDATEThrough the generosity of theWilliam H. Donner Foundation,TVN awarded grants totaling $45,000for research on water-related aspectsof vetiver. TVN funded up to 50% of theproposed research, with the remaining50% provided by the recipients. Above(Table 1) is a table with a brief summaryof the proposals that were funded. vNEW TVN CD-ROMAVAILABLETVN has a new CD-ROM availablefor US$15 (including mailing). ThisCD contains amongst other files, thecomplete TVN website and all its associatedfiles as of 1 April 2002. This CDcontains practically everything weknow about vetiver and is fully illustratedwith color images. The CD alsoincludes Dr. P.K. Yoon’s “Look See at4 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24Ing. Luis A. Arevalo, International Center forResearch in Agroforesty (ICRAF), PeruVetiver” which Dick Grimshaw still considersthe best compilation available ofvetiver basics and research. Alsoincluded are the excellent posters onthe VS prepared by Paul Truong forthe Bonn Water Conference inGermany and a Vetiver Workshop inAustralia. The printer-ready version ofthe VS brochure that was published in2001 is also on the CD. If you wouldlike a copy, please send a US$ checkor money order to: The VetiverNetwork, 709 Briar Rd, Bellingham,WA 98225 USA. vTHE VETIVER NETWORK$ 9,000.00Dr. W.S. Shu, Associate Professor, School $ 6,536.00of Life Science, Zhongshan University,Guangzhou, ChinaMr. Chen Shangwen, Researcher, Forestry $ 1,720.00College, Nanning University, Nanning, ChinaDr. Pham Hong Duc Phuoc, Department of $ 5,300.00Plant Physiology, University of Agricultureand Forestry, Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh City,VietnamDr. Xia Hanping, Associate Professor, $ 8,000.00Centre for Ecological Research, SouthChina Institute of Botany, The ChineseAcademy of Sciences, Guangzhou, ChinaDr. Le Viet Dung, Department of CropScience, University of Can Tho, VietnamDr. Paul Truong, Principal SoilConservationist, Natural ResourceSciences, Brisbane, AustraliaMr. Edison Purba, Lecture, Faculty ofAgriculture, Universitas Sumatra Utara,IndonesiaMr. Yudi Widodo, MSc., Senior Agronomist,Research Institute for Legume and TuberCrops, Malang, Indonesia$ 6,800.00$ 3,000.00$ 2,725.00$ 2,150.00$45,231.00Table 1. Summary of research projects funded by the William F. Donner Foundationthrough TVN’s research program.DONNER FOUNDATIONRESEARCH GRANTS –DISCUSSION BOARDIn January 2002, a TVN DiscussionBoard was initiated so that userscould share their experiences, askquestions and receive answers fromexperienced users, and discuss a widerange of topics relevant to the applicationof VS. There are twelve topicareas, with discussions, archived onthe site:• Vetiver Grass Agronomy &Taxonomy;• VS for EnvironmentalProtection, including prevention offloods, landslides, & mining reclamation,carbon dioxide sequestering;• VS for Engineering SiteApplications;• Vetiver Grass NurseryPlanting Techniques, Propagation& General Management Issues;• Vetiver Grass Sales Outlets;• VS for Soil & WaterConservation & Erosion Control;• VS Technology TransferIssues & Networking;• VS for Beach, Canal,Drainage & River BankStabilization;• VS for Ground WaterImprovement• VS for Waste WaterImprovement & Other WaterQuality Issues;• Other Uses of Vetiver Grass;and• Other Technologies;The discussion board can beaccessed via TVN’s Homepage ordirectly at vTENTATIVE PROGRAM OFINTERNATIONAL TRAININGCOURSE ON VETIVERHANDICRAFT-MAKINGThe Pacific Rim Vetiver Network(PRVN) is developing a two weektraining course on production of handicraftitems.The course will include severaldays devoted to the preparation of rawmaterials and tools needed, more thana week for learning how to producedvetiver handicraft products (such asboxes, trays, hats and baskets), andfinally information on finishing and decoratingproducts.The course has not yet beenscheduled, but if you are interestedplease contact PRVN at: Office of theRoyal Development Projects Board, 78Rajdamnern Nok Ave., Dusit, Bangkok

10300, Thailand, Fax: (66-2) 280-6206, 629-8915, Email: vSuccessful serverrequests292,666THE VETIVER WEBSITE: HOW USEFUL IS IT?ACCESSING WHAT WE KNOW ABOUTVETIVEROur webmaster, Dick Grimshaw, has been operatingand keeping TVN's website up-to-date for severalyears now. The website has become our most importantrepository of information. There, you will literally find everybit of information we have received that can be published inelectronic format and it is all indexed and searchable. But,do people use it? The answer to that is "yes". We know itbecause of the volume of queries we get where people tellus that they found us through the website. We know itbecause the TVN website is referenced or linked on hundredsof web pages put up by universities, research centers,NGOs, government agencies, individuals, etc. We canalso tell from the domain report which identifies the originsof visitors to this site by the suffix of their domain name andby our website report that gives a summary of the generalstatistics for the entire web site during the report time frame.For those of you who are interested:Between October 31, 2001 and April 28, 2002 , the followingnumber (see Tables 2 and 3) of requests and volumeof information was transferred from topeople from 21,190 different "hosts" or internet servers. vTotal data transferredTotal data transferred inlast 7 days7.18 GBytes263.34MBytesTable 2 (above). Number of requests received onHomepage for VS information (between 31October 2001 and 28 April 2002).Table 3 (below). Summary of origin and number ofrequests for VS information by region and mostinquisitive countries.Location OfRequestingServerUnknown,Total# ofRequests219,374Most Active CountriesEurope 20,940 France (4,166) & Italy (3,918)East Asia 11,893 Thailand (3,177) & Taiwan (2,232)Latin America& Caribbean11,547 Mexico (2,716) & Brazil (2,455)North America 10,654 USA (7,434)Oceania 8,453 Australia (6,033)South Asia 4,173 India (3,880)Africa 2,551 South Africa (1,182)Mediterranean 2,271 Portugal (1,915)Middle East 810 Israel (422)Total 292,666NEW VETIVER PRODUCTS:Photo 2. Some vetiver products producedas part of Fundacion Polar’svetiver Projects in Venezuela.Photo credit: Fundacion PolarPhoto 3. Madam Zhang Jinhas started a handicraft businessusing vetiver products inFujian, China.Photo credit: Liyu XuPhoto 4. Erosion control mat madefrom vetiver leaves commercially producedin Sri Lanka.Photo credit: Paul TruongThe Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 5

PUBLICATIONS“VETIVER GRASS - ANESSENTIAL GRASS FOR THECONSERVATION OF PLANETEARTH”The above titled book is ready forpublication authored by vetiver expertJohn C. Greenfield summarizingvetiver’s history; the problems of erosionand degradation; its use (amongothers) as a plant for agricultural uses,erosion control and bioengineering,and environmental protection; worldwideexperiences; potential for commercialization;propagation strategies;planning a country-wide vetiver program;a photographic summary; pestsand diseases of vetiver; and a comprehensiveindex.The book will be available inAugust 2002 (US$19.95 plus shipping)from:Infinity Publishing.Com519 West Lancaster AvenueHaverford, PA 19041-1413 USA orfax: 610-519-0261It should be available fromAmazon.com and BarnsandNoble.comin late November or December. vPUBLICATIONS FROM THEOFFICE OF THE ROYALDEVELOPMENT PROJECTSBOARD IN THAILANDICV-2 ProceedingsThe Office of the RoyalDevelopment Projects Board (RDPB)(in Thailand) has announced the publicationof the “Proceedings of theSecond International Conference onVetiver” held at Cha-am, Phetchaburi,Thailand, 18-22 January 2000.The 482-page ICV-2 Proceedingsinclude an Executive Summary, theKeynote Address papers given by thewinners of of the King of ThailandVetiver Award, all the presentationsmade including “Experience in Putting6 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24Together Country-wide VetiverPrograms: Policy Issues, Expectationsand Results”; “Vetiver and NaturalDisaster”; “Soil and Water Attributes”;Pollution Control and Treatment/Restoration and Rehabilitation ofDisturbed and Contaminated Areas;Disaster Prevention; Training andTechnology Dissemination; BasicResearch and General Studies; andAlternative Uses and Socio-economicValues of Vetiver. The Proceedingsare indexed by author and subject.The Utilization of Vetiver as aMedicinal and Aromatic Plant withSpecial Reference to ThailandBy Narong Chomchalow, AssumptionUniversity Bangkok, Thailand -Publication of the Pacific Rim VetiverNetwork (PRVN) Technical Bulletin No.2001/1, September 2001.This publication highlights the utilizationof vetiver in traditional medicine,in pest control, and as a fragrantplant. Research on production ofvetiver oil and reserach and developmenton the industrial potential ofvetiver in Thailand are also described.The publication includes discussionson vetiver planting, environmentalimplications, socio-economic aspects,and industrial potentials.Development of the Vetiver Systemin Guangdong, ChinaBy Xia Hanping - RestorationEcologist, South China Institute ofBotany, Guangzhou, Guangdong,China - Publication of the PRVNTechnical Bulletin No. 2001/3,December 2001.(Excerpt from abstract) During thepast 11 years, research on vetiver andthe VS has made a great progress inGuangdong [China], and initiated anew concept, named ‘Vetiver Ecoengineering’.Its demonstrations andapplication have also been extendedinto numerous fields such as reservoirsand rivers, highway slopes, landfills,quarries, mined land, and even cityparks from its original use in soil andwater conservation in agricultural. Inrecent years, there have been moreinstitutions, agencies, and the privatesector in Guangdong engaged in VSresearch and application resulting in arapid development of the VS in thisprovince. On the whole, developmentin VS has been most rapid inGuandong as compared with otherprovinces of China.Copies of the three above publicationsmay be requested from:The International Affairs SectionThe Office of the Royal DevelopmentProjects Board78 Rajdamnern Nok Ave.Dusit, Bangkok 10300, ThailandEmail: “VETIVERIA: THE GENUSVETIVERIA”Abook has been recently publishedon the genus Vetiveria. MassimoMaffei, a plant physiologist and Headof the Department of Plant Biology atthe University of Turin, Italy, has editeda publcation of nine chapters, authoredby twelve experts. The book describesthe anatomy, physiology, biochemistry,essential oil biogenesis and chemicalcomposition, distillation as well as productionof plants for essential oil productionand the use of vetiver as anecological tool against erosion, soilpollution and many other applications.The book can be ordered online atAmazon.com orcontact the publisher directly at:Antonio UpaliMarketing AssistantTaylor & Francis11 New Fetter LaneLondon EC4P 4EEUnited KingdomFax: +44 (0) 20 78422300Phone for credit card orders:+44 (0) 1264 343071

LETTERSVETIVER & ROADSFrom Mr. Chai Yangsong, HighwayDirector of Fujian Province, China (forwardedto TVN by The China VetiverNetwork)Thank you very much for your concernon the highway greening of ourprovince. As a worldwide-recognizedgrass, vetiver is an ideal plant for soilerosion control and fertility recovery.We have done our best to popularizethe technology in the highway institutionsin our province. The cities likeFuzhou and Nanping have planted thegrass for major highways on a largescale since 1998, and Quanzhou andNingde Cities have been planting since1999. There are over one million tillersplanted, most of them around nationalhighway No. 316. On highwayembankments planted with vetivergrass, slopes were stabilized and erosionwas controlled.Vetiver technology achieved goodresults in stabilizing slopes accordingto the application in our province. Inthe next stage our Bureau will popularizevetiver technology continuously. Ihope to get your valuable commentsand you are welcome to visit Fujianand provide more instruction to thehighway greening of our province.(Note: Fujian Province was the firstprovince in China to use VetiverSystem [VS] for highway embankmentstabilization. The HighwayAdministrative Bureau released an officialdocument in 1998 requesting engineersand technicians of all cities/prefecturesand counties of the provinceto study VS, read the paper“Application of Vetiver Technology forEngineering Purposes”, and collectand share experiences in order toextend VS more rapidly and smoothly.The document was prepared by theChina Vetiver Network based on DitiHengchaovanich’s technical publicationby the Royal ProjectsDevelopment Board in Thailand)VETIVER & TEAFrom P. Haridas, Deputy GeneralManager R&D, Tata Tea Limited,Kerala State, IndiaI wish to inform you that I havebeen receiving the Vetiver Newsletterthrough your kind cooperation. I foundthe information contained therein ofimmense value for our tea plantations(Tata Tea Limited). I have introducedvetiver for soil and moisture conservationin our estates situated in theWestern Ghats of India. Recently Ihave been transferred to our headoffice at Calcutta and I have startedusing vetiver in our Assam tea plantations.After going through your articlesand the work in different parts of theworld, I have no doubt that vetiver canbe a powerful solution for soil erosionin our tea gardens. Is it not a coincidencethat this grass was reported asthe best soil conservation plant in teaby T. Eden way back in the 1940s?! Iwas convinced about its utility when Isaw it in Sri Lanka in early 2000.VETIVER & HANDICRAFTSFrom Sudhakar Hegde, Agriculturalist- IndiaI am a vetiver farmer from India. Igrow vetiver in unused lands for oilproduction. I am also makingfootwear, caps, bags and handicraftitems from vetiver. I came to know thata root length up to 2m can be harvestedin 13 months.VETIVER IN SAGALA, KENYAFrom Eric Jolliffe, Peace CorpsVolunteer, Sagala via VoiThanks for the long awaited informationabout [vetiver] nutrition. Nowthe livestock officers will have a littlemore respect for this grass. There arerumors around here that cows will noteat it. This should stop all that.The vetiver grass we received inSagala from Kisii is achieving a 52%survival rate in the main nursery here(674 of 1220 splits are living and thriving).The rest died for any number ofreasons. Thankfully, Mr. EssauMwanganda (nobody has done morefor this grass in this district than he)had more vetiver grass plants ready forsale now than I originally knew about.We are also close to taking the finalmeasurements in an experiment oncorn and vetiver intercropping.On the lighter side, we are also“signing up” balding guys aroundSagala to test a vetiver grass“Rogaine” concoction. So far, I thinkwe have 6 men who are enthusiasticabout trying it. I certainly hope thereare no side effects! Essau claims to beusing the instructions from one of yourpast newsletters for this concoction. Ifit works, we’re onto something BIG.Essau always gets a lot of laughswhen he makes the claim about hairrestoration.If people ask you where in Kenyathey can find commercially availablevetiver grass, refer them to Sagalanear Voi in the Taita Taveta District.Essau, Mary Gonah, and RebeccaMaindi currently have grass avilablefor sale. The Mrura/Latah Nurseryvetiver grass will be commerciallyavailable in January [2002]. For a 51%survival rate, we sure have a lot of it!Nobody there has e-mail yet, butArthur Maindi, Anthony Nyatta,Florence Juma, Evans Mwakya, andJoeseph Mwanganda are the bestpeople to contact.Most of the people in Sagala whorecieved a portion of the Novembervetiver shipment from Kisii, and whoalready had vetiver grass use it asboundaries around their small gardens.They like its soil moisture retentionproperties. It has become arevered and wanted grass, rivalingnapier in its popularity.DISCOVERING VETIVER IN ST.KITTS, LESSER ANTILLESLetter sent to Katrin Scholz-Barth[USA] from Martin Lowell, LesserAntilles…I am making progress on thevetiver project. The grass is wellknown here and is called Kush Kush orArrow grass. Today I met with theThe Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 7

Sugar Corporation man in charge ofthe soil conservation program. We discussedthe projects I have in mind forOttleys and surrounding areas. Itoured their vetiver nursery and theyoffered me as much as I want. I alsotoured several other areas where thereare extensive plantings. They mayeven help with the labour needed to dothe project.I have surveyed the areas aroundOttleys a bit more thoroughly in the lastweek and am very excited about theproject. I am departing for the US[soon] and am working to have vetiverin the ground in key vulnerable areasbefore I depart. This includes the areawe walked below the pond and also inthe cut in our rainforest where I want itto trap sediments in the runoff waterwhich periodically flows through thearea. I am nursing 35 plants right nowin pots so they will have some strengthbefore they get planted in the darkerforest areas.Thank you so much for turning meon to vetiver. We are really going toaccomplish something useful wtih thisplant. I’ll keep you posted.MULTIPLE PURPOSE VETIVERIN SURINAMEFrom Dr. H.L. van de Lande,Department of Biology and Chemistry,Anton de Kom University, Paramaribo,Suriname, South AmericaI received the package with thevetiver information early this week andwent through practically all of it andhave become even more enthusiasticabout the wealth of application possibilities[of vetiver] for Suriname. I havea small ongoing program in sustainableagriculture at the University andwith the PRODAGRIS Foundation.Within this sustainable agriculture programI started up a biopesticides program(begun with neem). I have beenlooking for an intercrop for the neemwhich could be planted under extremeconditions. I have started plantingneem trees as part of a rehabilitation ofmined-out areas (bauxite). Vetiverlooks like the perfect answer for thatpurpose.8 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24I also see excellent applicationpossibilities for erosion control in riverbanks and roadsides along rivers(which are flooded especially in therainy season). I have seen it growingin some Maroon villages, where it wasmost probably introduced for hedgeplanting and erosion control in sandyareas. Apparently no follow-up wasgiven.The general objective is to lay thebasis for the promotion of the use ofvetiver: erosion control, water management,pesticide development, rehabilitationof mined out areas (gold mining!)and leached-out areas, application asroofing material, handicraft development(with Maroons and Amerindians).VETIVER AND EXPORT CROPSFrom David Harvey, Agriflora SmallScale Cooperative Scheme, Lusaka -ZambiaCurrently I am working for‘Agriflora Small Scale’, providing agronomicaladvice for small-scale farmersgrowing vegetables for the export marketin Europe, South Africa and theUSA. I had tried vetiver with great successin the northern province, and nowwe are to introduce it to our farmers.We currently have 470 farmers in 9cooperatives and will set up centralnurseries at each coop with lead farmers.Intially [vetiver] will be used forfield boundaries and field subdivisions.The commercial rose growing operationhas also being eyeing our nurseryand will be planting vetiver around thenursery to stop dust and heat cominginto the green houses and affectingrose yields.VETIVER & PESTS/DISEASESFrom Mark Dafforn, Research Officer,U.S. National Academy of Sciences,Washington, DC - USA in response toMr. Hervé Lapierre, FranceMike Pease of the European andMediterranean Vetiver Network forwarded[an inquiry] on aphids, mealybugs, and virus disease in vetiver, inresponse to the sentence contained inthe paper of Morakul, et al. in the ICV-2 ‘Preceedings’ which reads, “Perhapsthe most serious pests are aphids andmealy bugs”.As you probably know, vetivergrass has proven to be notably unaffectedby pests and plagues. Thisdoes not seem to be a transient observation.The heritage of agronomicknowledge about vetiver is deep, as ithas been cultivated for thousands ofyears.In response to your particularquestion, I am unaware of any insectmediatedviral disease causing anotable infestation in vetiver. In thepast ten years, no viral diebacks havebeen reported to TVN. I havesearched the recent literature (notablyCABI and AGRICOLA, plus www.vetiver.org),and found no relevant referencesamong the 300+ vetiver citationswithin the past 20 years.Pathologists working in the US,Australia, Taiwan, China, Thailand,South Africa, Mauritius, and other locationshave not indicated virus diseasein vetiver. Most intriguing, the Animaland Plant Health Inspection Service(APHIS) of the US Department ofAgriculture has run a number of vetiveraccessions through phytosanitaryquarantine. These were all clonalmaterial, and came from every continentbut Australia (this material hasbeen screened separately by theAustralians). Vegetatively propagatedgrasses, as you know, tend to serve asviral magnets and long-term repositoriesof viral infestations. APHIS hasnot detected any viral pathogens in the14 accessions screened thus far usingstandard analytical techniques.This apparent lack of viruses invetiver is remarkable and worthy of furtherinvestigation. One can only speculatethat vetiver contains an effectivearray of antiviral substances.Nonetheless, this observation tends tosupport the position that aphids andmealybugs do not serve as notablevectors for viral diseases in vetiver.For your information, probably themost complete census of insects onvetiver was made by Chen Shangwenof Guangxi University in Nanning,China. It can be found at:

.Finally, in 1996 I presented apaper that included a discussion onvetiver as a potential disease vector:The main pest-and-plague problemsreported with vetiver have been few:fungal dieback from Helminthosporiumand Bipolaris, bacterial leaf blight fromXanthomonas, sooty molds such asMeliola, stem borers and white grubs,NETWORK NEWSmaize cyst and root-knot nematodes,termites, and rats. The genus is susceptibleto smuts from Tilletiaceae andfrom Ustilaginaceae. This is availableon-line at .vMEXICO (MEXVN)Ana María le Moing, Apdo. Postal124, Oaxaca, Oax., CP 68000 -México; Tel/fax: (52) 951 43494;Email:We present here a short report ofthe main activities and resultsobtained during the last 6 months. Forclimatic and budget reasons this periodconsists mainly in preparing for thenext rainy season when planting cantake place, and government funds areavailable for supporting the projects.Promotion in Various SectorsPrivate Sector. Organization of aone week field tour and negotiationwith the staff of a firm (INARMEX) whodecided to include vetiver in its panelof solutions for highways and watercourses stabilization.Following up of the negotiationsinitiated by Nick Dolphin withBANAMEX, an agreement wasreached to make a first test in highwaystabilization project; a 6.000 m 2 stretchwill be protected.Negotiations are on course with aprivate enterprise “Erosion ControlServices” to install a nursery in theState of Zacatecas with the purpose ofprotecting roads, mining lands anddams.Negotiations with several landowners (mainly in the State ofVeracruz) are underway to producevetiver on a large scale to respond tothe increasing demand for plants.Institutional & CommunitySector. Through the Program for theConservation and Restoration of Soils(PCERS), two projects are active. Thefirst one, in a nature reserve (Lagunasde Chacahua, Coast region), combinesVS and other engineering systems,for protecting agricultural landagainst river flooding and involvescommunities, SEMARNAT (FederalDepartment for Natural Resources)and CNA (National Commission forWater). The second one, in collaborationof the State Department ofAgriculture is to restore a degradedarea for reforestation around a damnear Oaxaca. In both cases, localnurseries were established to obtainenough material to be planted in thesite at the next rainy season.With the NGO LASOS, a communityproject is being expanded with thesupport of SEMARNAT in the Mixe forprotection of irrigation installations andfarmer’s land. In the Coast (Pochutla),communities have been producing andusing vetiver for more than threeyears, and now are working on a “territorymanagement” process which willinclude reforestation, ecologicaltourism, etc. The research sector,SEMARNAT and, possibly soon,SAGARPA (agriculture ministry) areinvolved. A one week training with twoweeks of on-site follow-up was carriedout.First contacts have been made forproviding technical assistance to theSEMARNAT office (responding to theirdemand) in the State of San LuisPotosí. They want to install nurseriesand make tests on degraded lands toallow for reforestation.Promotion of VS is to be includedby municipalities in their developmentprograms. Participatory developmentof a practical manual for NaturalResources Management, and directtraining and planning events with thelocal councils in the Cañada and Istmoregions have been agreed.LASOS, in the Coastal Region, isfollowing up on a project in road protectionin Potchutla involving themunicipality and SCT (Communicationand Transport Federal Secretariat) andanother one in Huatulco with the StateDepartment for Tourism.Civil Organizations. Throughexisting networks, promotion of VS hasbeen done with several NGO´s whowork with farmers and rural groups inthe States of Oaxaca, Puebla,Tlaxcala, Veracruz and Querretaro.We have agreed to install a nurseryand demonstration barriers in a strategicconservation region in the north ofOaxaca, incorporating vetiver in a vastagroforestry project supported by GEF,SEMARNAT and international foundationssuch as Ford, MacArthur andKellogg.We received and trained, a Dutchvolunteer working with a civil organizationon erosion control with ruralgroups in the State of Guanajuato (SanMiguel de Allende). She is now doingthe first promotion work there and weexpect to have some news soon.Vetiver Network Development inMexicoThe main activity has been themaintenance and improvement of theweb page (which still needs some workto be perfect!), and developing thecontacts through several channels, asmentioned before.Other ActivitiesNetworking. We continue with anactive participation in PCERS managementand activities. As PCERS has noThe Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 9

external funds, we are in a process ofdiscussion to distribute the functionsbetween each member. The MexicanVetiver Network would mainly assumethe communication and technicalassistance activities in coordinationwith the agronomy research institute ofOaxaca, in this new scheme.Promotion & Dissemination. Weare working to fund and develop avideo for the promotion of VS, specificallyin agriculture land protection andcontinue to disseminate existing documents,using a combination of TVNand local material (photos, articles,field visits and testimonials), informationand training events.Funding. We have negotiatedfunds from SEMARNAT for the Mixegroup, with LASOS providing theplants. In exchange, the group providedmaintenance to LASOS’s nurseryand received the Dutch volunteer forher training.We obtained funds from SEMAR-NAT for the elaboration of the video,(US$1,100) which contributes up tohalf the cost.ConclusionThe current activities should leadto concrete products during the nextrainy season.The main difficulty we encounteris the complexity of the network ofenterprises and government officesinvolved in civil engineering projects,amplified by the political and economiccontext.A high priority is to develop thecapacity to nursery vetiver in order torespond to the growing demand. vbanana plantation in Siquirres.We plan to plant a new nursery inTurrialba to serve the Guayabo areathat was hard hit by storms in May.CRVN is looking for a volunteerwilling to spend a few weeks working inthe new nursery and several “probono” planting projects. Room andboard provided. Spanish helpful butnot necessary. Strong back and toughhands required. vLATIN AMERICAN VETIVERNETWORK (LAVN)Prof. Oscar Rodriguez, Apdo. 5115,El Limón-Maracay 2105, Venezuela;Telfax: (58) 043 831734;Email: Ihave in mind to develop an onlinecourse on vetiver as a free introductoryguide to potential users and interestedpersons. I think this is the easiestway to reach many people andshare basic knowledge and terminologyon vetiver potential and applications.I will try to transform the formerworkshops I conducted into an onlinecourse. The course developed inThailand can also be a source formaterial. There is the possibility oforganizing a small international meetingor course in Venezuela, inviting keypersons (4 or 5) to develop particulartopics of interest on vetiver. FundacionPolar, has started some vetiver projectswith social, economic and environmentalgoals. They have made alot of progress in a year, so they wantto give technical and scientific supportto organizing the mentioned meeting.vUniversity (2 hectares). This nurseryshould provide us about 1,800,000new slips for future projects, in about10 months. In collaboration withIngeConsult, and the Municipality, asite near the town has been selectedfor direct planting. We had plantedalready a small amount on another site(Barrio 20 de Noviembre) in December2001, but that failed because of thesevere drought and destruction bylocal people.Mr. Aguayo of IngeConsult hasbeen doing a very fine job with hisreport “Plan de Control de Riesgos.”[Risk Control Plan].He recommends to work in watersheds,where vetiver should be usedto:• control run-off (planted in hedges);• stabilize the soil (hedges) (in someoccasions it can be used to supportconcrete swales and channels);and• recover the soil with vegetation (asa pioneer plant), in combinationwith trees and shrubs.In recent weeks Fundaciòn Natura(FN) has been [requested] byPetroecuador to set up a reforestationprogram. [This] could be a way toshow the efficiency of the VS to futuresponsors. Nothing has been put onpaper yet, but both FN and theMunicipality are strongly in favor ofusing vetiver. vPERUDr. Julio Alegre, Av. La Universidad795 La Molina, Apartado 1558, Lima -PERU, Tel: (51) 1 3486017 Ext: 2117,Fax: (51) 1 3495638, Email:COSTA RICA (CRVN)Linda Moyher, Apdo. 1, Paraíso 1-7100, Costa Rica; Email:The demand for vetiver in CostaRica is growing and our nurseryhas been expanded. Major buyers thisyear have been the sanitary landfill inSan José and one of the Chiquita10 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24ECUADOR (ECUATIVER)Piet Sabbe, Escuela de CienciasAgrícolas y Ambientales (ECAA),PUCE - Ibarra, Avenida Jorge Guzmany Pólit, Ibarra - Ecuador;Email:We had to overcome a lot of obstaclesbefore we got the vetiverProject in Esmeraldas set up. Now,vetiver is planted in the nursery of theICRAF (International Centre forResearch in Agroforestry) members,Julio Alegre, Luis Arevalo, AbelMeza and Nelly Luque are undertakingsome research with vetiver andtree crops using Donner Foundationfunds. The research site is located inPucallpa. Vetiveria has been planted indouble contour rows with peach palm(Bactris gasipaes) and Inga edulis (icecream beans) or guava for fruit, fire-

wood and nutrient recycling. vTANZANIA (TZVN)Anthony Makoye, P.O. Box 31050,Dar es Salaam - Tanzania;Email:Towards the end of year 2001 variousinquiries were received fromregional authorities, mainly from Northand Western Tanzania, for informationon how they could control soil erosion,land degradation in the mining areasand control siltation in lake areas in aneffective and low cost manner. Inresponse we undertook to explain tothem how vetiver grass could bedeployed to curb such situations.Kigoma regional authorities (Kigomatown is on the eastern shores of LakeTanganyika) approached TAVEN tocarry out a detailed study with costestimates as to how they can arrest thesituation. The central drainage channeland other town infrastructure likethe railway station, play grounds, etc.are full of silt which is hindering the efficientuse; Lake Tanganyika is experiencingserious uncontrolled siltationwhich will soon obstruct navigation,anchoring and fishing activities; andthe Tanzania Electric Supply Co. Ltd(TANESCO) has fuel reservoirs [tanks]near the lake which drip fuel on theground which then seeps undergroundinto the lake causing pollution andthreatening marine life.These problems, according to theauthorities, need to be addressedimmediately. Our quick evaluation, werequire about US$35,000. A projectproposal was submitted to donors,through the National Environmentalmanagement Council (NEMC)Another inquiry was received fromKahama Mining Corporation, whichoperates a world-class gold mine atBulynhulu regarding the use of vetivergrass to control land degradation andreclamation. We made available tothem, 150,000 tillers of vetiver grassplants which are being used to controlerosion, mining spoils, helping torevegetate the mine slimes.Early this year TANROADS(Tanzania Roads Agency) approachedus to find out how they could use vetivergrass to control spoiled roadsides,gullies, road-cuts and land fills. Theirapproach was based on the greenbooklets, “Vetiver the Hedge AgainstErosion” and “Nyasi Za Vetiva” (a publicationin the local language), theyobtained from TAVEN and were distributedto all Regional EngineersTanzania mainland offices. They areactually planting vetiver grass to controlsuch erosion.We see serious inclination by localpeople and institutions to adoptingvetiver grass technology in the country.Institutions like TANROADS, miningcompanies etc. have realized theeffectiveness of this technology.TAVEN is of the view that we embarkon serious promotion of this wondergrass by organizing seminars in thecountry. We have recently approachedour Tanzania Technology Transfer(TANT2), who in collaboration with theFaculty of Engineering, University ofDar es Salaam and supported by USFederal Highway Administration(FHA), carry out the task of improvingthe quality of road transport. TANT2has shown interest in jointly organizinga one-day seminar tentatively scheduledfor July/August 2002. We envisageinviting various individuals, NGO’sinstitutions, agencies and are thinkingof inviting one resource person fromSouth Africa (SAVN), Mr. Duncan Hay,SAVN Co-coordinator.Anthony also reports later...TheTanzanian government is now startingto pick-up VS. Government ministriesare making many inquiries on its application.It is said 60% of Tanzania issemi-arid. The problems facing thesemi-arid areas include gully erosionand overgrazing, hundreds of thousandsof cattle pound the earth. Thiscauses erosion, loss of top-soil coverand siltation of dams and other importantwater retaining structures.This situation has frustrated governmentinitiatives towards dam construction,since dams silt up beforetheir economic time span. The seasonalrains are of short duration withhigh flow overtopping natural channelsand worsening erosion. A siltation rateof 1% per annum would be acceptable,(i.e. 100 years life span of a dam).However under the situation inTanzania, dams fill up within 5 to 10years.It is intended to use VS as anationwide remedy to the problemusing Watershed CatchmentManagement Principles (WCMP).Starting with a pilot project in four districtsin the republic of Tanzania namely,Monduli, Magu, Shinyanga Ruraland Kondoa. These are where smalland medium sized earth dams are inplace.Note: Anthony requests from othervetiver networks and coordinators literatureand photos which may be ofuse to them.vRECENT VETIVER NETWORK NEWLSETTER PUBLICATIONSNetworkTitlePacific Rim Vetiver Network Vetiverim 21 (July 2002)Venezuela Vetiver Network Boletín Vetiver de Venezuela(No. 1 - May 2002)Southern Africa Vetiver VetiverNetwork(No. 10 - April 2002)The European & Mediterranean EMVN NewsletterVetiver Network(No. 7 – June 2002)Latin America Vetiver Network Boletin Vetiver(No. 10 - May 2002)Malawi Vetiver Network Malawi Vetiver Newsletter(Volume 2, Issue 1 - June 2001)Table 4. Some of the newsletters published in the last yearby Regional and Country Vetiver Networks. All can be foundon the TVN Homepage.The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 11

VETIVER HELPS PROTECT BEACH EROSION INBALIBy David Booth, Founder & Exec. Director, East Bali PovertyProject (EBPP), Denpasar, Bali - IndonesiaSince starting our first vetiver project to save our mountainvillage in March 2000, vetiver has also enabled usto develop organic gardens for the children’s food and savemany steep dirt tracks from complete collapse.COUNTRY REPORTSout of the bags completely as on sandy soil we need theshallow as well as the deep roots to hold back the soil. Inaddition the water supply on sand is vital so you shouldexpose as many roots to the moisture as possible.]River bank side: Here I plan to follow the design fromthe CD-ROM with the perpendicular rows: along the contours,about 1.5-2 metres apart up the slope, and vertical toslow the flow. It seems the flow will never be very fierce, sowhat spacing would you suggest?Now I’d be grateful for your urgent advice on a newvetiver project we have here for a client whose new housefronts the beach, with a river coming in from the east side tothe sea. I am presently preparing a design, but am not surehow durable the vetiver will be when planted in “improved”sand when the high tides come next year. From experience,it seems that we have about seven months before theseaward side will be challenged. Below I will describebriefly the two situations.The beach-front side: 8 days ago, we trial planted 10vetiver polybags in the sand on the berm, in the followingway: 1) excavated the sand to 20cm below polybag, andmixed a handful of organic worm fertilizer with the sand, 2)cut the bottom of the polybag and firmly placed polybag onmixture, and back filled with sand, 3) gave gardener instructionsto water every evening after sunset, 4) checked 6 dayslater, and found roots had already extended by 5-7cm.[Paul Truong has responded: Why did you only take outthe bottom of the polybags? I think you should take them[Paul Truong has responded: How steep and how long isthe slope? On very steep slopes, 1.5 horizontal to 1 vertical,you may need to plant them 1m apart. You have todesign to take the flow at flood time or high flows, not normalflow, it is very difficult to advise you from here but off thetop of my head, on good soil you can plant them 7-10mapart but on bends or erodible, sandy soil you must to go to5m apart.]We introduced vetiver to Bali last May with our successfulvetiver conference, thanks to Ed Balbarino [fromthe Philippines Vetiver Network], who was the key speaker.However, it is only in the last 8 months that we have hadstock to sell… [and] every week we get new inquiries. Weare now leading the way in Bali (and hopefully we can soonspread our knowledge throughout Indonesia and beyond) inadvising and planting vetiver in a whole range of applications.However, we are also just learning, and whilst I thinkwe are the only organization with sufficient experience,knowledge and vetiver stock, I am keen that we can achievethe optimum benefit for our existing and new clients, andhence I am appealing for advice from the experts in USA,Philippines, Australia and Thailand. You have all, at onetime or another, been kind enough to advise us at the timeof our first vetiver purchase in March 2000.I would be most grateful for comments and advice fromas many of you as possible, to help us spread the message,and hopefully pave the way for a much healthier and betterland through vetiver solutions, from which many can benefitin a sustainable way. vCHINA VETIVER AND AGROFORESTRYTECHNOLOGY PROJECT LAUNCHED ON DABIEMOUNTAIN IN CHINABy Prof. Liyu Xu, Coordinator, China Vetiver Network(CNVN), Nanjing - ChinaPhoto 5 and 6. Photos taken less than 2 months after plantingvetiver along a beach in Bali. “The power of vetiver isreally showing itself after less than 2 months. We are allmarvelling at the speed of growth and strength of the roots.”Photo credit: David Booth12 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24Atwo-year project started in October 2001 to run throughOctober 2003 was initiated in the Dabie Mountain areaof China (the boundary of three provinces: Anhui, Hubei,and Henan). Dabie Mountain is at 90 -1,700m above sealevel with a total area near 100,000 km 2 . The DabieMountain area forms one of the poorest regions of the country.In the recent years, increased interests in commercial

tree production has cleared vegetation, built earth terracesand planted tea, mulberry and chestnut trees, etc. on alarge scale. This has lead to erosion and soil fertility problemsand resulted in siltation of reservoirs and flooding. Theproject is:• Introducing and raising awareness of soil and naturalresources protection and the importance of VS in erosioncontrol and sustainable agriculture, earth work stabilization,disaster prevention, sustainable farming, andother multiple uses among policy makers, farmers,extension workers and technicians in the DabieMountains;• Introducing and extending proper agroforestry technology,such as hedgerow intercopping of vetiver-chestnutwheatsystem; nitrogen-fixing trees, shrubs, and plants;contour planting technology, crop diversity for erosioncontrol, etc.;• Generating income by establishing high quality commercialtrees and vegetables on terraces protected withvetiver, silkworm production, small animal husbandry,mushroom cultivation, and handicraft production, etc;• Increasing food production by developing electricalpumping systems, intercropping of commercial tree withcrops, reasonable application of fertilization based onsoil and crop sample analysis;• Helping women improve social and economic conditionby training and demonstration on silkworm raising, teaproduction, and handicrafts production with vetiverpruning;Extending the above technologies and experiences tothe whole Dabie Mountain area through multiple activities. vPROJECT FOR MOUNTAIN REVEGETATIONLAUNCHED IN NANJING, CHINABy Prof. Liyu Xu, Coordinator, China Vetiver Network(CNVN), Nanjing - ChinaTo speed up the re-vegetation of Mofu Mountain withvetiver, a new project was launch in Nanjing, China.Situated in the northern part of Nanjing City, the mountainhas an area of 7,040 km 2 . The existing problems have beencaused by quarrying. The mountain is covered by rock fragments,rubbish, and sediment that was excavated from alake. Following the expansion of the city and economicdevelopment it is urgent to green up the disordered mountain.However, bad ecological conditions [make it difficult]for most of the plants to survive. The Vice Mayor asked theMountain Landscape Management Office to contact theChina Vetiver Network and plant vetiver. The projectincludes [treatment of]:• fragments left by quarrying;• sediments coming from [excavation of the] lake;• rocky areas;• parent rock.For the fragments and sediments fill, bare-root vetiverwas contour planted with a spacing one meter betweenrows. For the rocky and stony areas, vetiver in containerswill be planted. For parent rock sites that contain neithersoil nor rock fragments holes will be excavated and thencontainer-raised vetiver planted into the holes. The basicsoil and ecological properties will be studied and recorded.The project will last one year.The present project attracts wide interest in correspondentsand reporters. The project was shown in the newspapersuch as Nanjing Daily and Jingling Evening. vSWAZILAND FARMER DEVELOPMENTFOUNDATION VETIVER DEMONSTRATION SITEReview by Rob Mackenzie, Swaziland Farmer DevelopmentFoundation (SFDF), Manzini - SwazilandFollowing is an edited version of the more interestingvetiver demonstration sites featured in an April 2002review by the Swaziland Farmer Development Foundation.Dvokodvweni Community Dam – MalindzaProject: Siltation control at a small community dam witha large catchment area and long steep stream. The plantedareas are protected from cattle. Two double lines ofvetiver were planted across the flow line on 7 Sept 2000.Establishment was good, even in seasonally waterloggedareas. By mid October, vetiver growth was inhibitedby weed growth and by late November weed growth wassmothering the vetiver. In the main flow line, vetiver wasburied and washed away. Canopy thinning of trees shadingthe lower vetiver lines was necessary. Weeding was verydifficult once vetiver had been smothered, especially inwaterlogged areas. The hedges responded well to weedingand canopy thinning in January.The portions in the flow line, washed away or buried bystorm flows, were replanted and a third hedge planted nearthe waterline in March. The flow lines were planted withvetiver in poly-bags and strips protected by sandbags. Thesandbags were not adequately tied into the banks and flowfrom a late storm went around the protective sand bagswashing out some vetiver.The third hedge near the waterline …is not developingwell because of competition, primarily from self-sown bulrush(Typha latifolia), which is well established in places.On May 5, a 1.5m concrete sill was constructed to protectthe flow line in the uppermost sill and vetiver stripsplanted behind.By mid-August, the dam water levels were 1.5m belowfull supply level and with little winter rain, the area was verydry. There had been considerable grazing by livestock.The dam fencing had been damaged by storm flows earlyThe Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 13

last season but had only recently been repaired. All vetiverhad survived. Later plantings were not thriving but will surviveuntil the next rains.Lubhuku Farmers Association (near Mpaka)Project: Siltation Control and Land Rehabilitation in thecatchment of a small community dam with a small catchmentarea and gentle flow line. The planted areas are protectedfrom cattle.On 26 October 2000, 3 hedges were planted across theflow line and protected with stones. Hedges were alsoplanted across adjacent degraded areas into exposed subsoils.Further hedges were later planted by the community.Establishment was poor in the raised portions of the subsoilplantings with attack by termites common. Surprisinglyeven the growing leaves were attacked in places.Establishment was good in lower, wetter areas, initially withlittle loss from burial or dislodgement even though significantstorm flows were experienced. Hedge developmentwas however later restricted by burial under silt. Plantingsof vetiver clumps, poly-bags and strips in March were quickto establish.By mid August the vetiver was suffering severe waterstress, with most of the foliage desiccated. Trampling andgrazing by goats, which could pass through the barbed wirefence was severe in places. Little of the vetiver planted intothe subsoil survived.Mgampondo (Lavumisa area)Project: Siltation control in community weir.Vetiver hedges were planted above a stone check damand gullies above the weir on 8 November 2000.Establishment was good though there was some damageby grazing goats, trampling by cattle and dislodgement inthe main flow line. The damaged hedges were not protectedby fencing. Hedges planted into shale were slow todevelop. Vetiver planted into a partially shaded flow line,where the flow was often prolonged at times, developedwell.Mkhaya Community Dam (near Gilgal)Project: Spillway Protection at a newly constructedcommunity dam with a sandy spillway. The dam is fenced.The catchment is large. Approximately 12,000m 3 storagecapacity with a catchment area over 5 km 2 .Four vetiver hedges, 50 to 75m long comprised of onedouble line and three single lines, were planted across thefull width of the spillway on Nov 9. The vetiver was plantedinto germinated Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) and selfsownspecies with minimum disturbance because of the vulnerabilityof the site. By early December competition fromother grasses was affecting growth. There was no maintenancecarried out by the community. Vetiver planted in lateSeptember, before the Rhodes grass was sown, did developwell.During the heavy rains in February and March therewas considerable flow down the spillway, which resulted inthe formation of large gullies. Large sections of the vetiverhedges were washed away and the 1m deep sand/cementblock sills were almost undercut at several points. Erosionon these highly erosive soils was made worse by the poorlyleveled spillway and spillway sills. An effective hedge hadnot developed but there was evidence that flow had beenchanneled into gaps in the hedges, increasing localized erosion.Some erosion from turbulent flow through the hedgeswas also evident.Note that vetiver hedges must not be planted withinone vertical meter of the spillway mouth, as this willrestrict flow and could contribute to the dam breaching.Sithobela DamProject: Siltation control above a community dam witha medium sized catchment and gentle flow-line. The protectivefencing is poorly maintained.Vetiver hedges were planted above a stone checkabove the dam on 23 November 2000. A considerablenumber of gaps caused by trampling by livestock and peopleand grazing (the newly planted slips were pulled out)were replanted with pre-rooted vetiver on March 12. Theestablished vetiver was developing well. By mid August allthe vetiver had been grazed to near ground level (2-5cms)including most culms. Later plantings were surviving butseem particularly vulnerable to trampling.Vuka Sidwashini F. A. near Buhleni.Project: Embankment and gully stabilization at aFarmer Association Sugar Cane Scheme in association withSKPE.On 11 Jan 2001, hedges were planted which was duringa very hot dry spell. They were well watered by themembers and survival was in excess of 80%. Most of thegaps in the hedges were filled by the community. Somedamage was caused to hedges when a pump house wasconstructed.Mgulube and Mkhuhlweni Community DamsProject: Spillway protection at an established communitydam to control erosion at the return to stream. The protectivefencing is poorly maintained.Mgulube Dam - Planted on 7 February 2001 into verywet soils, the survival was high but vetiver planted at thebottom of the small rills was washed away. During the winterof 2001, grazing by cattle was severe.Mkhuhlweni Dam - The protective fencing is poorlymaintained. On 15 March 2001 vetiver was planted intoshallow flowing water at the end of the spillway. The area14 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24

was covered with bulrush (Typha latifolia,T. capensis), which had to becleared to allow planting.Asibemunye Farmers AssociationProject: Vetiver nursery establishment,erosion control in an orchard inassociation with Vus’umnotfo andSwaziland Settlement. The orchardhas steep slopes and is in a high rainfallarea.Planted on 22 March 2001, a rowof vetiver was planted 2m above thetop line of deciduous trees in anorchard and a small nursery established.The nursery was to provideplanting material to plant further rowsin the orchard 2m above and 2m beloweach line of trees which are plantedroughly along the contour with 10mbetween lines.Mortality was low and the nurserywas well cared for, though growth hasbeen retarded by livestock entering thegarden and grazing the grass.Ngwazini Orchard and CommunitySchool NurseryPlanted with assistance from DFIDin December 2001. A small nurserywas established for income generation,a community orchard planted forerosion control and mulching and aneroded area protected.Highway Embankment StabilizationMvutjiniHydromulch (Pty) Ltd, a leadingSouth African company, with theMinistry of Works established anembankment stabilization trial on theManzini to Mbabane highway, 10kmfrom Mbabane on 30 November 2000.Vetiver in poly bags was plantedand the area hydro-seeded using amixture which appears to be dominatedby Eragrostis teff. The vetiver hassurvived but not thrived. Starting inearly winter 2001 the whole area hasbeen mowed to ground level, showingthe roads maintenance does not knowthe vetiver maintenance requirements.Vetiver should only be trimmed to kneeheight. All the plots, which includeKikuyu turf, Kikuyu turf strips, 2 typesof mulching fabric and hydro-seedingalone, appear good especially whencompared the bare control area.There was some rill formation in thehydro seeded plots, with or withoutvetiver. The vetiver was not plantedclosely enough (20cm between plants)and because of competition from theE. teff did not develop enough to haveany effect. E. teff is an annual and thevetiver may develop in the coming seasonsgiving a more long-term effect.Highway Embankment StabilizationMotjanePuggs Landscaping of Nelspruitwas contracted by the Ministry ofWorks to demonstrate embankmentstabilization on the Mbabane Ngwenyahighway near Motshane. A long steepembankment was planted to vetiver inMarch 2001. The distance betweenplants and rows was good. Bare roottillers were used (which we would notadvise on a long steep embankment ina high rainfall area). There was adequaterainfall in the weeks followingplanting. The planting material wasobviously dead when planted andthere was 100% mortality.Editor’s Note: Rob’s report stronglyreminds us that while vetiver is a toughplant, it is still a plant. Like all plants, itneeds suitable conditions to establishand maintain itself. As Aldo Miranda,from NOBS in El Salvador told us, oneof the keys to successful establishmentin road stabilization projects inhis country had been in first getting thecommunity to understand why theplant was there and what the benefitwas to them… this way, the communitiesthemselves protected the plantingsduring the establishment phase andNOBS could concentrate on the technicalfactors. vCVN EARNS 2002ENVIRONMENTALACHIEVEMENT AWARDThe China Vetiver Network/Instituteof Soil Science was presented withthe 2002 Environmental AchievementAward of Distinction from theInternational Erosion ControlAssociation (IECA) at their annual conferencein Orlando, FL. Jim Smyle,President of TVN, accepted the awardon behalf of the CVN and Liyu Xu.The annual award is given to an outstandingproject which demonstratesexcellence in natural resource conservationand environmental protectionthrough the use of effective erosionand sediment control policies, practicesand/or public education. vGUYANA SUGARCORPORATION: VETIVER ISPART OF COMPANY’SENVIRONMENTAL POLICYFrom Guyana Sugar CorporationWebsite The Guyana Sugar Corp.(GuySuCo) has a policy to implementan Environmental ManagementSystem that prevents pollution in thecultivation of sugar-cane and the manufactureof sugar and its by-products,both within the Corporation’s boundariesand in adjacent communities.The system is compliant with nationallegislation and follows internationallyacceptable standards. It is subject tocontinual review and improvement bymanagement to ensure that environmentalgoals are achieved. The systemis being developed in conformitywith ISO 14001 standards.The GuySuCo and the Guyanasugar industry are trying to improvetheir environmental management. Todo so they are using vetiver grass tohelp prevent soil erosion by stabilizingsoil (e.g. on drain sides and canaledges) and absorb and prevent themovement of contaminants (e.g. fromland-fill sites and waste disposalponds). Vetiver grass is also beingevaluated as a natural insect repellentand a potential barrier to rat migrationsinto sugar cane.vThe Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 15

TECHNICAL PAPERSINVESTIGATIONS OF JIJIGRASS AS AN ALTERNATIVETO VETIVER GRASS FORNORTH CHINABy Prof. Liyu Xu, Coordinator, ChinaVetiver Network (CNVN), Nanjing -ChinaUnder generous funding from TheWallace Genetic Foundation, acomprehensive research on Jiji grass(Achnatherum splendens (trin.)Nerski), a grass which can tolerate anextremely cold and dry climate, wasimplemented. The study includedextensive field observation, laboratoryanalysis, greenhouse experiments,etc.Distribution and major functionMultiple investigations before andduring the project showed thatalthough Jiji grass has a wide distribution,in general it can be found in 3ecological zones: (a) Meadow Eocene- the grass was the main pasture componentfor livestock; (b) Semi-desertEocene for anti-desertification andwind erosion control; (c) Serious erodedgully zone for soil erosion protectionwhich was our main research topic.Effect on soil propertiesBased on the data and discussion,it is concluded that since Jiji grass hadmassive roots, >1 mm roots in particular,the number of soil pores, includingcapillary pores and non-capillarypores, were significantly increased.This decreased soil bulk density andincreased soil water capacity, reducedrunoff, and increased water penetrationinto soil. Jiji grass has greatpotential for soil physical propertyimprovement, soil and water conservation,and crop production in LoessPlateau area.With Jiji grass, soil nutrient propertieswere improved. Organic matter,nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pHvalue, and cation exchange capacityall improved.Jiji grass has a high root density.The grass retained soil insitu andreduced scouring and erosion andtherefore has high potential in soil erosioncontrol and slope stabilization.Also, the grass improved other soilchemical, physical, and biologicalproperties that are beneficial to cropproduction.Jiji grass increases soil shearstrength, with its strong and denseroots. Water erosion was controlledeffectively. From earlier research wefound that Jiji grass grew even betteron the edges of eroded gullies, withroots length of one or two meterswhere the soil contained less water.The strong root system of Jiji grassenabled the improvement of soil structure,porosity, and thus permeability,and therefore enabled more rainfallpenetrating into soil and recharge toground water during wet season,which not only reduced runoff andwater erosion but also increased soilmoisture for crop production.Ecological tolerancesBased on field investigationswhich covered several provinces, incombination with laboratory analysis, itwas confirmed that:• Jiji grass can be tolerate temperaturesfrom 38ºC.• It is drought-tolerant. (it has beenobserved growing on earth walls indry areas).• It can tolerate saline soil containingsalt (50% or more). In suchareas, Jiji can tolerate submersionin saline water. Testing has indicatedthat certain salt contentsmay promote growth.• The grass is tolerant of poor soilsand has been found growing onstone walls with very low nutrientavailability.• Although Jiji grass requires light, itwas observed to have bettergrowth under the shade of treespossibly because of increased soilmoisture.• The most extraordinary propertywas that it was fond of growing onthe edges of deeply eroded gulliesor steep slopes where the soil hadlittle moisture and higher capillarity.• Like vetiver, Jiji grass can withstandfire. Although part of the oldgrass clumps, the central part inparticular, may die-back, theclumps can stand severaldecades. Even if the clump looksalmost dead the soil mound wasstill well fixed.• Several tests showed that thegrass does not grow well on acidsoils (< pH 7.0) such as in southChina.• Although it can stand some grazing,long term overgrazing maycause the grass to degrade.Main applicationsFor further applications, the firstconsideration is to plant the grass atedges of the eroded gullies to preventfurther erosion in the Loess Plateauarea.Jiji grass can be used to stabilizenew terraces. For sloping lands, Jijigrass should be planted along contours,1-2 m vertical spacing.Also, the grass can be planted fornew construction protection, such ashighways, railways, and dams.Further studyAlthough preliminary test showedthat the grass can be reproduced byboth seeds and tillers, the survival ratewas not as high as vetiver grass.Further study is needed mainly on thepropagation and should include:• Propagation: The tillers testedcame from old plants, possibly afew decades old, and the survivalrate was low. It may be much betterto obtain tillers from nurserystock.• The use of growth regulator forvegetative propagation.• Propagation with seeds followedby transplanting16 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24

• Establishment of Jiji hedges (spacing,number of tillers/clump, etc.)and its effect on erosion and sedimentcontrol. vVETIVER PROPAGATION -BETTER THAN COW TEA,FASTER THAN A SPEEDINGBULLETBy Criss Juliard, Vetiver NetworkBoard Member, Dakar - SenegalIstumbled on another, perhaps morerapid and less troublesome methodto speed up the rooting process ofvetiver shoots for more effective multiplication.I had some vetiver slips sentfrom a reputable South African supplier(thanks to Duncan Hay of theSAVN). Plants were packed bare-rootin carton boxes that had been linedwith black plastic, and water had beensprinkled on the tightly packed plantsto keep them damp. The plants tookabout 8 days to arrive, between timepacked to clearing customs and delivery.When I opened the cartons, nearlyall the bare root slips had new whiteroots growing from the crowns, somemeasuring up to 3 cm, especially thecarton that had been well sealed andhad almost no chance for air or moistureto escape. There was lowergrowth in the box that did not have sufficienthumidity. We immediately putthe plants in damp soil, reducing to aminimum the amount of time rootswere exposed to light, and put them inbunches of 25 to await dispatching.We had ordered 4,000 plants that hadto go out to several districts inSenegal. Now some 4 weeks later, Ihave almost 100% growth, and veryspeedy retakes, faster than the cowteabath we often mentioned in multiplicationefforts. When I dispatchedthe plants to other regions (some aweek later, using the sealed, dampenedcardboard box trick), we had similarresults when unpacked in the field.Since then I have tried to replicate themethod, and find that it works,although not as well as the plants thathad an 8 hour airplane ride. In additionto roots, the stems began to grow outeven though there was no light. Whenthe plants were reintroduced to light(slowly going from shade to open sunlightover a period of 10 days), theplants developed at a faster rate thantraditional methods of multiplication(no statistics, but confirmed observation).I am looking for other experiences.I suspect the plants, under stress, likedthe dark, the cold and the damp, andsubsequently sprung roots in theireffort to survive. Tell me if testing thismethod interests you, and if you canreplicate. I would happy to hear theresults of your efforts in your respectivezones. Richard Grimshaw indicatedhe had a similar experience yearsback in India when he received a shipmentof vetiver also sent by plane. Weare not sure whether it is the plane rideor the dark, humid atmosphere, butperhaps this experience will lead youand others to experiment.[Note from Paul Truong: Very interesting,most plants tend to “grow” betterin the dark, to be more precise theyproduce more roots and shoots butactually not growing as there is no photosynthesis.The trick therefore is toget them out to the sun as soon aspossible to replenish their food reserveand continue to make the best of thenew shoot and roots they producedbefore. Somehow vetiver seems to dovery well under these conditons.] vSOME OBSERVATIONS ONVETIVER IN THEMEDITERRANEAN REGIONBy Mike Pease, EMVN, Algarve -PortugalDr. Vito Sardo, working in Catania,Sicily has drawn some valuableconclusions on the performance ofvetiver under Mediterranean conditions.He writes:“After six years with vetiver plantsof the ‘Monto’ seedless variety, the followingconclusions can be drawn:• Vetiver grass in the Mediterraneanenvironment can thrive satisfactorilyas long as it is well irrigated.• However, the growth rate is farlower than reported in the literaturereferring to tropical environments,the principal limitation dependingon soil and atmosphere temperature- to initiate growth, in fact soiltemperature must exceed 18º C.• Vetiver grass can survive longperiods (even months) of watersubmersion.• Under the experimental conditions(37º latitude, sea level elevation,fully irrigated, loamy soil) theabove-ground biomass productionaveraged about 20 Mg/ha dry matter/year.• Root development was in all casesmuch less than reported in the literature,never exceeding 1mdepth.• Hedges formed to protect soilsfrom run-off and erosion are efficientand reasonably fast to form(one season).• While growing vigorously evenunder extremely high temperatures(46º C), vetiver grass can survivelow temperatures (even lower than0º C) but growth is arrested.• No pest or disease was detectedduring the six years of observation.• In no case did vetiver grass showthe tendency to expand andbecome a weed; conversely, noweed could grow in the vetivergrass fields.• Vetiver grass showed an appreciableefficiency in the depuration ofurban wastes.• Vetiver grass showed an unexpectedtolerance to salinity.”[According to Mike Pease a numberof questions arise from VitoSardo’s finding]:Annual precipitation in Catania isnormally about 600 mm but in recentyears has been around 300 mm.Under these conditions leaf height variedbetween 1m and 1.5m.In the Algarve, Portugal, variousfield applications of vetiver during thepast 4 years have shown that, underirrigation and plant feeding, leaf growthwill reach 2m or even exceed it. Rootdevelopment has not been measured.It certainly does not reach the depthsrecorded in the literature for tropicalThe Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 17

egions, i.e. 3-5m. However, it mayexceed the 1m recorded scientificallyby Dr. Sardo. Annual precipitation inthose areas where vetiver is growing inthe Algarve varies from say 400 - 800mm per annum.SUBMERGENCE TESTING VETIVER GRASSPhoto and Report by Dr. Xia Hanping, South China Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou - ChinaThere is probably little questionthat, in those southern parts of theEMVN Region where climatic conditionspermit the establishment of vetiver,plants will grow at a less rapid rateand reach a lower ultimate level ofgrowth for both leaf height and rootdevelopment.This raises the question as to whatare the critical leaf heights and rootdepths for effective hedgerow establishmentto control erosion and waterrun-off.I suggest that the critical height ofdense, above-ground mass may be nomore than 60-70 cm except where thepurpose of the hedgerow is to act as awind-break. If this surmise is correct,then it matters not if, under EMVN conditions,plants reach not much morethan 1.5m. in leaf height.Root depth and density is morecritical. I am not aware of data thatestablishes the critical depth/densityfactors. However, it is probably reasonableto surmise, for the time being,that providing root depth is not lessthan say 1m and that root density isgood, soil ‘nailing’, control of tunnelingand overall surface and subterraneansoil cohesion will be adequate. CrissJuliard comments that ‘root mass’ ismore critical than ‘root depth’ in nailingthe soil to prevent erosion.Incidentally, he has also found that pigmanure is more effective in promotingextensive root growth than othermanures.In Dick Grimshaw’s report on hisrecent visit to China he mentions thedesirability of removing ‘dead woodystem material’ (DWSM) from plantingmaterial. I think this merits discussion.In has always been my practice toprepare really nice looking slips andthis, of course, involves removal of theDWSM. It is unsightly, gets in the wayand would not be viewed favourably by18 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24Photo 7. Taken Sept. 10, this vetiver hedge was completely submergedfor 50 days (July 4th - August 24) and survived. A sixtyday submergence trial is planned.Photo credit: Xia Hanpingan agricultural inspector if the plantswere for export. But, as far as I amaware, the DWSM harbours no pest ordisease and causes no harm to the livingplant. So, if it were not for theunsightliness the DWSM could be lefton.I have made a very approximateestimate of my work break-down forplant preparation. But my figuresshould be viewed in the light that mynursery is sited on heavy clay soil,whereas a good nursery site should beon light sandy soil. Also, a fully operationalnursery would certainly havemother plants no older than 2 years,perhaps mostly one year. In my casethe mother plants are 4 years old andhave been trimmed back 4 times intheir lives. So I have a lot more dwsmthan one would expect in a commercialnursery.• Digging out/removal of main clods- 10%• Soaking/splitting into manageablechunks - 15%• Trimming leaves to 20cm, roots to10cm - 10%• Washing - 5%• Removal of DWSM and washingagain - 50%• Counting into bundles - 10%Put a cost on the labour involvedand the cost of removing the DWSMthen becomes debatable. I would certainlynever supply for sale plants thatwere not carefully selected and preparedwith all DWSM removed.However, if I was dealing with thousandsof plants rather than the few thatI supply I would consider carefullywhether it was worthwhile removingthe DWSM, especially if the plantswere destined for local use. vHOW MUCH VETIVER DOWE NEED?By John Dickinson, PROSCARP,Lilongwe - Malawi (excerpt from theMalawi Vetiver Network Newsletter,Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2001)How often have you been shown anewly established vetiver nurseryby a justifiably proud village conservationcommittee or village headman?Much effort has been expended,money spent and resources utilised toestablish the nursery. But how muchland will this nursery protect once thegrass is transplanted as countourhedgerows? Sadly, in the short-term,not as much as the farmers expect.Let’s look at the figures. But firstsome basic data and assumptions.

• On upland soils the recommended spacingfor vetiver is 90 x 45cm givng a plant populationof just under 25,000 clumps/ha.On dambo [good] soils the recommendedspacing is 45x45 cm giving a plant populationof nearly 50,000 clumps/ha.• Under good management, between 10 and40 splits can be obtained from one clump,hence 500,000 to 2 million splits from 1 ha.of dambo nursery.• One split must be retained for replanting so 450,000 to1.95 million splits can be obtained for hedgerow plantingfrom 1 ha. of nursery.• The recommendation for plantingon the hedgerow is three splitsevery 10 cm or 30 splits permeter.So, under ideal conditions andgood management, 1 ha of vetivernursery will produce enoughvetiver grass to plant between 15and 65 km of hedgerow.On moderately sloping land, 15mspacing between hedgerows isrecommended. Hence 1 km ofhedgerow (1000m) will protectabout 1.5 ha of land.1 hectare of nursery cantherefore potentially protect22.5 to 97.5 ha onlyOf course management is rarelyideal, nurseries are often not establishedin dambos and villages able toprovide and manage 1 ha of land fora nursery are the exception ratherthan the rule.So, we have seen that undernormal conditions a typical villagevetiver nursery will, on an annualbasis, provide only a fraction of thevillage’s requirements for soil conservation.Even with a well establishednursery, 8 years or more will be neededto protect all the land for an averageMalawian village.These figures should not be seenas discouraging. Rather, it is essentialthat from the outset of a vetiverprogram with any community, thelong-term commitment required isclearly stated.Many of the above figures arenotional. We would be very happyManagement Level Dambo UplandLow High Low HighExcellent 12 45 6 20Good 8 30 4 15Fair 4 15 2 7Poor 2 7 1 0.5Table 5. This table estimates the area of land that may be protected by a0.5 ha nursery under different management conditions.to receive comments from others on their own experienceswhether they appear to confirm or refute the above. vRoad Works Stabilization …Your Problem?The ProblemSoil stabilization is a critical issue to beaddressed in road or railtrack engineering.This applies to cuttings, embankments,culverts and bridge abutments as examples.Often, a solution is sought by engineeredmeans.These can include gunite application,creation of gabion walls, biomatting orhydro-seeding as examples.These solutions can be effective but they aregenerally costly or require costlymaintenance. Mostly they are notaesthetically pleasing.The Solution!Vetiver Grass Hedgerows ∗• Stabilize slopes cheaply, permanentlyand in an aesthetically pleasing manner.• Restrain downward water flow by theirdensity and height (up to 2m).• Anchor and nail down the soil by usingtheir unique, vertical and extremelystrong rooting system (>3m deep androot tensile strength of 75 mpa).• Resolve problems of gullying, rilling andtunneling that do not occur where a goodsystem of Vetiver hedgerows has beenestablished.Practical Application and Economics• Effective hedgerow establishment requires some attention initially. Thereafter, maintenancerequirements are minimal and hedgerows will survive, even with annual precipitation as lowas 300mm.• Stabilization of engineered slopes using Vetiver hedgerows has been successfullydemonstrated in such countries as: China, Malaysia, Thailand, Madagascar and El Salvador.• The cost of soil stabilization using Vetiver hedgerows can be 60-90% of the cost usingengineered methods, as demonstrated in Australia and China, dependent upon the nature ofthe works and labor costs. *** The Vetiver System (VS) is a cheap, safe, proven and effective means of soil conservation and stabilization and hasbeen extensively employed in many countries. Vetiver grass does not produce seed and stays where man plants it. So, itis not invasive. It is not affected to any significant extent by pests and diseases, nor does it act as a host for pests ordiseases that might attack other plants. So, it is safe. The plant, emanating from India, has existed for centuries. But itsextensive use for soil conservation, pollution control and bio-engineering only commenced in the 1980's. For moreinformation contact The Vetiver Network www.vetiver.org.** Bracken & Truong, 2000Photo 8. Fact sheet developed by Mike Pease and Harry Nijpels of the EMVN.They would like to see the development of additional fact sheets with before and afterphotos would be used to “stimulate initial interest in VS” to then be followed up withadditional information.The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24 / 19

The Vetiver Network (TVN)Ms. Joan Miller3601 N. 14th St.Arlington, VA 22201USATel: (703) 525-7092Fax: (703) 243-6203Email: vetiver@vetiver.orgHomepage: www.vetiver.orgPacific Rim (PRVN) &Thailand (THVN)Office of the RoyalDevelopment Projects Board78 Rajdamnern Nok AvenueDusit, Bangkok 10300THAILANDTel: (66-2) 280-6193Fax: (66-2) 280-6206Narong ChomchalowEmail: journal@au.ac.thEmail: vetiver@mail.rdpb.go.thHomepage:www.prvn.rdpb.go.th(Represents Australia, Brunei,Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia,Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, NewZealand, Papua New Guinea,Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand,Vanuatu, Vietnam)Europe/Mediterranean(EMVN)Mr. Micheal PeaseQuinta das EspargosasOdiaxere, 8600 LagosAlgarve - PORTUGALTel/fax: 351-82-798466Email: mikepease@mail.telepac.ptHomepage:www.vetiver.org/EMVN_NET.htmLatin American (LAVN)Dr. Oscar RodriguezSociedad ConservacionistaAraguaApartado Postal 5067El Limón-Maracay 2105VENEZUELATel/fax: (58) 043 831734Email: red_vetiver@hotmail.comAndean RegionMauricio César CalderónSánchezCuevas Nº 480Rancagua - CHILETel: (56) 72 231936Email: rialmoca@conaf.cl(Represents Chile, Peru, Bolivia,Argentina, Uruguay)VETIVER NETWORK CONTACTSSouthern Africa (SAVN)Mr. Duncan HayInstitute of Natural ResourcesUniversity of NatalPrivate Bag X01Scottsville, 3209REP. OF SOUTH AFRICATel: 033-3460796Fax: 033-3460895Email: Hay@nu.ac.zaHomepage:www.inr.unp.ac.za/vetiverCameroon (CMVN)Mr. Ngwainmbi Simon ChiaBelo Rural DevelopmentProjectP.O. Box 10, BeloBoyo DivisionNorth West ProvinceCAMEROONEmail: melcom@douala1.comChina (CNVN)Prof. Liyu Xu71# Beijing DongluNanjing 210008CHINATel. 86-25-3367364Fax 86-25-3353590Emails: vetiver@jlonline.com;lyxu@issas.ac.cnHomepage:www.vetiver.org/CHN_NET.htmIndia (INVN)Rajan R GandhiX-011, Regency Park - IIDLF City Phase IVGURGAON 122 002HaryanaINDIATel: 98102-92484Email: invn@vetiver.orgIndonesia (IDVN)Mr. Indrawan SuparanJl. Arco Raya Buntu B16Cipete Selatan, Jakarta 12410INDONESIAFax: 62 21 7690906Email: isuparan@telkom.netHomepage:www.vetiver.bizland.comMadagascarMr. Eric MacDonaldBoite Postal 4301Antananarivo, 101MADAGASCARTel: 261-22-348-08Fax: 261-22-348-01Email: berthon@simicro.mgPhilippines (VETINETPHIL)Dr. Edwin BalbarinoFarm and ResourceManagement Institute,FARMI-ViSCABaybay, Leyte - PHILIPPINESTel: (053) 3352433 /Office (053) 09196678205Fax: (053) 3352433Email: vnp-cicred@philwebinc.comTanzania (TZVN)Mr. Anthony MakoyeP.O. Box 31050Dar es SalaamTANZANIAEmail: vetiverTz1999@hotmail.comVietnam (VNVN)Dr. Pham Hong Duc PhuocDirector, InternationalProgramsHo Chi Minh CityUniversity of Agriculture &ForestryThu Duc DistrictHo Chi Minh CityVIETNAMEmail: phdphuoc@hcm.vnn.vnBrazil (RBV)Eng. Rogério de Souza LimaCaixa Postal 33130Rio de Janeiro, RJCEP 22442-970BRAZILTel: (55) 21 96259951Email: brasilvetiver@hotmail.comHomepage:brasilvetiver.00page.comChileIng. Pablo Molina B.Manuel Antonio Maira 1011Depto. 18ProvidenciaSantiago de CHILETel: (56) (2) 22 59 146Fax: (56) (2) 69 63 180Email: vetchile@vetiver.orgHomepage:www.geocities.com/vetiverchileColombia (RCV)Ing. Octavio Torres JimenezA. Aereo 51748BarranquillaCOLOMBIATel: (57) 3553183; Cel 033-6317583; Fax: (57) 3552836Email: ambyagro@LatinMail.comCosta Rica (CRVN)Linda Moyher/Ernesto CarmanFinca CristinaApartado 1Paraíso 1-7100COSTA RICAEmail: crvn@vetiver.orgEcuador (Ecuativer)Atn. Piet SabbeEscuela de Ciencias Agrícolasy Ambientales (ECAA)PUCE - IbarraAvenida Jorge Guzman y PólitIbarra - ECUADOREmail: info@ecuativer.comHomepage: www.ecuativer.comEl Salvador & NicaraguaIng. Ronald ChávezNOBS AntierosiónKm 21 carretera a Santa AnaColón, La LibertadEL SALVADORTel: (503) 338-4367Fax: (503) 223-9823Email: nobs@navegante.com.svMéxico (MEXVN)Ana María Le Moing / LASOSApdo. Postal 124Oaxaca, Oax. CP 68000MÉXICOTel/Fax: (52) 951 4 34 94Tel: (52) 951 1 05 65Email: Lasosac@yahoo.comPanamaJosé Luis García B.Ave. Pablo Arosemena, 4847Aguadulce - Provincia deCoclé - PANAMATel: (507) 997- 5365Fax: (507) 998-4638Email: cuty_99_1950@yahoo.comPeruDr. Julio AlegreAv. La Universidad 795 LaMolinaApartado 1558Lima - PERUTel: (51) 1 3486017 Ext: 2117Fax: (51) 1 3495638Email: j.alegre@cgiar.orgVenezuelaProf. Gerardo YepezAptdo. 5115El Limón - MaracayVENEZUELATel/fax: (043) 36.18.20Email: socaragua@cantv.net20 / The Vetiver Newsletter No. 24