newsletter #18 - The Vetiver Network International

tives to those of public institutions.Vetiver programs supported by thebig international institutions such asFAO, World Bank, UNDP, etc. are notalways successful because their primaryclient is the government and thelatter’s respective departments.Of course vetiver grass is not a panaceafor everything to do with soil conservation,but it is a remarkably goodtechnology. Feedback to The VetiverNetwork from all over the world suggeststhat more and more farmersare adopting the technology with success.I have to take objection to WillCritchley’s reference to “VetiverHype”. Of course we “sell” hard becausewe believe in the technology,but we also have the facts (and theyget better every year) to support thesales pitch. Some people refer to thesellers as activists. The world needsactivists if we are to stop soil degradation,and the simpler and cheaperthe technology is the more likely it willdo the job. Even Will seems to likehis vetiver, I suggest that he gets outand “sells” it too!! I wonder if he hasever chopped up some green vetiverleaves and some root and used it asa mulch around his vegetables. Overa hundred years ago gardeners inLouisiana did just that to prevent insectsdamaging their strawberries.On the subject of “selling”, I rememberback in 1989 we had a meetingwith a group of eminent grass scientistsbrought together by the USAcademy of Sciences to discussvetiver grass I asked them if weshould perhaps broaden our “selling”to include other appropriate conservationtechnologies — they all said“no”. I am glad we followed their advice,particularly as the vetiver technologyinterests a wide range of usersand is used for many differentpurposes, other than for soil conservation.In short when Coca Cola advertisesits product it doesn’t advertisePepsi! even though both productsserve the same purpose.For Will’s information, many Africancountries are now using vetiver withsuccess. In your part of the worldcountries such as Malawi, Zambia,Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Ethiopia allhave successful vetiver programsthat other people and agencies aregiving increasing attention to. In Asiathere are many success stories comingfrom India, China, Thailand, Philippines,Papua New Guinea, Vietnamand Laos. With the support ofthe Latin America Vetiver Network wesee adoption increases in CentralAmerica, particularly as the privatesector gets more involved. I am certainthat our new networks at regional,national, and even at provincialand county, levels will do muchto accelerate technology adoption, asis occurring in China and the Philippines(and now too in Madagascar),where networks have been holdinghighly popular workshops and wherenetwork volunteers have been extraordinaryactive in getting othersinterested in the technology. Evenso technology information disseminationis a slow process, particularlywhen benefits are not immediatelyapparent to untrained adopters.Currently I am writing this letter to youfrom Madagascar where NGOs arebringing vetiver to their small farmerclients with considerable success,and where the only constraints havebeen the limitations of vetiver plantsupply (I found 25 km of vetiverhedgerows that few people knewabout! so the supply should improve)and poor dissemination of information.Incidentally in Madagascar afarmer can plant 200 meters ofhedgerow in a day, and more thanoften splits his own hedges as asource of plant material. Prettycheap hedge!! At a dollar a per labourday, a hectare (which is about all hefarms) can be protected for US $2— where else can you get that sortof protection for that price? With theestablishment of a MadagascarVetiver Network (in French and Malagasy)and 6 regional support groupswe can expect a much more rapidadoption of the technology.In many parts of Africa, and here inMadagascar, much of the major sedimentflow in the rivers is from pointsource erosion, these include: largegullies (called lavakas in Madagascar);degraded land (resulting fromcontinued over use and misuse);roads, building sites, land around ruralhouses (as I have seen inECOLINKS work area near WhiteRiver), river banks, land slides etc.Vetiver has a excellent role in fixingall these problems. I am afraid, therefore,I don’t entirely agree with youin your response to Will Critchley thatthe immediate challenge should beto promote vetiver as a commercialcrop (for its oil and engineering uses).You should let Tony Tantum and othercommercial growers do that!! Whilstits use in engineering is very important,an importance that is likely toincrease, the Southern Africa VetiverNetwork needs to give emphasis toland stabilization and reclamation inall forms. In your part of the world soilloss is immense and is getting worse.We are told nearly every day fromCNN TV advertisements that SouthAfrica is losing 400 million tons of soila year, and the loss per unit area inhigher rainfall neighboring countriesis probably higher. Of course vetiverhas a use for oil production, but onlya very few farmers are likely to beinvolved and the market for the oil ishighly fragile and inelastic, andsooner or later the price will collapsedue to world wide over production, acyclic event that is recurrent. Alsorising labor costs are driving farmersinto other production alternatives.In summary there are many otheruses of vetiver that have great interestto potential users in the areas ofhighway stabilization, irrigation anddrainage programs, groundwater recharge,mining, and pollution mitigation.Vetiver grass is a unique grass,there are none other that have thewide range of attributes that vetiverhas. It is a simple and low cost technology,is easy to use ,and has wideapplication. The world doesn’t havemany technologies that work over awide range of conditions; vetiver isThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 5

one that does — Lets use it, and useit WELL!Dick Grimshaw, The Vetiver Network,Leesburg, VirginiaTo the Editor of TVN: From TonyO’Brien, Queensland, Australia.Fax 61-7-3821-6182Vetiver in Maharashtra State, India.Last year while working extensivelythroughout Maharashtra State I wasshown the application of vetiver technologyon the Agricultural Facultyfarms of a number of the State Universities.Unfortunately in all cases the technologywas poorly applied, beingplanted on top of small banks at theedge of pre-existing terraces withconsiderable side slopes. Becauseof the low rainfall of these sites, theplanting on top of the bank was m apermanently droughted situation, thereverse of what was needed in theenvironment. Planting in the bottomof contour ditches or ditches of contourbanks would have been advantageous.Because of the poor siting of theplantings all were very gappy. Therewas concentrated flow Although gapscausing erosion. The plantings weredoing nothing to stabilize the terraceedges or to litter out eroded materialand litter to build up terraces. Theywere bad examples of the technology.In most cases these were part of experiments/demonstrationsused illstudent education. The ‘Experiments’(nil replication) had considerablesite differences between treatments,which also voided any ‘results’.They were bad teaching material.While I was proudly shown a numberof such plantings by academicstaff, the field officers from variousGovernment Departments (accompanyingme) were very disparagingabout these plantings and the wholeThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 6of the technology’ as a result of suchpoor plantings. There was similarapplication of the technology in largecatchment reclamation projects supervisedby these academic staff(World Bank repayable loans). Thesewere also contributing to the badname of the technology.I do applaud the efforts of developingcountry personnel to apply newtechnology. But I find it most discouragingto see technology badly appliedby people who haven’t understoodall the nuances of the technology.Often they are city bred graduateswho haven’t the background andtraining to properly understand farmingtechnology and perceive simpleerrors. Sometimes they don’t havethe resources to properly access theinformation on the technology.While farmers applying the technologyfor centuries don’t make thesesame mistakes, those applying the‘new’ technology under the supervisionof such academic staff are makingthe mistakes of those who aresupervising them. This will inevitablylead to the abandoning of thetechnology by the farmers instead ofthe spread of the technology.I am firmly of the belief that propervetiver technology has a role to playin the urgent need for soil conservationin Maharashtra State and undoubtedlyin India as a whole. I wonderif the Vetiver Newsletter by uncriticalencouragement and praise ofthe use of vetiver in Maharashtra, hasnot set back the cause of vetiver technologyin India in the long term. Inhow many other cases has uncriticalpraise of adoption set back the longterm advancement of vetiver technology?Letter to Tony O’Brien,Queensland, Australia, from DickGrimshaw... The problem that you raise is veryreal, and has always bugged vetiverconservation and even went to thepoint of setting a policy (now rescinded)that vetiver could only beused in rainfall conditions of morethan 2,000 mm of annual rainfall!The best work with vetiver has beendone in Orissa, where governmentstaff took the trouble to visit Thailandto learn how to apply the technologycorrectly. They returned home, anddid the job well. I am afraid that itwill take rather a long time to seechange in the “academic” orientationof researchers in India.As a general point I agree with yourmain point about applying the technologycorrectly. We see failure inmany countries because of bad application.There are many reasonsfor this, including: designers who incorporatethe technology without understandingit; contractors who arenot properly supervised; lack of followup maintenance in the first yearor so; general disinterest by governmentofficials, and so on. In my experiencewhere the technology isapplied correctly, particularly by privateagencies or individuals the systemworks pretty well.VETIVERNETWORKHOMEPAGEwww.vetiver.orgOrhan Baykal, a forester andartist, has kindly agreed toredisign and maintain TVN’shomepage on the Internet.The homepage has becomelarge and unwieldy, and needssome reorganizing. Orhanhas a wide experience aroundthe world, and with his artistictalent will I am sure make ourhomepage into avery respectableweb site. If anyone hasany ideas on web site improvementsplease contact Orhandirectly.

FUTURE ISSUES OFTHE VETIVERNEWSLETTERSIn the last newsletter #17 it wasannounced that from 1998 onwardsThe Vetiver Newsletter would be onlysent to those who request it. This isa reminder to those who have notresponded. This newsletter, #18, isthe last one you will receive unlessyou complete the form that is at theend of newsletter #17. We want tobe able to continue sending you ournewsletter, so please return thecompleted form to The VetiverNetwork. Those who have access tothe Internet can find our homepageat www.vetiver.org. The latterincludes each newsletter as it ispublished.VETIVERRESEARCHANDDEVELOPMENTAWARDSAt the end of 1998 The Vetiver Networkwill be announcing awards valuedat US $50,000 for vetiverreserach and development achievements.In addition the Network willmake recommendations to TheRoyal Projects Development Boardwith respect to the potential winnersof The King of Thailand’s VetiverAwards, two awards each valued atUS $5,000. Notice about all theseaward were published in newsletters#16 and 17. All entries must be sentto The Vetiver Network by September30 1998.LETTERS TO THE EDITORFrom Paul Truong, Australia. Vetiverand its beautiful flowers! (Letterpassed on from Mark Dafforn)We just had a field day in our sugararea, every one welcome — wife,kids etc. After my brief introductionto our research in the area ( sedimenttrapping) — in all seriousness onefarmer said, if Vetiver is closely relatedto sugar cane then we shouldtry to cross them as we need a canevariety like Vetiver. Food for thoughtthere!!!! Then a lady asked “how oftendoes it flower?,” Answer — “oncea year, about now” — Response, “apity as it will make a beautiful dryflower combination with our nativeflowers,”— so I told her to take whatshe needs then she said she onlyneeded a sample now, cure it properlyand sent it to her agent to findout how much he is willing to pay andin the mean time can I give her arough costing! So here you are Mark,don’t knock these flowers too much,this is what I need for my retirement.Yesterday I spent the whole day witha camera crew (this site is about1000 km south of the sugar lands)and introduced our friendly grasswhich can save environment for achildren’s program called TOTALLYWILD for a national TV net work. Inaddition to all the good things weknow that Vetiver can do, the presenter( Dick, a different one but sheis also blond and very nice) insistedon one point we missed so far thatVetiver’s beautiful dark purple flowerswill beautify the moonscape weare trying to rehabilitate, and shemade me say that among all otherattributes. Sorry Mark, I will send youthe tape to show that I had no choice!!.From Hu Jianye, (Red Soil ProjectOffice of Jiangxi Province,Nanchang 330002, China)In 1989, Mr. Richard G. Grimshawintroduced vetiver grass to us as anexcellent plant for soil conservation.We conducted trials in the projectarea in Chongren, Jinxi, Linchuan,Dongxiang, Jinxian, Guixi Counties,as well as at Provincial Animal Husbandryand Breeding Farm, and theProvincial Red Soil Research Institute.The grass was planted on morethan 200 hectares under differentecological conditions. They all grewwell even on extreme soils and couldstand drought, submerging, burning,animal feeding. Besides, the grasswas characterized by very high biomassand strong capability of stabilizingsoils and water conservation.In order to extend vetiver technology,20 hectares of nurseries have beenestablished since 1990 on paddyfields, upland red soils, and sandbars, accompanied by multiple experimentsand research such as reproductiontechnology, the effects ofvetiver on soil conservation, effect ofvetiver mulch on soil and water maintenance,the use of vetiver as fodder,the effect of extremely infertilesoils on the growth of the grass, etc.The vetiver technology was not onlyextended to most of the counties inJiangxi Province but also to neighboringprovinces. In 1993 the contourplanting vetiver hedges were identifiedas an most efficient new tech-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 7

nology and most important componentin agroforestry systems recordedin the Evaluation Documentof Red Soil Project involving in 5Provinces as Jiangxi, Fujian,Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangxi.Up to the end of 1996, the contourplanting vetiver hedges were widelyestablished in the 43 watersheds in19 counties and on provincial farmsthrough the Red Soil Project (2ndphase) in order to control the serioussoil erosion. With progress of theproject, the ecological and economicalbenefits of the vetiver is becomingmore and more obvious and considerable.Based on statistics, therewere 20,000 ha red soil land protectedby the grass through the RedSoil Project in Jiangxi Province. Theunique function of the grass is nowbeing recognized by more and moregovernment officers and farmers. Itis believable that the grass will be extendedmore widely and quickly insouthern China.From Mulatu Wakjira, Mettu,Ethiopia.......I have been interested to workwith vetiver grass since May 1996when I attended a training workshoporganized jointly by Munchen fMunchen, an NGO, and theIllubbabor Zone Agricultural DevelopmentDepartment at the Kersa trainingcenter of MfM. Thanks to theVetiver Network funding we have sixnurseries in six districts, and I havethe chance of working with one of thenurseries. Todate six developmentagents and six experts have beentrained and I am one of the experts.From now on the nursery activity willbe continued. Please send me acopy of the vetiver video — a veryuseful tool for dissemination of information.From Temesgen Oli, Gore, EthiopiaThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 8......Even though in past years myregion (Illubabor) had very fertile soilnowadays due to serious deforestation,burning and arable farming —all combined with high rainfall — thetop soil has become bare. As a solutionwe practiced engineered structuresto protect the loss of soil. Butwe can’t control even a pinch of soil.Nowadays we use the Vetiver GrassTechnology, and we find it very goodin its protection of the soil. The farmersare very interested and voluntarilypractice the technology on theirfarm lands. It is one of the importanttechnologies for extension communicationwith farmers.From Allai Aina, Papua NewGuinea.... My involvement with vetiver grassgoes back seven years, and duringthose times, whilst attached to a governmentorganization, I was usingvetiver as a means of conserving soiland moisture. I have ended mysecondment with SSRDP and amcurrently working work the forestrydepartment. I have raised my ownvetiver nursery, and am distributingthe plants free of charge to my closerelatives. In future as the plantingmaterial increases I will move intolarge scale distribution. I like thevetiver grass technology and will continueto work with it even though Ihave a forestry background.From Mrs. B. Jiji, District ProjectsOfficer, SAFIRE, PO Box 237,Nyanga, Zimbabwe... I work for an NGO called SAFIRE(Southern Alliance for IndigenousResources) and I am based inNyanga District of Manicaland Provinceof Zimbabwe. I am a districtprojects officer and I work with communitiespromoting sustainable andproductive use of woodlands andother natural resources for economicdevelopment of small holder farmers.One of the key things that I do is topromote conservation and rehabilitationof the natural resources in thedistrict. Having read about “MiracleGrass” — Vetiver, I decided to try itout with smallholder farmers for soiland moisture conservation in the wetuplands of Matema and the dry areasof Nyanga North.The following is what I have done toachieve my goal of seeing vetiveradopted as a soil and moisture conservationbiological/technology.I have organized and run a one daytraining course for 26 agriculturalextension workers (AEW), 1 NRDCroads and maintenance officer and1 upland Matema farmer. The coursewas at Ruwangwe DDF vetiver nursery.The aim was to sell the idea ofvetiver as a soil and moisture conservationtechnology so that governmentdepartments can adopt it andpush the technology to the resourcepoor smallholder farmers. At the endof the course each AEW wanted togo back and start his own vetivernursery in their respective wards, butthe supply of vetiver slips is notreadily available and are expensive.The response from the participantswas very positive, and some havealready started carrying out theirplans drafted at the end of the course.I have I identified one Matema uplandfarmer and established a smallvetiver nursery in February 1997 ofabout 1000 slips. The farmer hadvolunteered without knowing anythingabout vetiver, until he attendedthe training course. The farmer wasexcited, but his main problem was ofinputs (fertilizer, tools etc.). We werenot sure of the amounts and type offertilizer to use.I have also managed to identify threefarmers to establish vetiver hedges,each have now planted one row ofhedge.. The idea is to try vetiver interrace formation and as a conservationmeasure in the high rainfallareas of Matema. The area has hadland slides this year after extremelyheavy rains, so plenty of vetiver willbe needed!I am currently establishing a nurseryin a village in Nyajezi IrrigationScheme. The plants from the nurserywill be used to protect the Nyajezi

live barriers of different species.Look at changes in the physical andchemical characteristics of the soilremaining under different live barrier(and cover crop) treatments.Document changing maize yieldsfrom the research plots.Document the biomass production(fuelwood and fodder) of the differentspecies being used in the livebarriers.Calculate the costs of establishmentand management of the live barriers.Serve as demonstration plots to visitingprofessionals and farmersIf you would like more informationplease contact me.From VanatuSeedlings of the Vetiver Grass multipliedfrom parent materials fromGuam and Fiji are used in soil andwater conservation, rehabilitation ofdegraded lands and stabilization ofroad embankment programs. Effortsto promote the grass for weaving andto explore other potential uses arecontinuingFrom The Plant Genetic ResourcesUnit of the AgriculturalResearch Council (ARC) of SouthAfricaThe Plant Genetic Resources Unit ofthe Agricultural Research Council(ARC) of South Africa co-ordinatesall Plant Genetic Resources for Agriculturein the country. As such itmaintains base collections of allplants of known or potential use foragriculture. As such we have maintainedvegetative collections ofVetiver in the field genebank of ARCRange and Forage Institute. Materialis multiplied on request from usergroups and a small handling fee ischarged for this service.The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 10Ex-situ collections of germplasm aremaintained with the main purposebeing their utilization. This utilizationcan be increased by better documentationand information on the speciesheld. As such, the Vetiver newsletters,enable potential clients to decidewhether Vetiver is suitable fortheir purposes. Having this informationavailable has definitely led to anincreased demand for Vetiver plantingmaterial and we would be gratefulto continue receiving informationon vetiver grass technologyFrom Moges Worku. EthiopiaLet me take this opportunity to saycongratulations for the successfulwork done in disseminating thevetiver technology (if not too late),which I consider is making tremendouscontribution in the area of naturalresources conservation. Being aregular receiver though “passive”) ofthe vetiver news letter since 1992, Ihave got the chance to witness theremarkable growth of the networkboth in scope as well as quality ofinformation disseminated. The networkhas expanded fast and thenews letter is reaching almost all cornersof the world. On my part I havelearned a lot so far (my first exposurewas the vetiver workshop heldin Addis Ababa in 1992), and hopeto learn much more in the future too.Congratulations again and manythanks too.You may wish to know my involvementin the use of the technology....In 1992 and 1993 I initiated the multiplicationof vetiver seedlings in nurseriesin South, West and NorthShewa (Central Ethiopia) mainly foruse on degraded hillside and gullyreclamation sites. I was working asa senior soil and water conservationexpert for Shewa PADEP VI , an EUfunded project - - in the Ministry ofAgriculture, at that time. In WestShewa we planted vetiver seedlingsin gullies (as barriers) during the 1993long rainy season. I remember thegrass was performing well both in thenurseries as well as in the gullies untilearly 1994. I have no informationsince then as I left the project to joinan NGO - Catholic Relief Services(CRS) - where I am working now.Where I work now, we have plans touse vetiver grass as one of the interventionsfor the rehabilitation of degradedhillsides and gullies. We areraising vetiver seedlings in our nurseriesin Southern and Eastern Ethiopia.In Dire Dawa area, a semi-aridzone in Eastern Ethiopia, we haverecently planted vetiver seedlings onpond embankments for stabilisationpurposes. In Southern region(Gurage area, we see a great potentialfor the use of this grass for gullyrehabilitation purposes. Some seedlingsare already planted in the currentrainy season. Therefore, in thecoming years we hope to share withyou the information regarding theperformance of this famous grass ondegraded hillsides and gullies.From Victor A. Gillespie, Engineer,P0 Box 5752, Vientiane, Lao PDR,FAX:856-21-212933, e-mail:victorg@microtec.com.laVetiver Activities In Luang PrabangProvince, Lao PDR. My counterparts— led by Mr. Thongsavanh Boupha,Head of the European Commissionfunded provincial irrigationprogramme — and I are working onthe fourth introduction of Vetiver intothe province of Luang Prabang, LaoPDR. That we are making the fourthintroduction by a foreign donorproject highlights the fact that aVetiver Grass System (VGS) can notbe sustainable unless there is activeinvolvement by government agenciesand/or farmers - obvious but difficultto achieve.Mr. Boupha and I believe that thereis more assurance of active involvementon donor funded projects if the:(1) VGS programme is an explicitcomponent of the technical assistanceagreement and (2) target beneficiariesperceive the benefits.We propose that the VGS be an explicitpart of the technical assistanceagreement, for otherwise resourceswill first go to activities that are anexplicit part of the programme. Resourcesand commitment are requiredfor a good VGS because it isdifficult for farmers to perceive the

enefits. This is especially true withsubsistence farmers. They do nothave the luxury of planning ahead.They have to get their food now, andfor most, this means planting all ofthe area that they can. The history ofVetiver’s introduction into LuangPrabang province, northern Laoslends some weight to these suggestions.Vetiver is native to southern Laos,and the Laos are aware of the plant -having a word for it in their language.Although in the field, many peopleconfuse it with various tall grasses.From our observations, the plant isnot indigenous to northern Laos. Thefirst known introduction of Vetiver toLuang Prabang province was by theUnited Nations’ Food and AgriculturalOrganisation project. This was in thelate 1980’s. Their activities centredon a Provincial Agricultural Field Stationabout 12 kilometres outside ofthe town of Luang Prabang. Theyplanted a system of hedges. Thesewere planted both on and off of thestation. Off the station, the plantingswere on the contour on farmers’ land.The majority of the farmers plantedVetiver as part of a “Food for Work”programme. To our knowledge, theuse of Vetiver was not an explicit partof the project agreement. Since theFAO project left the Provincial AgriculturalField Station, the farmershave dug up the hedges to plant uplandrice. From this it is assumedthat neither the government agencynor the farmers understood the benefitof the VGS.The second known introduction wasby a Euro-Consult technical assistanceteam - noted in Vetiver NewsletterNo. 6 March 1991 - in cooperationwith Lao government officials.They planted a nursery and hedgesat an Agricultural Fruit Research Station8 kilometres outside of town.They also planted hedges on farmers’land nearby. When Mr. Bouphaand I inspected the area in May 1997,there was only a small patch of Vetiver,about 1 metre by 0.5 metre,near the road. The plants in the fruitstation had been dug up and thosein the nearby fields either dug up ordied from being shaded. It is knownthat the use of a VGS was not explicitin the technical assistanceagreement. While the Euro-Consultteam did a good job of addressingthe problem of erosion, their mainfocus was on helping farmers to usetheir available land for cash crops.With this focus, the Vetiver hedgesin farmers’ fields were not sustainablebecause it is not a cash crop.A third known introduction is by theLao - International Rice ResearchInstitute (Lao - IRRI) Upland ResearchProgramme about 25kilometres outside of Luang Prabang.Lao - IRRI has planted hedges on thestation, and they have an active outreachprogramme with selected farmers.The farmers that they are workingwith are using a VGS becausethey realise that they have to managetheir land or lose it.The International Board for Soil Researchand Management (IBSRAM)erosion control trial station is next tothe Lao - IRRI station. They have awide variety of biological trials. Theyobtained their planting material fromLao - IRRI. Both Lao - IRRI andIBSRAM are doing well with theirprogrammes.The fourth introduction is by the EuropeanCommission funded irrigationprogramme in cooperation with theEuropean Commission funded roadconstruction programme. Becausea VGS programme is not explicit inthe technical assistance programme- although recognised and encouragedby European Commission technicalstaff - Mr. Boupha and I have towork on our VGS programme as wecan after fulfilling our mandated responsibilities.Because we are short of resources,we are hedging our bets - pun intended- with regard to setting up asustainable programme. We haveestablished two nurseries. Each underdifferent management, and eachwith different objectives. One is a 20metre by 20 metre plot at the localAgricultural College Pak Xuang,which is 17 kilometres outside ofLuang Prabang on National Highway13 North. The nursery is maintainedby staff and students. The objectivehere is to train the staff and studentsin how to propagate Vetiver. Theother nursery is maintained by farmersin the Pak Pa Irrigation Scheme.Planting material from this nurserywill be available in about seven (7)months. These plants are for use bythe farmers to stabilise canal banks,check drain erosion into the canals,and to stabilise soil around theheadwork’s and structures. The IrrigationProgramme and the farmersare now identifying where the materialshould be planted and how thework will be done.There is no effort being made to havethe farmers plant Vetiver on theirland. It is assumed that when theysee the decrease in maintenance thatthey have to do on the irrigationscheme, the more innovative farmerswill try the VGS on their own land.The objective here is to have thefarmers learn of the benefits to begained from a VGS without first usingtheir crop land. It is hoped thatone of these nurseries will be sustained,and one of the programmes,either roads erosion control or irrigationscheme erosion control, will continue.We are building on past work. Becausethere is now greater awarenessof Vetiver among Lao governmentofficials and donor representatives,our work is not as innovative -and thus untested - as previous introductions.With these advantages,we look for Vetiver to be establishedin Luang Prabang Province.From. C.M.Gomes TanzaniaI am at present working on a WorldBank financed, Hydropower projectin Tanzania. The project is on the riverKihansi and is therefore called theKihansi project. I am employed by theThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 11

consultant engineers, Norplan A/s, aNorwegian company. Aside from thetunnels, dam, power station, tailracecanal etc. there is also a 14 km. accessroad to the dam site whichclimbs some 800 meters from thecamp at a lower level to the dam siteat around 1200 meters altitude.Many sections of this road arethrough very poor sandy soils whichhave a strong tendency to slip anderode during the rainy season (April-May). It is therefore our intention totry and establish vetiver hedge growsto stabilise embankments. The problemof the cuts, which are rathersteep and high, still remain, but weshall try and locate and use a creepinggrass to cover the cuts.Local grasses grow abundantly, andsprout up during the rainy season, theproblem has been that the erosionhas already started before the localgrass takes. Besides this, most ofthe grasses available are not deeprooted and are very susceptible tobush fires which run wild every yearin this area. We are not too sure thatthe grass we are using is Vetiverazizanioides, but it is definitely a speciesof vetiver. The roots have astrong, pungent though not unpleasant- smell. I wonder if this may be ameans of identification. Most vetiverI have observed in Tanzania is atslightly higher altitudes 800 to 1500meters, and which I believe was originallybrought in to the tea plantations.It goes by the local name of Kus-Kusin the Kilimanjaro area. We are alsopretty certain that the vetiver we areusing does not produce a viableseed, which is not only our observationbut also reported by the peoplefrom where we obtained the rootingmaterial. I understand that there is asource of Vetiver in the Iringa area,which is not too far from us, couldyou give me more details of the locationand people running the operation,and also if there is any possibilityof having the strain of vetiver weare using identified positively.Further more there is a section of thePangani river (on which power is alsoThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 12generated) which has an extremelyshallow bed slope due to the topographyof the area. A study is presentlybeing conducted (funded byNorway) to determine some methodwhereby the side banks of the rivercan be raised so as to contain higherflows of water than is presently possible.This problem exists in roughlya 50 Km. stretch of the river. One ofthe remedies suggested is the buildingof small bunds planted withVetiver protection.From G.van de Meeberg , Projectadvisor, St. Joseph’s Family FarmProject, Catholic Mission Bwiam),PO. Box 165, BanjuI, The Gambia.Ph/Fax: 220489050, E-mailMhadji@gam.healthnet.orgWe would like to express our appreciationfor your excellent service bythe provision of the Vetiver Newsletter.The reason for not having contributedany items for publication has beenthat our project has very limited staff(8) and a multitude of diverse tasksrelated to food security while tryingto restore the environment, leavinglittle time for corresponding. Ourapproach to cover the area of 112villages in 6 districts has beenthrough partnership with all relativeextension workers, government orN.G.Os individual farmers, but significantly,the schoolsThe start of our increased emphasison the use of Vetiver grass throughoutthe region came after havingplanted contours on a farmers plotwhich never yielded anything worthwhilebefore. Surrounding farmers,having seen the dramatically positiveresult, made requests for the technologyand the project has been demanddriven ever since. Anothercontributing factor for increased demandwas that word went rapidlyaround after a series of district wideworkshops for village leaders whichincluded a video of a communitywhich collectively built bunds allowingthem to put 34.6 ha of land underupland rice cultivation. The video alsorecorded the visit of the Minister ofAgriculture who remarked it was tilelargest upland rice area he had everseen. The concept of making thebunds permanent with Vetiver wasmade clear in the video although notall the bunds had been planted.Propagation of Vetiver grass wasstarted with a small nursery at aschool site where the grass was originallyplanted for decorative purposes.Two project sites were added, andmore schools were involved withvarying rates of success. At the moment,funding for Vetiver propagationhas been secured, and some extrastock which was acquired in anticipationhalf a year ago has beenmultiplied for use in other nurserysites. We are combining both thepartnerships with farmers, multiplyingthe grass through planting on thebunds, as well as establishment ofnew nurseries.We are still in the dark about the cultivars.We thought we had been usinga local variety and went out ofour way to acquire some we were toldwas V. zizanioides. It does not lookany different! We did see a varietygrowing wild in large quantities upcountry which looks distinctly different.As we anticipate the demand forplanting stock to outstrip our capabilityto supply, we will have to considerusing it. Shade tolerance is nota major concern for upland farmlandas it is mostly denuded (as yet). Wewould appreciate a description or illustrationof the variety we suspectmight be V. nigritana in comparisonwith what is possibly V. Zizanioides.We were pleased to find out a regionalnetwork is in the making, butwould appreciate continued receiptof the Newsletter. Without prejudice,our small project is, no doubt, themost active promoter of Vetiver inthis country and just a few days agoreceived some publicity on NationalTelevision through a visit from theFirst Lady to the same village we pre-

viously mentioned. We hold manyworkshops and receive many visitors,where the network is mentioned, andthe Vetiver newsletters are displayed.Information is also copied in handoutswe supply to our guests andpartners.JUST A REMINDER!Our heartfelt thanks!PLEASE DONOTFORGETIF YOU WANT TOCONTINUE TORECEIVEFURTHERISSUES OF THEVETIVER NEWS-LETTER YOUMUSTCOMPLETE THEFORM INCLUDEDIN NEWSLETTER#17The Vetiver Network, 15 Wirt StreetNW, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, USA.Tel: 703 771 1942; Fax: 703 771 8260Email: vetiver@vetiver.orgHomepage:http://www.vetiver.orgThe Vetiver Newsletter is published byThe Vetiver Network. Editor and VetiverNetwork Coordinator: DickGrimshawCorporate Secretary: Mark Dafforn.The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 13

IT S JUST LIKE GROWING SHALLOTS...! EXPERIENCES WITHVETIVER GRASS IN A SOIL AN WATER CONSERVATIONPROGRAMME FOR COMMUNAL FARMERS IN ZAKA DISTRICT,ZIMBABWEby Soren Dreyer (MSC in Geography) Conservation Adviser, Zaka District.BackgroundZimbabwe has a long and politicallyquite shaky history of soil conservation.Construction of standardizedcontour ridges and drains has beenenforced by governments for decadesand due to the enforcementthe whole idea of soil conservationhas become rather unpopular amongcommunal (African small-holder orpeasant) farmers. During the liberationwar of the 1970’s the concept of“Freedom Farming” was introducedby the freedom fighting armies. Thisinvolved destruction of existing contourridges as a protest against theRhodesian regime. Hence ,soil conservationbecame a victim in a highlysensitive and indeed political debate.Now, 17 years after independence,the standard contour ridges are tosome extent still enforced, but it isnow possible to establish othermeans of soil conservation withoutactually bypassing the law.In Zaka District, in South-EasternZimbabwe, a partnership betweenthe Danish NGO MS-Zimbabwe andthe local Rural District Council started4 years ago with the objective of addressingconservation of natural resourcesamong communal farmers.The idea was to introduce options forappropriate technologies to controlsoil erosion instead of blank recommendations(like the standard contourridge). The program is coordinatedby Zaka Rural District Council,and the implementing agents areMinistry of Agriculture, Dep. of NaturalResources, and the ForestryCommission of Zimbabwe. A DanishConservation Adviser is attached tothe programme.Photo # 1: Transforming a standard contour ridge & drain into a Vetiverhedge. Vetiver is planted just above the drain. This photo was taken after thefirst season and the hedge is already well established. After the second seasonthe drain and ridge will be destroyed giving the farmer access to more landwhile the field is better protected. The photo was taken during a Look &Learn Tour with visitors from another district.Zaka District is a semi-arid, mountainousarea with erratic rainfall averaging6-800 mm/yr. The soils aregenerally poor. Subsistence farmingis the main economic activity and themain crops grown are maize, groundnuts,cotton, sorghum finger millet,sunflower and pumpkins. The populationdensity is more than 65 persons/km2 , which is quite high for amountainous area where subsistencefarming is the main economicactivity. Hence the environmentalconsequences are over-utilization ofthe natural resources, deforestationand severe soil erosion.Initially, the conservation programmeintroduced an alternative type ofmechanical contouring, the FanyaJuu system from Kenya. By buildingup bench terraces and improvingmoisture conservation this systemreduces soil erosion markedly comparedto the standard contour ridges.Yet, it was felt that more alternativeswere needed, and vetiver grass(Vetiveria zizanioides) was then introducedin 1994. In the beginningonly as a pilot project, because experiencewith the grass inZimbabwe’s communal areas wasminimal. A few nurseries (0.2-0.4 ha)and a number of demonstrations withcontour hedges were established.The planting material was boughtfrom large scale commercial farms inother parts of the country whereVetiver had successfully been usedfor some 20-25 years, but never re-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 14

Photo # 2: Checking runoff. A Vetiver hedge planted across a road,which used to cross a valley bottom. The valley bottom is now a 10-12m deep gully and the road a dangerous waterway leading to the gully.Vetiver hedges were planted 11/2 year before the photo was taken,and in spite of the poor soil conditions the grass is well established andthe amount of silt trapped in front of the hedge is quite impressive. Thehedge also facilitates establishment of other types of vegetation, whichfurther reduces the velocity of runoff and thereby assists the reclamationof the gully.ally reached the communal areas.Even within the first season, the resultswere quite impressive. The secondlargest gully in Zimbabwe, atZishir (>300m long, 15-20m wide and10-12m deep), was one of the maintargets. Conservation of the gullycatchment area with vetiver contourhedges proved to be much more efficientthan the standard contourridges. Later, waterways leading tothe gully were checked with vetiver,and two more nurseries were establishedinside the gully to provide optimummoisture conditions.To ensure sustainability and reducedependency of purchasing the grassfrom commercial farms two largecentral nurseries were established ata later stage. From there, farmers willbe able to purchase planting materialat a reasonable price with lowtransport costs. These two districtnurseries are still new and are notable to meet the high demand fromfarmers, who have realized the manyadvantages of vetiver contourhedges. The advantages stated bythe farmers are:• less labour compared to mechanicalcontouring,• improved moisture conditionsleading to yield increases,• no erosion in the fields,• land is released for cultivationas a vetiver hedge occupiesless space compared tomechanical contouring• availability of thatching grassfrom Vetiver,• snakes are repelled by the aromaticsmell of vetiver grass,I have not come across any researchon the latter issue, but cobras andmambas flourish in Zaka, so if it reallyworks, all the better.The statement of “no erosion in thefields” is related to the fact that sheetand even rill erosion are commonphenomena’s in the fields conservedwith standard contour ridges. Rill erosionmainly occurs where there arebreakage’s in the contour ridge orwhere the ridge was not pegged correctly.Sheet (inter-rill) erosion doestake place in fields with vetiverhedges, but it is reduced significantlydue to circumstance that vetiver is apermeable barrier that acts like asieve and kind of spreads runoff waterright across the field and reducesthe erosive velocity of runoff water.Thus, the total erosion and the visiblesigns of it in the field might bereduced, but the sedimentation ofmaterial in front of the hedge (whicheventually becomes a natural terrace)proves that erosion in the fielddoes take place. The main advantagewith vetiver hedges is thus that soilis only transported within the field andnot removed from it. Based on thepositive results from the pilot sites itwas decided to establish communitynurseries in each of the 30 wards ofZaka District and at a number ofschools.DisseminationThe concept of biological contouringin the form of vetiver grass barriersimmediately appears strange to afarmer who has never seen it andwho in the past was forced to practicemechanical contouring. So themost efficient tool in disseminatingthe concept of vetiver grass hedgesproved to be “Look & Learn Tours”for farmers.On the “Look & Learn Tours” interestedgroups and individuals visit thepilot areas. During the visits, the farmersfrom the pilot areas explain intheir own words what they havedone, show how they have done it,and prove what they have achieved.The aspects of vegetative propagationand of managing and maintaininga permanent nursery is well displayedby simply comparing thepropagation of Vetiver to that of shallots,a practice most farmers are familiarwith from their gardening.The visible proof in the pilot plots ofVetiver’s viability as a highly advancedyet at the same time simpleoption for soil & water conservationconvinces almost every visitor. Afterthe tour, the visitors are usually verykeen and are encouraged to starttheir own nurseries. That, however,The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 15

is not always possible and dependson the season. Due to vetiver’s vulnerabilityto drought the first 6-8weeks and the local rainfall pattern,nurseries and contour hedges shouldonly be established from Decemberto February in this part of the world;unless there is a permanent watersource very near the nursery and thecommunity is prepared to water thegrass. In Zaka we have tried to establishnurseries in the dry seasonwith limited success. There havebeen cases where grass planted inthe dry season(even near a watersource, hasdried up due tonegligence. Onefactor could be,that too heavypromotion of theblessings of Vetiverfrom eagerextensionists (includingthe author!)has madesome beneficiariesbelieve thatthe grass cangrow even withoutwater! Butapart from thefirst 6-8 weekswhere water isessential, nothingelse seems todisturb vetiver seriously.Termiteand livestock attacks are common,but in most cases the grass survivesand will reshoot.In addition to the farmer-to-farmerextension via the “Look and LearnTours”, school teachers and the agriculturalextension staff of the districthave also been trained in Vetivermanagement. This training has providedthe programme with valuableresource persons scattered all overthe district. Here, the little greenVetiver Handbook has been highlyvaluable, as we received 150 copiesin 1995. They are all distributed andare being used intensively. We coulduse more copies, also for distributionThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 16to other districts, so an effort to havethe handbook reprinted would behighly appreciated! To reach beneficiariesthat are not too confident withthe English language, a handout inShona on vetiver management isnow being produced.Sustainability and PotentialBy just introducing vetiver grass inZaka District, all the environmentalproblems described in the first sectionof this paper are far from solved.Photo # 3: Farmer-to-farmer extension. During a “Look & LearnTours farmers explain to other farmers their experiences withvetiver grass. Here Mrs. Zinanga, an innovative farmer, is teachingtwo visitors how to manage a Vetiver nursery. Note that the “donor”in the right front is keeping quiet, listening in admiration!But vetiver hedges has proven to bea more efficient, less laborious andeasily adoptable barrier against erosioncompared to mechanical contouringmethods like contour ridges.And it has proven to be an almostuniversal and comparably cheap toolin gully reclamation. There is still alot of areas where we need moreexperience here in Zaka, e.g. in soilconservation along roads, embankmentstabilization and in the protectionof wetlands. There is definitelymore work to be done and new areasto explore...Based on the above findings vetivergrass has a high potential of beingthe solution to the problem of soil erosionin Zimbabwe. With the recentexperiences from Communal Areas(in at least 4 other districts thanZaka), and the many years of experienceson commercial farms, thereshould be no reason for the governmentand the many donors in Zimbabwenot to focus first of all onvetiver hedges as an alternative tothe unpopular standard contourridges. The grass deserves muchmore attention than it currently receives.Environmentally,there is no doubtthat Vetiver is oneof the best solutionsto conservationof arablelands as well asgrazing areas. It iseasy for farmers tolearn the skills relatedto managementof the grass,there are no expenseswhen firstthe grass is there,and the labour requirementsarevery low. The onlyconcern we havein this programmeis related to thefact that Vetiveriazizanioides seemsto be a clone; wedon’t know what diseases or pestsmight appear one day and within ashort period damage or even exterminateall the grass in the region.That would be an environmental disaster.But considering the worldwideexperience and proof of the viability,the risk appears to be mainly theoretical.Hence, Vetiver grass has alot of potential in Zimbabwe andbased on the Zaka farmers’ positiveresponse it should be worth trying ona much larger scale.

REPORT ON THE VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINE (14 - 22 MAY, 1997)by PAUL TRUONG, Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Brisbane, AustraliaOn behalf of The Vetiver Network(TVN) I was invited to attend theOrganisational Meeting to establishthe First Asia-Pacific Conference &Exhibition on GROUND AND WA-TER ENGINEERING FOR ERO-SION CONTROL AND SLOPESTABILISATION.This conference will be held in April1999 under the sponsorships of thefollowing organisations:‹ The International Erosion ControlAssociation (IECA),‹ Various Philippines GovernmentDepartments: PublicWorks and Highways(DPW&H), Natural Resourcesand Environment (DNR&E), theDivision of Mines of DNR&E,Science and Technology,‹ The University of the Philippines,‹ Variousprofessionalorganisations: Philippines Institutionof Civil Engineers, PhilippinesContractors Association,Road Engineering Associationsof the Philippines andof Asia and Australasia,‹ World Association of Soil andWater Conservation and‹ The Vetiver Network.I took this opportunity to establishcontact with the Vetiver Network Philippines(VNP), meeting up with VNPcoordinator Dr. Edwin Balbarino andVNP representatives for Luzon, NoahManarang and Tina Jose. I also visitedthe International Rice ResearchInstitute (IRRI) at Los Banos, had ameeting with Mr. L. Visorde, Directorof the Bureau of Highway Maintenanceof the DPW&H. The followingsare my brief report on the impressionand experience gained during thevisit:VNP :Despite his very busy schedule,Edwin came up from Baybay, Leyteto spend two days with me. DickGrimshaw of TVN has warned me ofhis commitment to the application ofVetiver Technology, so I was well preparedfor his enthusiasm. This enthusiasmwas further increased afterattending my seminar given to IRRIscientists (more of this latter). I hadprepared for Ed a set of mini posterson my various research and applicationprojects and all the papers andpublications of the last Vetiver Workshopin Australia. Ed said these materialswould give tremendous supportto the coming VNP Workshopin August. We had long discussionon the potential of vetiver for bothrural and industrial applications particularlyin the Philippines context.We spent a long day (6AM to8.30PM) looking for various vetiverplanting sites, but due to bad communicationwe only found two sites,one at the beginning of the Subic Baytoll road and one on the Famy -Infanta Highway. Vetiver establishmentwas reasonable at both sitesalthough poor establishment wasnoted in some areas on the Famyroad. But the most disappointingpoint was the poor to very poor resultsof the road stabilisation works.Through discussions with Edwin andNoah later I found out that this wasdue to the lack of proper design andsupervision, particularly the plantingtechnique, as both departmental andcontractor staff have not been trainedon the application of the vetiver systemfor slope stabilisation. This wasarisen mainly from the misconceptionthat as a grass Vetiver will act as anyother grasses in slope stabilisation.In Australia some specifications evenlisted vetiver seeding rate (40 kg/ha)for hydromulching !!!. Concerted effortsneed to be applied on potentialusers to point out that vetiver is onlya tool, like any other tools of tradeyou have to learn how to use themproperly for best results. In my experience,if we do not apply the systemcorrectly, not only the system will notwork but in some cases it can causesevere erosion, as a well establishedvetiver hedge is a very effective waterdiversion structure, the result canbe disastrous and gives bad publicityto the new technology.IRRI.Dr. Ken Fischer, Deputy DirectorGeneral (Research) of IRRI invitedme to give a seminar on my R, D &Application projects on the vetiversystem to research staff and studentsat the Institute. IRRI is interestedin the use of vetiver in theirupland rice works, particularly theirperennial rice project. The seminarwas well received and discussionswas later held with several projectleaders who wanted to have furtherdiscussion on its tolerance to adverseconditions Edwin also participated inthese discussions. One vetiver characteristicsthat particularly intereststhem was vetiver resistance tonematode attack, IRRI is keen to findout the mechanism of nematode resistancein vetiver so that they canselect/breed/genetic engineer (?) intotheir perennial rice and also as anerosion control measure cum nematodeprotection of the perennial ricecrop on steep lands. In general IRRIresearchers accept the effectivenessof vetiver in erosion control, but theyhave not promoted it as they havefound that in general the hedges systemssuch as alley cropping etc. arenot well accepted by farmers mainlybecause of the lost of land on verysmall farms and also the time involvedin the planting and maintainingthe hedges, Edwin and I pointedit out to them that properly establishedvetiver hedges do not takeThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 17

much land and require little maintenance.DPW&H.Dick Grimshaw of TVN informed methat on the advice from the WorldBank, DPW&H has planted two trialsites on new highways to assess theeffectiveness of the vetiver system inslope stabilisation instead of usingthe very costly 1000s of metres rockwall they are using now, and he advisedme to contact the departmentfor site visits.Unfortunately due to bad communication,no site visit was possible, andonly a short meeting was availablewith Mr. L. Visorde, Director Bureauof Highway maintenance in Manila.The Bureau has established twovetiver test sites, one on Famy roadand the other at Neuva Vicaya. Howeverit turned out that the site onFamy road that I visited was not theone planted by the Bureau, but bysomeone else, I was not sure bywhom, but was told that the Bureausite was much more successful andbetter planned.I discussed with Mr. Visorde the useof vetiver in highway and railwaystabilisation in Australia and particularlythe works done by DitiHengchaovanich in Malaysia. I alsodiscuss the results of the two sites Ivisited with him and pointed out theshortcomings and my concernsabout the wrong application methods.Although it is too early to see theresult (3 months after planting) of histrials Mr. Visorde was enthusiasticabout the vetiver system and plannedto established more nurseries to supplyplanting materials for other sites.I suggested to him that it may becheaper to contract out to VNP membersfor supply in remote locations.He also asked me whether I couldcome back to evaluate his trials properlyand help his staff on the use ofvetiver in highway stabilisation, Ipromised to pass on his request tothe World Bank.BIO-ENGINEERING CONFERENCE :Noah Manarang was appointed as the representative of the VNP on theWays and Means Committee, helping resources allocation and field trips.With the presence of Naoh on the committee and Mr. Visorde enthusiasm Iam sure that VNP will have a few suitable sites for the conference fieldvisits.PINATUBO LAHAR CONTAINMENT DAMS ;On the way to the Subic Bay site we passed through several dams anddiscuss the merit of using vetiver for the stabilisation of the dam walls. Becauseof the unconsolidated nature of these lahar dams, I think it will takeseveral years before vetiver becomes effective and the slope will probablycollapse before that due to the annual monsoonal rain.1 INTRODUCTION OF VETIVERObservations and Experiments on the Multiplication,Cultivation, and Management of Vetiver GrassConducted in China in the l950 s.Xia Hanping (South China Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences,Guangzhou, China)The first introductory paper aboutvetiver was published in the magazineof Tropical Crops (in Chinese)in 1957, whose title was just“Vetiveria zizanioides”. This papercovered in detail five different aspectsof vetiver: 1) production; 2) the plant;3) multiplication and cultivation; 4)harvest and processing; and 5) characteristicof vetiver oil. There are severalpoints worth mentioning in thisarticle. They are: China’s vetiver wasintroduced from Indonesia in 1956.(It has been widely believed thatChina’s vetiver was from India).The undomesticated vetiver hadbeen found in Hainan Island of China.(As a matter of fact, there was a muchlarger area, approximately 6,000-7,000 ha, of wild vetiver communities,maybe Vetiveria nigritana, foundin Guangdong by South China Instituteof Botany in 1957.)Vetiver roots are 3-4 mm in diameter,and 1-1.5 m deep. It can produce dryroots 100-150 kg per mu (one-fif-teenth hectare) 1 year after planting,from which can be refined 2-3 kgvetiver oil.Vetiver grass rarely seeds, and ismainly replicated by vegetativepropagation. Prior to planting theirtops should be pruned to about 20cm, and the number of tillers per slipshould be 2-3.The plant generally performs betterin free and well drained soils, andbest in young soils developed fromvolcanic ash. The oil content will decreaseif it is planted in clayed soils.The grass grows best under full sunshine,and is not a shade-tolerant.The oil content of roots is generallysome 2-2.5%. 18-month-old rootscontain the most oil with the best fragrance.The older the root the greaterthe density of oil.In addition, there was another introductorypaper on vetiver oil. This paper,entitled “Vetiver Oil”, introducedthe production and processing ofThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 18

vetiver oil in some major oil producingcountries and regions includingJava, Reunion, Haiti, India, and somecountries from South America. It alsomade reference to chemical ingredients,physical and chemical characteristics,functions and uses ofvetiver.2. SOME SUCCESSFUL METHODSFOR PROPAGATING VETIVERSince vetiver has difficulty in producingviable seeds, the general propagationapproach is through divisionof roots. The availability of vetiverseedlings was very deficient in thelate 1950s, so priority was given toexperimenting on the multiplication ofmaterials. The successful propagationmethods obtained from theseexperiments and surveys are as follows.2.1 Multiplication by Stem-culmCuttings. No matter how manynodes, mono-, bi-, or poly-node, arecontained in a culm, old culms fromthe first four nodes in the base partof a stem have the highest survivalrate, which goes up to about. 50-60%; whereas the culms from the 5-6th nodes only have 20-30% survivalrate. The further the culms are fromthe base part, the lower their survivalrates eventually to zero. In the samenodes, those which are deprived ofsheaths and have revealed “budeyes”and “root points” sprout morerapidly, and produce more roots, thanthose which are not deprived of theirsheaths. This is because the bud~eyes~ and root points in culmswhose sheaths are peeled off arecapable of contacting directly withmoisture in soil, which promotes rootpoints to stretch and bud-eyes tosprout. If older cuttings are put insand with saturated water, they willshow “white dots” next day, and producenew roots in the third day; ifyounger cuttings are used it will takesmore than 20 days, but they do notbecome dry or dead.2.2 Multiplication by PedicelculmCuttings. During the periodof flowering, pull open leaves lyingnext to the 5 - 8th nodes, and cut offthe pedicel from the top 3-4 nodes.Over 5-6 days after the top is cut,prune the pedicel culm at 1-2 cm fromthe ground. Divide each node of thepedicel into one section, then dip thesections into 0.01 % KMnO4 solutionfor 5 -10 minutes. After that plantthem in a nursery. The nursery shouldwell drained and fertile, water sufficient,and be in the shade. Irrigationis given 2-4 times per day, new rootswill grow out some 10 days afterplanting.2.3 Multiplication by Longitudinal-slitStems. This method is interesting.Vetiver stems have oppositeaxillary buds and radicles. If astrong stem is longitudinally slit intotwo halves, then both can producenew tillers and roots. Longitudinal-slitseedlings should be cultivated inshade and the management must bemeticulous. It is necessary to usuallyirrigate the bed in order to keep it wet.New roots will appear after stemshave been transplanted for 6 days,and their establishment rate may beup to 100%. Furthermore, the propagationwith longitudinal-slit stems hasa pretty rapid tiller-formation; and canenhance multiplication speed by 2-5times as compared to non-longitudinal-slitapproach.2.4 Multiplication through PruningTops. This is a quite novel approach.The main operation is as follows.Cut the top from the growthpoint when the plant grows up to 5-6nodes; the purpose is to control topgrowth. Then peel off sheaths nodeby node to accelerate axillary budsaging. After top pruning and sheathremoving, nutrients in plant will concentratechiefly on the buds, thus newseedlings are beginning to sproutfrom the buds in 1-2 weeks. Whenthe seedlings grow up to round 20cm, pick them up with the motherbuds and culms together. Then heelin them under shade to produce rootsas soon as possible. After new rootscome out in about one week, theycan be outplanted. This propagationway usually has a establishment rateof over 95%, and its speed of formingseedlings is far faster than propagationby pedicel-culm cuttings.3 CULTIVATION TECHNIQUESFOR PROMOTION ESTABLISH-MENT3.1 Water-cultivation for AcceleratingRoot Growth. The methodof water cultivation for speeding rootgrowth is quite simple and is accomplishedby laying the cuttings or rootdivisions vertically in 5-centimeterdeepwater (e.g. shallow pool) for 7-10 days.The advantages of this method areas follows:‹ Has quicker growth andtillering Through water cultivation,seedlings no longerundergo the green-turningprocess, but grow directly.Thus they can produce tillersin advance.‹ Roots rapidly. Water cultivationmakes seedlings strikenew roots only in 2-3 days,whereas the ordinary transplantingway takes at leastone week. (In spring 1997, wedid the same experiment, theresult was that fastest newroots were produced in 3days, and the slowest in aweek or so.)‹ Increased the survival rates,and better promotion ofgrowth and development.While cuttings are used asmultiplication materials, theywill not take roots and fromtillers until transplanting after10 days or a longer, respectively,even if cuttings are fromthe older culms. If cuttings arethe younger culms, the majoritydo not survive after transplanting.Through water cultivation,however, old stemsgrow new roots and leavesonly in 2-3 days; young stemsalso take roots only in 10-15days, and only a few becomeThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 19

dry and dead.3.2 Heel-in for Taking Roots. Anad hoc survey showed that the survivalrate of vetiver through heel-inwas 97.5%, whereas that with noheel-in was only 92.3%. Another experimentindicated no difference insurvival rates in the rainy seasonbetween vetiver transplanted on thesame day of uprooting and vetivertransplanted through heel-in. Therefore,it is best, in the rainy season, toplant vetiver immediately after it isdug up. In the dry season, however,heel-in for striking roots is an idealmeasure to guarantee a high survivalrate (Table 1). Heel-in can enhancethe survival rate, but the time of heelinis important, and it is best at 6-10days after transplanting when newroots reach 2-4 cm.3.3 Dipping Roots. Before planting,dip vetiver roots in 5-25 ppm 2,4-D, dilute fecal sewage, or even slurry.This method may increase survivalrates, and promote tiller formationand growth. For example, the numbersof tillers and new roots whoseseedlings were dipped into dilute oxfecesand water increased by 26.4%and 80.2%, respectively, comparedwith those seedlings not during thefirst three months after transplanting.The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 20should be applied when seedlingsare planted. Number of tillers may beenhanced by 2-3 times if good,enough basal manure is applied. Topdressing, liquid fertilizer is best,should be applied twice a month.Vetiver is drought-resistant, but thenursery should be supplied with sufficientwater; so irrigation should begiven once per 2-3 days if there is norain. There is a trial that indicates thesurvival rate of vetiver planted in awet field is 59.8%, and tillers numberper clump averages 13.4, but ina dry field both are only 57.5% and2.7, respectively, in the same period.4.2 Proper PruningTable 1 Comparison of effects of heel-in and non heel-in on the survival rate of vetiverWeather condition Treatment Survival rate (%) NoteHigh temperature Heel-in 98.0 1Drought Non heel-in 76.8 2Low temperature Heel-in 92.0 3Drought Non heel-in 81.0 41 ) Both treatments are 500 clumps and2) Planting on July 6, checking Aug. 43 ) Both treatments are 200 clumps4) Planting on Jan. 17, checking Feb.103.4 Keeping Mother Tillers inthe Soil. When lifting from a nursery,keep 2-3 tillers from per clumpin the ground to gain a more rapidmultiplication rate for the next nursery.A special trial compares thetillering rate of the following 2 treatments: 1) the plants from motherplants left in soil, and 2) the plantsreplanted with the same motherplants. Both start with 10 tillers. After35 days , treatment 1 goes up to 53tillers , and treatment 2 becomes only6 tillers. It is clear that till ring ratewith mother plants left in the soil isby far the quickest.3.5 Oblique Planting. Plantvetiver obliquely into soil when transplanting.It is possibly better to plantat an angle of about 45-600 ratherthan vertically.4 MANAGEMENT MEASURESFOR ENHANCING TILLERINGRATE4.1 Intensive Cultivation andImproved Management. The nurserymust have fertile soil, adequatemoisture and sufficient sunshine.When clumps of vetiver are dividedinto pieces for seedlings, it would bebest to tear them where they tarebest, otherwise seedlings will bedamaged. Basal manure and waterAfter transplanting seedlings to anursery for 10 months (August -June), the nursery was set up for 4treatments: 1 ) unpruned and unfertilized,2) pruned and unfertilized, 3)unpruned and fertilized, and 4)pruned and fertilized. The plants werecut to 30 cm, fertilization with nightsoil, and observation time was 1month. The results were that treatment2 enhanced the number of tillersby 46.4%,but treatment1 onlyby 17.7%;treatment 4increasesthe numberof tillers by52.6%,whereastreatment 3only by26.9%.However, ifthe plantsare prunedin less than4 months aftertransplanting(February -June), they will suffer physical damagesowing to their young age, whichretards the growth and tillering. In theexperiment above, the tillers numberfor treatment 2 increased only by8.2%, but treatment 1 by 41.4%, af-

ter transplanting for less than 4months.The reasons why pruning can promotegrowing and tillering are because:1) Vetiver is 150 -160 cm high,and the bed’s coverage usually exceeds90% when the plants are upto this height, thereby results in closingbetween rows. Vetiver, the C4plant, demands lots of sunshine forits growth and development, however.Therefore, proper pruning maylessen the closing density andheighten sunshine density in all partsof the plant, especially improved photosynthesisof the new tillers . 2)prunings comprise mainly old stemsand leaves. There is no serious effectof pruning them on the plant; onTable 2 Effects of differentplanting densities on tiller formationSpacingtillersNet increment ofper clump15 x 20 cm 3.820 x 20 cm 4.420 x 25 cm 5.620 x 30 cm 6.630 x 35 cm 7.0Table 3 Effects of different planting depths on establishmentrate and tillering ratePlanting Depth (cm) Estab. Rate (%) # tillers/clumpat 4 months3-4 96.6 24.75-6 92.3 15.47-8 91.3 9.5the contrary, removal of old parts candiminish the consumption of moistureand nutrients. 3) Pruning also cutsoff pedicels or inhibits the plants frommoving into the stage of reproductivegrowth, which would consume agreat ideal of water and nutrients owingto flowering and seeding. 4) Thatold parts when cut off possibly producesstimulation to the plant itself,thus can also improve its growth andtillering.4.3 Rational Close Planting Vetiverhas a very strong ability to producenew tillers, and therefore plantingdensity has a significant influenceon growth and tillering. An ad hoc trialindicates that different planting densities,according to table 2, 1 tiller perclump, produce the tangibly differentnumbers of tillers in 2 months. Certainly,it does not mean from table 2that the sparser the planting densityis, the better. Generally speaking, theplanting density of 20 cm to 30 cmfor multiplication is pretty ideal.5 OTHER ASPECTS NEEDINGCONSIDERATION5.1 Shallow Planting Is ProbablyBetter Than Deep Planting. Table3 indicatesthat vetiverplanted 3-4cm deep isbest, 5-6 cmsecond, and7-8 cm worst,no matterwhich aspect,survivalrate or tillersnumber perclump. It isclear fromthis survey that shallow planting isbetter than deep planting. The crownmust be buried in the ground, however.In addition, in the dry seasonthe plants can not be inserted tooshallowly, otherwise they would sufferfrom drought and result in a decreaseof survival rate.5.2 Keeping Long Roots Is PossiblyBetter Than Keeping ShortRoots. An experiment tested 2 treatments:pruning roots to 15 cm, andto 4 cm. After transplanting for 3months, the result shows that theplants with 15 cm long roots hadmore than more 8.2% of tiller numbersthan those with 4 cm long roots.When heeling in, the former had19.8% increase in the rate of tillerthan the latter, in the same period.The difference, however, graduallydwindles as time goes on. Furthermore,effects of the two treatmentshad no significant effect on the survivalrates. In general, 10 cm longroots are enough; too long roots arenot recommended.Table 4 Effects of different numbers planting on survival and tillering rates Treatment# Tillers per Clump Survival rate (%) Net increment Net increment ofof tillers per tillers per tillerclump1 70 1.19 1.192 81 1.30 0.653 98 2.03 0.685.3 How ManyTillers PerClump ShouldBe Planted.Three treatmentsin an experimentwere set up: 1tiller, 2 tillers, and3 tillers perclump. After 2months, their survivalrates andnew tiller incrementswere sig-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 21

nificant (table 4). Obviously, it is better to plant 2-3 tillers per clump in orderto get the best establishment rate. It is certainly feasible to plant 1 tiller foreach clump when seedlings are scarce. However, a rule, as mentioned above,is to tear off clumps at the place most easily-torn.AcknowledgmentThe author is grateful to Professor He Daoquan for providing some preciousreference material. (19 reference 5 are not used here because they are inChinese. Any of you who are interested in them please contact the author).A Preliminary Study on Vetiver sPurification for Garbage LeachateXia Hanping, Ao Huixiu, Liu Shizhong He Daoquan (South ChinaInstitute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Guangzhou 510650, China)1. INTRODUCTIONMany experiments and observationshave confirmed that vetiver (Vetiveriazizanioides), a perennial grass, hasan excellent effect in soil and waterconservation, extreme soil amelioration,and other environmental mitigatinguses [1-3]. Todate it has beenwidely used for protection of slopingfarmlands, orchards, reservoirs,dikes and dams, for improvement ofextreme (strongly acid, alkaline orinfertile) soils, and reclamation ofmine tailings and polluted areas. Vetivergrown in wetlands has goodpurifying and stabilizing effects onaquaculture sludge [4]. Althoughvetiver is not a hydrophyte, it preferswet and water logged habitats; evenif its crown and roots, even a largeportion of its shoots, are submergedfor relatively long periods, the grasscan also grow and develop. However,to date there have not been any reportson suspending vetiver directlyinto water to purge sewage.The city of Guangzhou is moving rapidlyto becoming an internationalmetropolis; however, a series of ecologicaland environmental problemshave emerged with the developmentof its economy. For example, that lifegarbage landfill and its leakage pollutethe surroundings is becomingincreasingly evident. Currently, mu-nicipal garbage in Guangzhou istreated mainly through filling andburning, and some measures aretaken to prevent garbage and itswaste water from polluting nearby areas.However, the leachate fromlandfills usually has high contents of“pollutants” such as biochemical oxygendemand (BOD), chemical oxygendemand (COD), alkalinity, organicmatter and nitrogen compound,in which most plants can not survive.Although this kind of sewage is notdischarged until “purified”, the propereffluent standards are rarely reached;as a result farmlands and fishpondsare polluted on the lower reaches tovarying degrees, and the quality oflives, both health and mind, of nearbyinhabitants are effected [6]. Sometimes“purified” discharges are farbelow the effluent standard; as a result,they have to be pumped into thefiltration station for a second cycle ofcleansing at high cost.One solution would be to find someplants that could grow well in wastewater and have the capability to purifyit, thus providing a meaningfulway of mitigating the harmful impactof urban garbage. Vetiver grass hasa huge biomass and is able to tolerateadverse conditions, and its effectsin ameliorating polluted soil, rehabilitatingmine tailings, and toleratingpoisonous heavy metals are welldemonstrated. Since vetiver has somany excellent properties, it might bepossible to use it for sewage purification.The question would be as toits effectiveness. This paper recordsand discusses an investigation intothe impact of growth of vetiver bylandfill leachates and its effectivenessin their purification, in comparisonto Alternanthera philoxeroides,Paspalum notatum, and Eichhorniacrassipes, with the objective of identifyingone or two species of plantsthat have the ability to purify wastewater.2 MATERIALS AND METHODS2.1 Experimental Materials Thegarbage leachate was taken from thesewage-purifying station of LikenGarbage Landfill of Guangzhou. Thislandfill, located in the northern suburbsof Guangzhou, is about 15 kmfrom downtown. Established in 1992,it is the largest landfill in Guangzhou,and treats some 2600 t of refuse perday. The sewage-purifying station,lies below the landfill and purifies 300t of leachate per day. The two kindsof leachate used in the trial were collectedfrom the entrance and exit ofthe station; they consisted of thehighly concentrated leachate (HCL)that flowed out of the landfill prior topurification, and the low concentrationleachate (LCL) that had beenphysically cleansed and ready for dischargeinto the oxidation pond, respectively.Plant materials used werefour herbs: Vetiver (V. zizanioides),A.philoxeroides, P. notatum, and E.crassipes. Vetiver and P. notatumwere sampled from the nursery inSouth China Institute of Botany, andA.philoxeroides and E. crassipesfrom ditches and ponds.2.2 Trial Designs and ArrangementsThe experiment was conductedwith a method of water cultivationin buckets, and undertaken inthe glasshouse of South China Instituteof Botany. The glasshouse wasventilated and pervious to light. Theexperiment was arranged in threeThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 22

treatments: clean water, LCL, andHCL; and three duplicates for eachtreatment. The operation was as follows:preparing 36 plastic buckets (4species x 3 treatments x 3 duplicates)with a volume of about 3 dm 3each, adding 2.50 kg of the 3 liquidsabove into each bucket, and puttingone of the 4 species whose healthand weight were basically similar intoeach bucket. Before the plants wereput into the buckets, tops and rootsof vetiver and P. notatum werepruned to 20 cm and 10 cm, respectively;A. philoxeroides was also cutinto sections of 20 cm long; but onlyE. crassipes was kept intact; sincethe whole plant did not exceed 20 cmlong. All the plants were weighed andtheir tiller numbers counted. Watercultivation lasted 66 days (May 12 th -July 17, 1997), and observationswere made of their growth in the threekinds of water and their efficienciesin purifying waste water. During theperiod of cultivation, clean water wasadded to buckets once every 2-4days to supplement water reduced bytranspiration and evaporation, but theamount added each time was nomore than that removed. In addition,the two original leachates were alsoput into four similar buckets, each for2 buckets and 2.5 kg for each bucket.They were set up at the same time(and were given the same arrangementsas the 36 buckets) to investigatethe effects of biological and environmentalfactors, including evaporation,irrigation, vessel absorption,and impacts of sunshine and air, onthe water quality of the leachate.2.3 Observations And AnalysisItems 2.3.1 Situations of plantgrowth in water. Including plantheight, number of tillers, biomass ofshoots, and length of new roots andtheir net increased weight.Items 2.3.2 Effects of plants inpurifying leachate. The analyticalitems contained contents of Fe, Pb,Cd, Zn, Ni in the two types ofleachate; and pH and contents ofCOD, total N, ammoniac N, nitrateN, total P, Cl in the 2 liquids, includingprior to and after water cultivation.2.4 Analytical Methods pH wasmeasured with an acid meter. CODvalues were acquired through measuringthe consumption of dissolvedoxygen; the leachates were oxidizedwith KMnO4; and BOD was also referredto as the consumption of dissolvedoxygen after the leachate wasincubated for 5 days at 20˚C in anincubator. Alkalinity was measuredwith titration of double indicators,phenothalin and methyl orange. TotalN was oxidized with K 2S 2O 8andanalyzed with an ultraviolet spectrophotometer.Ammoniac N and nitrateN were determined with direct distillationand colorimetry ofphenoldisulfonic acid (C 3(CH)3(HSO 3) OH), respectively. Total P2was digestedwith H 2SO 4HClO 4, thenmeasured colorimetrically. Cl 3wasdetermined with titration of AgNO 3.Metal elements were all measuredwith an atomic fluorescence spectroscopy.3 RESULTS3.1 Situations of the Water Qualityof the Leachate Table 1 showsthat the contents of COD, total N,ammoniac N, total P, and Cl 3– in theleachate exiting from the purifyingstation of Likeng Garbage Landfillwere quite high, and were manytimes (dozens) higher than the highestallowable discharge concentrationsof industrial sewage. After purifying,the contents of these items significantlydecreased; and artificialpurifying rates were between 30-80%. However, the concentration ofthe exit liquid still went beyond theeffluent standard, which exceeded100 mg/L COD, 210-240 mg/L totalN, 1.6 mg/L P and 500-600 mg/L Cl 3,even compared to the second standardof “the standard for comprehensivedischarge of sewage of China(GB 8979-88)”[7]. BOD of the twoliquids were relatively low, and werewithin the effluent standard after purifying.Of all items analyzed, onlynitrate N in the exit water was muchhigher than that in intake leachate,suggesting that the nitrification probablytook place in the LCL, for oxygenin the air dissolved in the waterwhen the leachate was mechanicallycycled, thus aerobic nitrifying bacteriarapidly and greatly multiplied inLCL. Summerfelt et al. observed thecontents of nitrate N in sludge fromaquaculture rapidly rose from 0.057mg/L to 45.41 mg/L[4]. Human derivedgarbage is different from industrialpollutants with reference toheavy metals. The contents of Zn,Pb, Cd, and Ni in the two leachateswere far less than that in industrialeffluents, even lower than backgroundvalues in soil, and thereforethey generally did not add to the toxicitiesof heavy metals to the environment.Table 1 (not included) The waterquality of two types of leachate fromLikeng Garbage Landfill ofGuangzhou and the purifying effectvia the purifying station3.2 Impacts of Environmental Factorson the Water Quality of wastewater After the two kinds of leachatehad remained undisturbed in thegreenhouse for 66 days, it was foundthat the main factors relating to waterquality had changed (Table 2). pHin LCL and HCL increased by 0.42and 0.45 respectively. COD, alkalinity,N, P, and Cl, which are perhapsdetrimental to, or over-nutritious tothe environment, all went up or downin varying degrees. Four items thatfell were, COD, alkalinity, total N andnitrate N — all were reduced significantly,in the order of 29% - 47% ,which indicated that pollutants couldbe broken down, diluted, oxidized,and evaporated under the impacts ofmicroorganism, rain water, atmosphere,sunshine; and thus the polluteddegree of wastewater could bealleviated. The lowering of nitrate Nconcentration possibly resulted fromdenitrification.The amounts of ammoniac N, total Pand Cl 3slightly increased (due to environmentalfactors as well). It is in-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 23

teresting that the contents of total Nin the two leachates went up, butammoniac N went down. This wasprobably a result of amination andammonification of organic substances,which was also perhaps thereason why water pH rose. The twochemical reactions broke down complexorganic substances into simpleorganic and inorganic substances,lowering the amount of organic N,and accordingly reducing total N inthe leachate. The products ofamination, amino acid, amine andamide, increased in ammoniac N;and the product of ammonification,NH 3, was susceptible to the combinationwith H+ in water to form NH 4+,which made H+ decrease and comparativelymade OH 3increase.Table 2 (not included) The changesof water quality of the 2 liquids 66days after incubating open in thegreen house3.3 The growth of the four Speciesof Plants in Liquids The fourspecies selected all have the characteristicsof rapid growth, large biomass,and somewhat or strong toleranceto a poor environment. Thewater cultivation experiment showedthat they all could grow and developin clean water; vetiver and A.philoxeroides were capable of survivingin the two types of liquor; butP. Notatum died in the HCL and wasseverely impaired in the LCL; E.crassipes also died in the twoleachates.It is thus clear that: 1) the ability ofthe four species of plants to resistpollution ranked as: vetiver,A.philoxeroides > P. notatum > E.crassipes, and 2) the sewage fromsanitary landfills of Guangzhou indeedpolluted the surroundings andpoisoned organisms. The growth ofvetiver, A. philoxeroides and P.notatum in clean water and the twoleachates is tabulated in Table 3, fromwhich it is noted that the plants, nomatter what species, showed largedifferences in growth in the threekinds of water. It is obvious that P.The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 24notatum was not suitable to grow inwater, and its resistance to pollutionwas considerably weak. The growthand biomass of A. philoxeroides inthe three liquids produced the largestdisparities, and were significantlyin order of LCL > HCL > clean water.It is suggested that water being nohigh concentration could makeA.philoxeroides eutrophy, which iscoincident with the phenomenon thatA. philoxeroides widely creeps infilthy sludge or drainage. The growthof vetiver assumed a trend of cleanwater > LCL > HCL, indicating that itis damaged gradually and becomesmore serious with concentration increases.In addition, the root:shoot ratios of thethree species tended to increase withincreased liquid concentrations,which was perhaps due to: 1) pollutantsinhibiting roots to absorb nutrientsand water; and thus their shootscould not obtain sufficient nutritients,and 2) shoots were more sensitiveto pollutant toxicity than roots, andtherefore the shoot biomass productionwas diminished more severelythan the root. Root:shoot ratio ofplants is a useful indicator of environmentalstress, e.g. plants, underthe condition of water and mineralnutrient deficiency, tend to have increasedroot:shoot ratios in order toincrease the root surface absorptioncapacity[9].Table 3 (not included) The growthsituations (mean SD) of three speciesin clean water and two leachatesThe most conspicuous feature ofvetiver is its deep and massive rootsystem . In the present study, however,vetiver did not exhibit the characteristicsat all, except that it produceda slightly greater root biomassin clean water than the other two species.Vetiver was inferior to P.Notatum in root length, and inferiorto A. philoxeroides in relation to netincrement of roots in waste water(Table 3). It is most likely that theaquatic environment was unfavorablefor the root growth of vetiver.The net increment of biomass ofvetiver in clean water was significantlymore than that of A.philoxeroides and P. Notatum (Fig.1),which might be because theformer was better than the latter twowith special reference to the enduranceto infertility. The biomassgained by A. philoxeroides in LCLwas far more than in other treatmentsand by other plants; whereas vetiverhad more biomass than A.philoxeroides in HCL. This suggeststhat: 1) vetiver is an excellent plantin its tolerance of low nutrient statusand to pollution; 2) although A.philoxeroides grew better in waterthan the other two species, it had apoor ability to tolerant nutrient deficiencies,for its growth in clean waterwas even weaker than that of P.Notatum; 3) A. philoxeroides couldtake advantage of “pollutants/nutrients”in water, when the concentrationwas not very high, resulting in adiffusion of growth ; and 4) P. notatumwas obviously not appropriate for theaquatic habitat.Fig. 1 (not included) Effects of differentwater-cultivated treatments onbiomass of the three species3.4 The Purification of Vetiver, A.philoxeroides, and P. notatum forGarbage Sewage After cultivatingplants for 66 days, the concentrationof almost all “pollutants” measured inthe two liquids had decreased substantially,when compared to theiroriginal concentration (Table 1), exceptfor Cl 3in the LCL that supportedP. notatum, which was the only oneto increase (Table 4). The elementthat declined the most was the contentof total N in LCL supportingA.philoxeroides, which decreasedfrom 293.8 mg/L to 23.9 mg/L, a reductionof 92%; the factor that hadthe highest reduction was alkalinityin HCL supporting vetiver, whichdropped from 1882.9 mg/L to 365.5mg/L, a reduction of 1517.4 mg/L.The results indicated that both vetiverand A.philoxeroides impacted positivelyin improving the quality ofleachates. Most of the seven indica-

tor factors/elements showed decreasesin concentration levels dueto the purifying effect of plants thandid the controls (Table 2). It is alsonoted in Table 4 that some items variedgreatly thus significantly effectingwater quality, indicating the differenteffect of the three species on theleachates were different. For HCL,the water quality of the leachate supportingvetiver was generally betterthan that cultivating A. philoxeroides,whereas the water quality in LCL assumeda trend of cultivating A.philoxeroides better than cultivatingvetiver than cultivating P. Notatum.Table 4 (not included) The waterquality (mean SD) of two leachates66 days after being affected by threespecies of plants.The concentration (Table 2) afteropen incubating minus the concentration(Table 4) after cultivatingplants is equivalent to the purifyingefficiency of plants on the leachates.All three species had purifying impactson the seven “pollutants” invarying degrees, their purifying ratesvarying from 11% to 91%, but therewere no efficiencies in the purifyingof P. notatum for Cl 3and nitrate N,and of vetiver on nitrate N. Amongthe 7 observed items, ammoniac Nwas removed almost completely, atrates between 83% - 91%, suggestingthat ammoniac N was directlytaken up by plants as the most availableN resource. Next was the purificationof vetiver for P, and its purifyingrates in the two kinds of leachateall were above 70%, which suggeststhat vetiver also had a large uptakecapacity or a strong purifying impacton P. In addition, the purification byA. philoxeroides for nitrate N wastangibly superior to that of vetiver andof P. notatum. on HCL. The effectsof vetiver in purifying the seven “pollutants”were all better than that of A.philoxeroides; particularly in CODand P, the two species produced asignificant difference (Table 4,5). InLCL, A. Philoxeroides could makeuse of “pollutants” as its nutrient resource,as a result its purifying efficiencyon sewage was stronger thanthat of vetiver and P.notatum, especiallyon nitrate N and total N; but thepurifying rates of vetiver on P was stillthe highest.Table 5 (not included) A comparisonof purifying effects of three specieson two leachates4 DISCUSSIONIn the 1950’s vetiver was noted to beeffective in soil and water conservation.Since the middle 1980’s, thisplant has been widely used throughthe subtropics and tropics, followingits introduction and recommendationof The World Bank and The VetiverNetwork. Up to now there have beenat least 140 countries and regionsresearching, disseminating and applyingthe vetiver bio-engineeringtechnology. The effects of vetiver inameliorating soil, rehabilitating minetailings and industrial polluted areasare also quite good. Presently vetiverhas been found to have at least 31uses (Grimshaw, 1996),and it is extensivelycalled a miracle grass. It isclear from this study that the effectof vetiver in purifying garbageleachates was also pretty ideal,though the plant itself had beenstressed and hurt by the leaching liquids.The increased biomass ofvetiver gradually reduced in cleanwater, LCL, and HCL (Fig.1), indicatingthat the rate of growth of vetiverwas gradually reduced with the concentrationincreases. However, thenew increments of biomass of vetiverwhen grown in clean water and HCLwere the highest compared to that ofA. philoxeroides and P. notatum,suggesting that : 1) vetiver was themost tolerable to low plant nutrientlevels; and 2) vetiver had the strongestresistance to polluted water, asit was damaged least in HCL. In addition,vetiver had a good effect inreducing levels of P (Table 5), probablydue to its strong uptake capacityof P.The previous studies have showedthat vetiver planted in infertile soil waseffective in improving soil [11,12]; andit could also increase the contents oforganic matter, total N, available Nand K in soil, but dwindle the contentof available P[12]. These results suggestthat vetiver is likely to be a“phosphorous-sucking” plant. Althoughvetiver’s ability to cleanseLCL on was not as good as A.philoxeroides, its effect in purifyingCOD was tangibly superior to A.philoxeroides; furthermore, both hadthe similar purifying ability to reduceammoniac N levels by as much as90%. More importantly, the effectsof vetiver in removing the measuredseven pollutants in HCL allsurpassed that of A.Philoxeroides.Summerfelt etal. even found thatvetiver established in wetland couldeffectively remove extra solids andnutrients in aquaculture sludge, andthe removal rates to suspended solids,total COD, dissolved COD, totalkjeldahl N, total P, and dissolved Pwere 96%-98%, 72%-91%, 30%-81%, 86%-89%,82%-90%, and 92%-93%, respectively[4].A. philoxeroides is a special amphibiousplant, having a widespread distributionin such filthy and wet areasas septic tanks and ditches. It toohas pretty strong tolerance to adversity.The results obtained from ourstudy showed that the effects of A.philoxeroides in purifying LCL wasconsidered good, particularly its removalrates of nitrate N, total N, andalkalinity were even higher than thatof vetiver (Table 5). Moreover, A.philoxeroides produced a far greaterbiomass than other treatments andother species (Fig. 1), indicating thatLCL probably had an action ofeutrophication on A. philoxeroides.According to Gao et al. recent report,the removal rates by A. philoxeroidesto N and P in run-off were 77% and64%, respectively [13]. Observationsin this paper found that this plant hada higher purifying rate on ammoniacN, up to 83% - 89%, but its removalof P was not so good, and the removalrate was only 39%-48% (TableThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 25

5). Many documents have reportedthat the hydrophyte E. crassipes isan excellent purifying plant, but aboutits tolerance to adversity has beenpoorly documented. P. notatum is axerophyte, and has somewhat strongtolerance to adverse conditions whenestablished in soil. This researchwork showed that the resistance ofE. crassipes to adversity was quitepoor as it was in the two leachates;and P. notatum did not grow in waterat all, and thus it was impossibleto use in polluted water. In addition,both vetiver and A. philoxeroideswere severely impaired by HCL, andfurthermore the latter was probably“over-nurtured” by LCL. These phenomenaall indicate that theleachates, even having been purifiedby the purifying station, from garbagelandfills in Guangzhou were toxic oreutrophic to the environment, andtherefore it needs to be further improved.All in all, the resistance and purifyingability of the four species of plantsinvestigated in the paper were rankedin the sequence of vetiver> A.philoxeroides > P. notatum > E.crassipes, of which vetiver and A.philoxeroides were capable of beingused as biological measures toassist purifying waste water. Whenthe concentration of waste water isnot high, it had better be purified withA. philoxeroides . However low concentratewaste water perhaps has anaction of eutrophication on this plant,so measures should be taken to preventit from its invasive tendency toblock the water course when A.philoxeroides is chosen to purifywaste water. As to highly concentratedwaste water, vetiver is a betterchoice. However vetiver is not ahydrophyte, and it can not suspenddirectly in water to grow as A.philoxeroides, but needs a prop systemto fasten it. In addition to this,vetiver shoots should be trimmed forit grows rapidly and has a considerablylarge biomass, and only by doingso can vetiver sustainably absorbpollutants in water, and make itselfbecome a “super-bioaccumulator”.AcknowledgmentsThe authors would like to expresstheir sincere gratitude to Mr. RichardG. Grimshaw and The Vetiver Networkfor their generous financial supportto carry out this experiment.Thanks are also due to Likeng GarbageLandfill for providing help.References1. National Research Council.“Vetiver Grass: A Thin Green LineAgainst Erosion”. National AcademyPress, Washington, D C. 19932. Office of Royal DevelopmentProjects Board. “Vetiver Grass ForEnvironment Protection And OtherUsages”. Office of Royal DevelopmentProject Board, Bangkok. 19963. Xia Hanping, Ao Huixiu, LiuShizhong, et al. Vetiver Grass “AnIdeal Plant For Soil And Water Conservation”.Ecological Science,1997,16: 75-824. Summerfelt S T, Adler P R, GlennD M, et al. “Aquaculture Sludge RemovalAnd Stabilization Within CreatedWetlands”. Vetiver Newsletter,1996, No.16, 61- 665. Zhao Nanjian, Yu Nayang. Theoutlet of garbage, an problem to beurgently settled. South Daily, page 9,April 9th, 19976. Huang Tingwei, Chen Zhenhua. “ASurvey And Appraisal On The EnvironmentalEffects Of Da Tian ShanSanitary Landfill In Guangzhou”.Guangzhou Environmental Science,1993, 8: 12-207. Environmental Science Associationof Beijing. “A Handbook On EnvironmentalProtection In IndustrialEnterprises”. China EnvironmentalScience Press, Beijing. 1993. 165-1898. Shu Wensheng, Lan Chongyu,Zhang Zhiquan. “Analysis Of MajorConstraints On Plant Colonization AtFankou Pb/Zn Mine Tailings”. ChineseJournal of Applied Ecology,1997, 8: 314-3189. Kolek J and Kozinka V. 1991.“Physiology Of The Plant Root System”.Kluweer Academic Publishers,Dordrecht. 2610. Xia Hanping. “A Great MeasureFor Promoting The Vetiver RevolutionaryThrough The Globe - An OverviewOn The First International ConferenceOn Vetiver”. ChinaAgroforestry Today, 1996, (2): 481111 Xia Hanping, Ao Huixiu, HeDaoquan, et al. “A Study On VetiverGrass In Soil Amelioration, And SoilAnd Moisture Conservation”. TropicalGeography, 1996, 16: 265-27012 Gao Jixi, Ye Chun, Du Juan, et al.“Study Of Removing Ability Of HydrophytesTo N, P In Run-Off”. ChinaEnvironmental Science, 1997,17:247-251Canal cut at Manupali, Philippines, stabilized with vetiver grass hedgerowsThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 26

DNA FINGERPRINTS (RAPDS) OF THE PANTROPICAL GRASS VETIVER,VETIVERIA ZIZANIOIDES (L.) NASH (GRAMINEAE), REVEAL A SINGLECLONE, SUNSHINE , IS WIDELY UTILIZED FOR EROSION CONTROLRobert P. Adams 1 and Mark R. Dafforn 21Plant Biotechnology Center, Baylor University, P.O. Box 669, Gruver, TX 79040, USA,E.mail: rpadams@juno.com2National Academy of Sciences, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington, DC 20418, USA, E.mail:Vetivernet@aol.com.INTRODUCTIONElite germlines of Vetiveria Nashhave long been cultivated for theirfragrant roots, which contain the essentialOil of Vetiver. This oil isclearly distinguished chemically andin commerce from Khus oil, whichcomes from natural (fertile) populationsof V. zizanioides in the GangesPlain of north India (CSIR, 1976)The Oil of Vetiver (commercial, essentialoil type) has long been producedpantropically through viaVetiver cuttings. Within the pastdecade, vetiver occurrence has increasedenormously through widespreadplantings (over 100 countries)to form hedges for stabilizingsoil and controlling waterflow.One of the desirable features of mosthedgerow (essential oil) vetiver isthat it is non fertile (produces noseed or seeds do not produce viableseedlings), and so it must be propagatedfrom cuttings (clumps of rootstock).Because it does not reproduceby seed, for centuries it hasbeen a very well-behaved grassthroughout the tropics and subtropics.It has not escaped cultivationor become a weed. However, themere fact that it is always distributedby cuttings could lead to the widespreadcultivation of a single clone.This could be extremely dangerous.An insect or disease adapted to aparticular genotype could spreadand decimate millions of erosioncontrol terraces of vetiver. In orderto investigate this concern, we assembledleaf materials from aroundthe world and compared these accessionsto known wild and related materialsusing RAPDs (DNA fingerprints).Genetic variability was initially investigatedby Kresovich et al. (1994),who reported on vetiver variation inthe United States. They found RAPDpatterns were very stable withinclones, that the non fertile ‘Huffman’and ‘Boucard’ cultivars were identical(>.99+), and that these wereclearly distinct from the USDA PI196257 seed introductions from northIndia (Simla, Punjab). Interestingly,they found that three samples of thisUSDA accession (#s 1,2,3), thoughsimilar, were genetically distinct fromone-another. They concluded thatRAPDs would be useful for identifyingtruly distinct sources of geneticdiversity. Srifah et al. (in press) confirmedthis in Thailand (where vetiveris ancient if not indigenous) by showingthat RAPDs could easily distinguishamong landrace “ecotypes”.MATERIALS AND METHODSThe reader is referred to Adams etal. (in press) for DNA extraction andanalyses. However, it should benoted that a number of the accessionsthat were merely air dried orshipped fresh did not yield any DNAor the DNA was so degraded that itcould not be analyzed. In the future,material submitted for DNAanalysis should be small (activelygrowing) leaves, picked fresh and immediatelyplaced into activated silicagel or other suitable drying agent.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONAn initial screening of accessions(n=53) using 222 banding patternsfound almost no variation amongcultivated materials. The patternobtained by primer 268 is typical ofthat obtained using primers 184, 239,249, 327, and 346. Essentially novariation was detected in an initialtwenty-seven accessions for outsidesouth Asia, except for a quite-similaraccession from Malawi.A second series of accessions (n=68)were analyzed running only onehighly discriminating primer (268).This analysis, while revealing additionalvariation in non fertile types,reinforced patterns that form severaldistinct genetic clusters. Thesegroupings are validated by correspondenceto botanical taxa and fieldobservations (reports of fertility), seeTable 1.Of 60 total samples submitted from29 countries outside south Asia, 53(88%) were a single clone of Vetiveriazizanioides. At least two-thirds ofthese samples were first accessionedfrom traditional, in-country sources,i.e, oil producers, herbalists, botanicalgardens, and other planted sites,and therefore may be consideredrepresentative of ex situ vetiver populations.Because vetiver is vegetativelypropagated, it thus appears thatone single essential-oil clone (whichwe are denoting as ‘Sunshine’ becauseof accession priority) isdensely distributed throughout theThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 27

tropics. Its introduction[s] was done certainly before WWII and most likely before this century. For instance, vetiverhas been in the United States since at least the early 19th century, although the earliest authenticated germlineidentifications are currently ‘Vallonia’, South Africa, via Mauritius, c. 1900, M. Robert; ‘Monto’, Australia, 1930s, P.Truong; ‘Sunshine’, USA, 1960s, E. LeBlanc; and MY044693 & MY081268, Venezuela, 1982, O. Rodriguez; (informationfrom Vetiver Network members). Such a consistent identity in a spatially and temporally scattered distributionimplies that virtually all of the Vetiveria zizanioides outside South Asia could be the single ‘Sunshine’ genotype,which today certainly dominates soil stabilization and waterflow control usage.CONCLUSIONSBased on DNA fingerprinting data, it appears that almost all the vetiver used for erosion control outside South Asiahas been derived from a single genotype, which we call ‘Sunshine’. Nevertheless, discontinuities of geographic andgenetic patterns in our analysis imply much vetiver diversity awaits discovery. There is a critical need to screenother, reportedly non fertile vetivers to uncover additional germlines to diversify current and future plantings of thisvery important “hedge against erosion” (NRC, 1993). Especially needed are samples from areas on the peripheryof south Asia, where vetiver has been cultivated for centuries. Common garden studies are planned using thedivergent vetiver accessions in Table 2. Further promising germplasm needs to be accessioned and observed. Thechallenge is to assure the genetic diversity of cultivated vetiver, which is proving of immense importance to agriculturalstabilization and civil engineering.Table 1. Preliminary classification of vetiver accessions by DNA fingerprinting. A = pattern based on 6primers: 184, 239, 249, 268, 327, and 346. B = pattern based only on primer 268.Fertile codes: N = no, Y = yes, F = fully, L = low, + = confirmed, - = assumed, ? = unknown.* = botanically verified at the species level.Accession # Lab # Species Source (other locations) Fertile?Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash Sunshine clone (S) (= Haiti, Monto, Boucard, Huffman, Vallonia)SA VET-RPA-7655 7655 V. zizanioides, Haiti, Massif de la Selle, 1600 amsl N+SA VET-RPA-7659 7659 V. zizanioides, Haiti, Marigot, 8 amsl N+SA VET-RPA-7660 7660 V. zizanioides, Haiti, Jacmel, 3 amsl N+SA VET-RPA-7661 7661 V. zizanioides, Haiti, Jacmel, 3 amsl N+SA VET-RPA-7663 7663 V. zizanioides, Haiti, Massif de la Selle, 820 amsl N+SA* VET-PT-1A 7711 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Monto’, Australia, Queensland N+SA* VET-PT-1B 7712 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Fiji’, Australia, Queensland (Fiji) N+SA* VET-PT-1D 7714 V. zizanioides, Australia, Queensland(Western Australia) N+SA* VET-PT-1E 7715 V. zizanioides, New Guinea N+SA VET-RGG-PA-A 7719 V. zizanioides, Panama, site A N+SA VET-RGG-CR-A 7721 V. zizanioides, Costa Rica, San Jose N+SA* VET-MR-VAL1 7722 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Vallonia’, South Africa, Natal N+SA VET-OSR-1.0 7729 V. zizanioides, Venezuela, Maracay (flowers some) N+SA VET-DEKN-1001 7730 V. zizanioides, Aneityum Island, Pacific N+SA VET-DEKN-1003 7731 V. zizanioides, Efate Island, Pacific N+SA VET-DEKN-1002 7732 V. zizanioides, Atiu Island, Pacific N+SA VET-DEKN-1004 7733 V. zizanioides, Mangaia Island, Pacific N+SA VET-GVB-001 7742 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Boucard’, USA,Texas, (Haiti or Guatemala) N+SA VET-MJ-F1 7747 V. zizanioides, USA, North Carolina N+SA VET-MJ-F2 7748 V. zizanioides, USA, North Carolina N+SA* VET-MRL-0001 7749 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Sunshine’, USA, Louisiana N+SA VET-MRD-0001 7750 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Sunshine’, USA, Louisiana N+SA VET-MRD-0002 7751 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Huffman’, USA, Florida (Louisiana) N+SA VET-RDH-0001 7767 V. zizanioides, Hong Kong (Thailand?) N-SA VET-RDH-0002 7768 V. zizanioides, Hong Kong (South China) N-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 28

SB VET-JG-23 7773 V. zizanioides, New Zealand, Northland NSB VET-EB-5997 7776 V. zizanioides, Netherlands Antilles, Bonaire (USA) NSB VET-JGN-0001 7777 V. zizanioides, USA, California N+SB VET-EAB-5262 7950 V. zizanioides, Philippines, Leyte NSB VET-CXH-0001 7952 V. zizanioides, China, Guiyang N+SB VET-JA-1-1 7954 V. zizanioides, Kenya, Nairobi, ICRAF NSB VET-JA-1-3 7956 V. zizanioides, Peru, Iquitos, ICRAF NSB VET-JA-1-4 7957 V. zizanioides, Peru, Iquitos, ICRAF NSB VET-JA-2-3 7960 V. zizanioides, Peru, Iquitos, ICRAF NSB VET-OSR-1-B 7961 V. zizanioides, Venezuela, Maracay (Carabobo) N+SB* VET-OSR-2 7962 V. zizanioides, Venezuela, Maracay (Bajo Seco) N+SB VET-HGR-01 7965 V. zizanioides, Colombia, Bogota N+SB VET-TS-F1 7967 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Filakit N+SB VET-TS-F2 7968 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Filakit N+SB VET-TS-F3 7969 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Filakit N+SB VET-TS-D1 7970 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Digitosh N+SB VET-TS-D2 7971 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Digitosh N+SB VET-TS-M1 7973 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Minikaba N+SB VET-TS-M2 7974 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Minikaba N+SB VET-TS-M3 7975 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Minikaba N+SB VET-HP-01 7986 V. zizanioides, Honduras, Zamorano NSB VET-HP-03 7988 V. zizanioides, USA, Florida (Louisiana) NSB VET-JMJS-VC1 8000 V. zizanioides, Mexico, Oaxaca (Vera Cruz)NSB VET-CED-0001 8002 V. zizanioides, Bolivia, Sucre (MASDAR germplasm?) NSB VET-DD-A1 8005 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Dilla, GedioNSB VET-DD-B1 8006 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Dilla, GedioNSB VET-DD-C1 8007 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Dilla, Gedio NSB VET-MB-01 8029 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Huffman’, USA, Florida (Louisiana) N+Sunshine affinities: (S- = Sunshine pattern with one missing band, S+ = Sunshine pattern with one additionalband).S+B VET-IPA-MUIR-001 7989 V. zizanioides, Mozambique, Maputo ?S+B VET-LW-0001 8048 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Capitol’, USA, Louisiana NS-B* VET-TGAVC-002 8051 V. zizanioides cv. ‘AVC’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?) N+Sri Lanka (Chiapas) clone (SL):SLB* VET-RN-001 7951 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Colombo N-SLB VET-IMZ-AGA 7765 V. zizanioides, Malawi, Lilongwe N-SLB VET-SBR-VNN-96/2 7993 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy N-SLB VET-SBR-VNN-96/3 7994 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy N-SLB VET-SBR-VNN-96/4 7995 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy N-SLB VET-SBR-AN-96/2 7997 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy N-SLB VET-SBR-AN-96/4 7999 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy N-SLB VET-JMJS-CH1 8001 V. zizanioides, Mexico, Oaxaca (Chiapas) N-‘Farmers Fodder’ or ‘Karnataka’ (KM)KMB * VET-TGKN-003 8052 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Karnataka’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India) N+‘Breeder’ complex (G):GB* VET-UCL-027 7981 V. zizanioides, India, Lucknow, CIMAP L?The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 29

GB* VET-HP-02 7987 V. zizanioides, India, Uttar Pradesh,(USDA PI 554617, ‘Carter’) YL‘Breeder’ affinities: G+, G++ = with one(+) or two (++) extra band(s); G- = with a missing band.G+B VET-JGN-0002 7778 V. zizanioides, USA, California (Philippines?) YL?G++B* VET-UCL-024 7980 V. zizanioides, India, Lucknow, CIMAP ?G+B* VET-UCL-040 7982 V. zizanioides, India, Lucknow, CIMAP ?G-B* VET-UCL-042 7983 V. zizanioides, India, Lucknow, CIMAP ?G+B* VET-UCL-045 7984 V. zizanioides, India, Lucknow, CIMAP ?G+-B* VET-UCL-M1 7985 V. zizanioides, India, Lucknow, CIMAP ?Khus type of Northern India (Kh): (similar to Indian type I, cf. 7761)KhB* VET-SCRC-001 8035 V. zizanioides, USA, USDA (India) YF+‘Ganges’ complex (North India), loose group with considerable banding differences.IB* VET-BANG-B001 7723 V. zizanioides, Bangladesh YF+IB* VET-BANG-B002 7724 V. zizanioides, Bangladesh YF+IB* VET-BANG-B003 7725 V. zizanioides, Bangladesh YF+IB* VET-BANG-B004 7726 V. zizanioides, Bangladesh YF+IB* VET-USDA-U1 7735 V. zizanioides, India, Punjab,Simla (USDA PI 196257) YF+IB* VET-USDA-U2 7736 V. zizanioides, India, A-3225 (USDA PI 213903) Y F+IB* VET-USDA-U3 7737 V. zizanioides, India (USDA PI 271633) YF+IB* VET-USDA-U4 7738 V. zizanioides, India, A-7026 (unverified)(USDA PI 302300)YF+IB* VET-USDA-U5 7739 V. zizanioides, India, NBPGR Hybrid 7(USDA PI 538753)YF+IB* VET-USDA-U6 7740 V. zizanioides, India, BE-2668, NBPGR Hybrid 8(USDA PI 538754)YF+IB* VET-USDA-U7 7741 V. zizanioides, India, BE-2668, NBPGR Hybrid 26(USDA PI 538756)YFIB VET-K-Dtp-1 7752 V. zizanioides, India, Orissa YF+IB VET-K-Pub-2 7753 V. zizanioides, India, Orissa YF+IB VET-K-Dnk-3 7754 V. zizanioides, India, Orissa YF+IB VET-K-Brk-8 7759 V. zizanioides, India, Orissa YF+IB VET-U-Blp-9 7760 V. zizanioides, India, Orissa YF+IB VET-U-Nlg-10 7761 V. zizanioides, India, Orissa YF+IB VET-U-Gsg-11 7762 V. zizanioides, India, Orissa YF+IB VET-U-Bdm-12 7763 V. zizanioides, India, Orissa YF+IB VET-CWDS-01 7764 V. zizanioides, Nepal, Kathmandu(lowlands) (low flowering) ?IB* VET-UCL-005 7976 V. zizanioides, India, Lucknow, CIMAP ?IB* VET-UCL-007 7978 V. zizanioides, India, Lucknow, CIMAP ?IB* VET-BANG-B006-B 8037 V. zizanioides, Bangladesh YF+Ganges affinities: I- = Ganges type with one missing band:I-B* VET-BANG-B005-B 8036 V. zizanioides, Bangladesh YF+I-B* VET-TGSB-004 8053 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Sabah’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?)NI-B* VET-TGSBB-005 8054 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Sabik Bern’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?) N+Grafton type (Gr):GrA* VET-PT-1C 7713 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Grafton’, Australia, Queensland YL+GrB VET-SBR-AN-96/1 7996 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy ?The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 30

Other V. zizanioides banding patterns (O):(various banding, each of which is different)OB VET-SJC-2 7775 V. zizanioides, Malawi, Zomba N+OB* VET-TGML-001 8050 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Malaysia’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?) N+OB* VET-TGPB-006 8055 V. zizanioides, cv ‘Parit Bunt’, Spain, MurciaMalaysia, India?) N+OB VET-JM-PV1 8076 V. zizanioides? Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo N?Other Vetiveria species:V. elongata (R. Br.) Stapf (Eg): (very similar to one another)EgA* VET-PT-2A 7716 V. elongata, (narrow leaf), Australia, Northern Territory YF-EgA* VET-PT-2B 7717 V. elongata, (broad leaf), Australia, Northern Territory YF-V. filipes (Benth.) C.E.Hubb. (Fp) (quite distinct, 7772 may be a different species or genus)FpB* VET-PT-2C 7718 V. filipes, Australia YF-FpB* VET-FA-257810 7772 V. filipes, Australia, USDA PI 257810 YF+V. nigritana (Benth.) Stapf (Ng): (very similar to one another)NgA VET-ISV-AGA 7766 V. nigritana, Malawi, Lilongwe (few seed) YL?!NgB VET-SJC-1 7774 V. nigritana, Malawi, Zomba YF+Possible other Vetiveria / Chrysopogon speciesPA VET-RGG-PA-B 7720 Vetiveria sp.?, Panama, Western, site B (Costa Rica) ?VbB VET-BANG-B005 7727 Vetiveria sp.?, BangladeshYF+?VbB VET-BANG-B006 7728 Vetiveria sp.?, BangladeshYF+?Other Genera:Chrysopogon Trin.CfA* VET-CFP-219579 7769 C. fulvus (Spreng.)Chiov., Pakistan (USDA PI 219579) YFCgA* VET-CGP-383762 7771 C. gryllus (L.) Trin., Turkey (USDA PI 383762) YFCaB* VET-BANG-B007 8038 C. aciculatus (Retz.) Trin., Bangladesh YF+CnB* VET-JVTH-ZN001 8040 Chrysopogon nemoralis (Balansa) Holttum (recv’d asZizania nemoralis (Balansa) Camas), Thailand Y?F?Sorghum Moench.ShA* VET-AW-01 8030 S. halepense (L.) Pers., USA, Texas YF+SbA* VET-RPA-8030 8030 S. bicolor (L.) Moench., USA, Texas YF+Not tested: (NT = not tested; D = degraded DNA, see text)NT VET-MJ-B1 7701 V. zizanioides, USA, North Carolina, fungus on seedsNT VET-MJ-B2 7702 V. zizanioides, USA, North Carolina, fungus on seedsNT VET-MJ-B3 7703 V. zizanioides, USA, North Carolina, fungus on seedsNT VET-MJ-B4 7704 V. zizanioides, USA, North Carolina, fungus on seedsNT VET-MJ-B5 7705 V. zizanioides, USA, North Carolina, fungus on seedsNT* VET-USDA-F1 7734 V. filipes, Australia, USDA (PI 257810)(duplicate acc. under 7772)YF+NT VET-K-Bdln-4 7755 Vetiveria sp., India, Orissa YF+NT VET-K-Bdln-5 7756 Vetiveria sp., India, Orissa YF+NT VET-K-Bdln-6 7757 Vetiveria sp., India, Orissa YF+NT VET-K-Bdln-7 7758 Vetiveria sp., India, Orissa YF+NT VET-JSC-0001 7953 V. zizanioides?, Cambodia (Australia) ?The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 31

NT VET-JBH-1267 8039 C. schmidianus, Laos ?DNA too degraded to use:D* VET-USDA-B6 7706 V. zizanioides, India, Punjab, Simla (USDA PI 196257) YFD* VET-USDA-B7 7707 V. zizanioides, India, Punjab, Simla (USDA PI 196257) YFD* VET-USDA-B8 7708 V. zizanioides, India, Punjab, Simla (USDA PI 196257) YFD* VET-USDA-B9 7709 V. zizanioides, India, Punjab, Simla (USDA PI 196257) YFD* VET-USDA-B10 7710 V. zizanioides, India, Punjab, Simla (USDA PI 196257) YFD* VET-CFI-554618 7770 C. fulvus (Sprengel) Chiov., India (USDA PI 554618)YFD VET-EAB-5261 7949 V. zizanioides, Philippines, Leyte ?D VET-JA-1-2 7955 V. zizanioides, Kenya, Nairobi, ICRAF ?D VET-JA-2-1 7958 V. zizanioides, Kenya, Nairobi, ICRAF ?D VET-JA-2-2 7959 V. zizanioides, Kenya, Nairobi, ICRAF ?D VET-NSC-01 7963 V. zizanioides, Cameroon, Mbingo Bamenda (Nigeria) ?D VET-NSC-02 7964 V. zizanioides, Cameroon, Maroua ?D* VET-HGR-02 7966 V. zizanioides, Colombia, Cundinamarca (flowering)?D VET-TS-D3 7972 V. zizanioides, Ethiopia, Digitosh N+D* VET-UCL-006 7977 V. zizanioides, India, CIMAP ?D* VET-UCL-008 7979 V. zizanioides, India, CIMAP ?DO VET-SBR-VA-96/1 7990 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy N?D VET-SBR-VH-96/1 7991 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy N?D VET-SBR-VNN-96/1 7992 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy N?D VET-SBR-AN-96/3 7998 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy ?D VET-BBG-001 8003 V. zizanioides, Ghana, Central N+D VET-BBG-02 8004 V. fulvibarbus, Ghana, Central N+Table 2. Germplasm of high priority for maintenance and evaluation.Type Accession # Lab # Species Source Fertile?SA VET-PT-1A 7711 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Monto’, Australia, Queensland N+SA VET-MR-VAL1 7722 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Vallonia’, South Africa NSA VET-GVB-001 7742 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Boucard’, USA N+SB VET-MRL-001 7749 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Sunshine’, USA. Louisiana NSB VET-MB-01 8029 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Huffman’, USA, Florida N+SB VET-OSR-1-B 7961 V. zizanioides, Venezuela, Maracay (Carabobo) N+S+B VET-IPA-MUIR-001 7989 V. zizanioides, Mozambique, Maputo ?S+B VET-LW-0001 8048 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Capitol’, USA, Louisiana NS-B VET-TGAVC-002 8051 V. zizanioides cv. ‘AVC’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?) N+SLB VET-IMZ-AGA 7765 V. zizanioides, Malawi, Lilongwe ?!SLB VET-RN-001 7951 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Colombo N+?SLB VET-JMJS-CH1 8001 V. zizanioides, Mexico, Oaxaca (Chiapas) N+?CRB VET-JM-PV1 8076 V. zizanioides? Costa Rica, Puerto Viejo N?GrA VET-PT-1C 7713 V. zizanioides cv. ‘Grafton’, Australia, Queensland YL+GrB VET-SBR-AN-96/1 7996 V. zizanioides, Sri Lanka, Kandy ?G+B VET-JGN-0002 7778 V. zizanioides, USA, California (Philippines?) YL?KMB VET-TGKN-003 8052 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Karnataka’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India) N+GB VET-HP-02 7987 V. zizanioides, India, Uttar Pradesh,(USDA PI 554617, ‘Carter’) YL+PA VET-RGG-PA-B 7720 Vetiveria sp.?, Panama, Western, site B (Costa Rica) ?OB VET-SJC-2 7775 V. zizanioides, Malawi, Zomba (few seed heads) ?The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 32

OB VET-TGML-001 8050 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Sabik Bern’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?) N+I-B* VET-TGSB-004 8053 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Sabah’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?) ?I-B* VET-TGSBB-005 8054 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Sabik Bern’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?) ?OB VET-TGPB-006 8055 V. zizanioides, cv. ‘Sabik Bern’, Spain, Murcia(Malaysia, India?) N+Acknowledgments. This research supported in part by funds from Baylor University, project RDJJ-032-4524.Thanks to Ming Zhong and Yerlan Turuspekov for assistance in running the RAPDs. We also want to thank thenumerous collaborators in the Vetiver Network who contributed samples of vetiver tissue.Literature citedAdams, R. P., Ming Zhong, Y. Turuspekov, M. R. Dafforn and J. F. Veldkamp. 1997. DNA fingerprints reveal clonalnature of Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides L. (Nash), used for erosion control around the world and prospects foralternative germplasm. Theroet. Appl. Genetics (submitted).CSIR (Council on Scientific and Industrial Research). 1976. Vetiveria. pp. 451- 457. In: The Wealth of India,Vol. X. Publications & Information Director, CSIR, New Delhi.Kresovich, S, Lamboy, WF, Li, R, Ren, J, Szewc-McFadden, AK, Bliek, SM. 1994. Application of molecular methodsand statistical analyses for discrimination of accessions and clones of vetiver grass. Crop Sci. 34:805-809.National Research Council (NRC). 1993. Vetiver Grass. A thin green line against erosion. National Acad. Press,Wash. D.C.Strifah, P. , N. Sangduen and V. Ruanjaichon. 1997. The use of random amplified polymorphic DNA for classificationof Vetiveria spp. in Thailand. Proc. First International Conference on Vetiver grass. Chiang Rai, Thailand, Feb.4-8, 1996. Office of the Royal Dev. Proj. Board, Bangkok (in press)CHINA VETIVER NETWORK VETIVER CONFERENCEFUZHOU, CHINAABSTRACTS OF PAPERSRecent Development of VetiverTechnology in China through theChina Vetiver NetworkXu LiYu (The China Vetiver Network,Naning 21008)Although it was introduced into Chinaas early as the 1950’s as a plant forextracting oil from its roots the valuablegrass vetiver (Vetiveriazizanioides) was also identified in thelate 1980’s as a plant to assist theformation of soil erosion controlhedges. Since the 1980’s, vetivergrass has been experimented with ortested in most provinces in southernChina, as in JiangXi, FuJian,SiChuan, HuNan, GuiZhou, HaiNan,GuangDong, GanSu, HeNan,ShanDong, and ZheJiang. Recently,great progress has been made inaccelerating vetiver technology extensionthroughout China. This workwas coordinated by the China VetiverNetwork (CVN) in cooperation withnumerous institutions in various disciplines.Some examples of workconducted by the CVN include:(1). National information service. Thenational information service focusedattention on the southern part ofChina where tropical and subtropicalclimates dominated. The vetiver publications(newsletters, fact sheets,and a journal) were distributed tomany national universities, researchinstitutions, government offices, provincialinstitutions, and also manycounty level and some township levelextension stations.(2). Field surveys and investigations.Aimed at disseminating vetiver technology,discovering new users andexploring new vetiver applications,field surveys and investigations werecarried out in FuJian, JiangXi,GuangDong, HuBei, HuNan, andAnHui Provinces. These investigationswere organized by the ChinaVetiver Network in cooperation withnumerous multi-disciplinary institutionsat national, provincial, prefec-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 33

tural, county, and township levels.Through these investigations teammembers learned experiences fromestablished vetiver application modelsand proposed new applications.In addition, with the distribution ofmore and more publications and withincreasing discussion among vetiverextensionists, local technicians andfarmers, more people were becomingfamiliar with vetiver grass.(3) Supporting partners to testvetiver grass. The China Vetiver Networkhas supported partners whotested and utilized vetiver grass byproviding micro-grants and informationservices. The followings aresome examples:•The FuZhou Soil and Water ConservationStation, FuJian Province,•The Botanical Institute of SouthChina, GuangDong,•The reproduction base in theDaBie Mountains, AnHui Province.(4). Encouraging different institutionsto use vetiver. Since the establishmentof the CVN in 1996, more andmore people expressed their interestsin applying vetiver grass basedon their own budget and existingproject conditions. The CVN has providedthem with information, documents,and/or planting materials andencouraged them to use and extendvetiver grass technology.(5). Preparation of new developmentproposals through joint efforts.Based on multiple surveys, investigationsand exchange programs,several proposals or concept paperswere prepared. These played andwill continue to play an important rolein accelerating the disseminationand development of vetiver technologythroughout the country and willkeep the CVN young and vigorous.Natural Vetiver Communities Distributedin ChinaXia HanPing and Ao HuiXiu(SouthChina Institute of Botany, AcademiaThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 34Sinica, GuangZhou 510650)Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides), anexcellent hedgerow for soil and moistureconservation, is being widely disseminatedand applied in the tropicsand sub-tropics. Generally speaking,China’s vetiver was introduced in themiddle 1950s from Indonesia andIndia. The Vetiver Network has neverreported any wild vetiver distributionin China, nor have any of the pertinentmonographs. Our investigations,however, indicate that therehave been natural distributions ofvetiver communities in GuangDongand HaiNan Provinces.As early as 1936, a botanist namedLiu XinQi collected wild vetiversamples in HaiNan, and specimenshave been preserved in the Herbariumof the South China Instituteof Botany (SCIB). Later, in 1960,ecologists from SCIB made a surveyof vegetation types in HaiNan andfound natural distributions of the plantnear lagoons.A natural vetiver community with atotal area of about 6,667 ha. (100,000MU) was also found in WuChuanCounty of GuangDong by the samescientists in 1957 when they conducteda provincial vegetation survey.The community was situated on analluvial plain at the juncture of 3 counties,WuChuan, MaoMing, andDianBai, within the lower reaches ofthe JianJiang River. This was a hygrophytic-mesophytictropical grassland,that flooded from April throughSeptember, and was dry from Octoberto March. During the flood period,the whole plain was inundated, whileduring the drought, it became an idealplace for a large multitude ofEmberiza aureoba to live through thewinter.In the 1950’s, the local people utilizedthe vetiver community mainly for forageand thatch, which did not alterits composition. Later, utilization anddevelopment through human activitiescreated tangibly severe changes.These activities included digging upvetiver roots for refining oil in the1960’s, building canals and dams inthe 1970’s, and especially large scalereclamation for fishponds and residentialareas since the 1980’s. Thus,the whole grassland ecosystem hasseriously deteriorated over the past40 years. The remaining area consistsonly of several hundred hectares,its landscape has become discretepieces; and vetiver coveragehas dwindled from 30-40% in the1950’s to 10-15% even lower by May1997. Obviously, the precious wetlandswill be completely obliterateddue to excessive development if notprotected at once.In order to preserve the highly valuableplant and germplasm resourcesof vetiver, therefore it is suggestedthat a reserve should be immediatelydelineated in the largest original nativehabitat of vetiver, WuChuan ofGuangDong. If this is established,then the valuable local resources,such as Emberiza aureoba mentionedabove and the vetiver ecologicalenvironment with its biodiversitywill be effectively conserved. In additionit will provide it provide a perfectbase for carrying out studies onwetlands and biodiversity in SouthChina.Vetiver Grass: Research and ExtensionYan LiJiao, Zheng ZhiMing and WangZhaoQian (Institute of AgriculturalEcology, ZheJiang University of Agriculture,HangZhou 310029, China)Qian JianDong, Xu QinLao and JiaXiangChi(JinHua City Office of Red Earth,ZheJiang Province, JinHua 321000,China)According to worldwide investigationsand experiments, vetiver grass,a perennial that originated in tropicaland subtropical areas such as India,Sri Lanka and Myanmar, is considereda useful plant for soil erosioncontrol. It reproduces mostly by vegetativemeans. With a 3 m long, thickand intertwining root system, the 2m high grass is able to fix the soil

tightly. Besides having great enduranceto drought, waterlogging, hightemperature and cold, the grass iseasy to plant and manage and growswell in any type of soil, in high latitudes(up to 42( N), at high altitudes(up to 2,600 m) and on steep slopes(up to 31(). Vetiver planted on slopingland functions well in soil erosioncontrol by slowing down runoff andreducing soil losses. Planted on dikesalong ditches it helps to prevent thedikes from collapse and to minimizesiltation.Vetiver planted on river banks, ponddikes and reservoir embankmentsmay control embankment erosionand mud siltation. Even when plantedon a roadside it may help to consolidatethe road base. Experience inIndia showed that vetiver hedgerowsmay help to reduce runoff by 30-47%,to decrease alluvial sand dischargeby 43-74% and consequently to increasecereal yield by 6-26%. Experimentsin Malaysia showed that comparedwith a control, runoff and soilloss in sites with vetiver grass decreasedby 73% and 93% respectively.People in India began usingvetiver in soil erosion control about200 years ago. However, the Indianpeople only started their research onthe effectiveness of vetiver for soilerosion control a little more than 10years ago. In spite of this they stillremain first in the world in this researchfields. Due to the recommendationof Mr. R. G. Grimshaw Directorof the Agricultural Technology Division,Asian Technology Bureau ofthe World Bank, vetiver technologywas introduced into China and initiallyapplied to the red earth projects inJiangXi and FuJian Provinces in early1989. Later, the technology was extendedto HuNan, ZheJiang,SiChuan, HaiNan and GuiZhou Provinces.Today more multidisplinaryresearch and extension work remainsto be done. With the collaboration oftechnicians and farmers more scientificdata and technical support canbe provided for further extensive applicationof vetiver technology. Moredemonstrations in hilly or mountainousareas are needed to show farmersthe effectiveness of vetiver on soilerosion control and on the growth ofcrops.Distribution and Potential ofVetiver Grass in Bangladesh.Dr. M. Matiur Rahman (DirectorBangladesh National Herbarium,VARC Complex, Farmgate, Dhaka-1215)This paper presents the findings of asurvey on vetiver grass inBangladesh during a fifteen-monthperiod in 1995/96. The surveyrecords information on the ecologicaldistribution, morphological variation,and the present use of vetivergrass obtained on study visits to allof the 64 districts in Bangladesh. Thestudy indicates that the only speciesfound in Bangladesh is Vetiveriazizanioides (L.) Nash, and it is verycommon in a variety of habitats.Three botanical “forms” of vetiverhave been identified though noecotypic variation has been found.Several large areas dominated byvetiver grass have been identified.The present findings reveal thatvetiver grass has many traditionaluses including its great potential foruse as a vegetative means of protectionon river and coastal embankmentsin Bangladesh.Vetiver Extension Methods in ElSalvadorRicardo Hernandez, WilliamMcDowell and Joaquin SantamariaEl Salvador is a Central Americancountry with a high population density(270 people/km 2 ), a high rate ofrural poverty, intensive competitionfor arable land, and severe environmentalproblems. More than threefourthsof the national production ofbasic grains occurs on small farmson marginal hillside soils.Degradation of soil and water resourcesaffects the household incomeof thousands of farmers, hydroelectricsystems, sources of potablewater and coastal zones. Therehave been increased investments insoil conservation practices in responseto these problems, which hascreated a strong national demand forvetiver.NOBS Anti-erosion, is a private companythat promotes vetiver grass forsoil conservation on hillsides. Establishedin 1994, it works with 140 institutionson 110 projects nationwide.The main activities include the transferof technology, and the sale of vegetativematerial for living hedges.These activities are implementedthrough aggressive communicationsprograms and by a team of extensionspecialists.A case-study is presented on thetransfer of vetiver technologies byNOBS in an area in the southwestregion of El Salvador. A select groupof small-scale farmers was trained togrow and manage vetiver for sustainablesoil conservation. The farmerswere given vegetative material fortwo years to establish replicationplots. They then began transferringvetiver technologies to their neighbors.Currently, a group of 220 farmersis testing the vetiver technologies.Seventy-one percent of the farmerssay that vetiver controls erosion.Eighteen percent of the farmers haveobserved that vetiver is increasingcrop production due to increased soilmoisture content. Eighty-two percentof the farmers will continue usingvetiver for soil conservation.The Pacific Rim Vetiver Network(PRVN)Narong Chomchalow (Office of theRoyal Development Projects Board,Bangkok, Thailand)The creation of the Pacific RimVetiver Network (PRVN) was the resultof a proposal made by Mr. RichardGrimshaw, President of theVetiver Network at the First InternationalConference on Vetiver (ICV-1)held in Chiang Rai, Thailand, on 4-8February 1996. Mr. Grimshaw suggestedthat Thailand act as the coreof the PRVN with the principal objec-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 35

tive of serving as a center to collectand disseminate information in theform of newsletters, occasional publicationsas well as a homepage onthe internet on the use of vetivergrass. homepage on the internet. inthe form of newsletters, occasionalpublications as well as a on the.Thailand is considered suitable becauseit is the site of the world’s largestvetiver project, known as the DoiTung Development Project, whichhas been implemented under thesupervision of the Office of the RoyalDevelopment Projects Board(ORDPB), the organizer of the Conference.Subsequently, the ORDPBsubmitted the proposal to His Majestythe King, a keen supporter in theuse of vetiver grass and an awardeeof the Vetiver Network’s speciallycommissionedbronze vetiver sculpture,in order to obtain his commentsand approval. His Majesty agreedwith the proposal and commissionedthe setting up of the PRVN under thesupervision of the Committee on theDevelopment and Campaign for theUtilization of Vetiver under HisMajesty’s Initiatives, to be administeredby ORDPB.In order to facilitate the effectiveimplementation of the network witha common view and flexibility, theCommittee established a WorkingTeam to take care of the PRVN. It hasthe responsibility to manage and supervisethe Network which aims topromote the cultivation and use ofvetiver through the issuance of anewsletter and the homepage. ThePRVN intends to serve the countriesof eastern Asia and the Pacific. Theseinclude Australia, Brunei, Cambodia,the Cook Islands, China, Fiji, Indonesia,Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia,New Zealand, Papua NewGuinea, the Philippines, Singapore,the Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Thailand,Tonga, Vanuatu, Western Samoa,and Vietnam.Thailand Country Report onVetiverNarong Chomchalow (Office of theRoyal Development Projects Board,The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 36Bangkok, Thailand)In Thailand, the present state of landdegradation caused by soil erosionas a result of top soil being washedaway after heavy rains and the resultantrunoff is quite devastating. HisMajesty King Bhumibol Adulyadejhas realized the urgency of the problemand its cause. After careful considerationof the potential of vetivergrass , a versatile plant that can helpprevent soil erosion and conserve soilmoisture, His Majesty has adoptedthe idea of using vetiver for soil andwater conservation. A simple technologywill first be introduced to the hilltribes in the highlands of northernThailand, and later to all others whosuffer from the same problem of soilerosion. The vetiver grass technology(VGT) has been found to be quiteeffective, with little or no expense,and it requires minimum care onceits growth has been established.His Majesty started to implement hisconcept in June 1991 upon informationreceived from the World Bank.This has proven to be so effective thata great deal of progress has beenachieved in a relatively short time.The Office of the Royal DevelopmentProjects Board (ORPDB) has beenassigned to coordinate the R & Dactivities on vetiver in Thailand fromthe very beginning. Their achievementsinclude the following:1. The organization of the First InternationalConference on Vetiver (ICV-1) in Chiang Rai, Thailand, on 4-8February 1996, to commemorate the50th anniversary of His Majesty’saccession to the throne. It was onethe most successful meetings everorganized with about 400 participants,including 102 from foreigncountries.2. The (National) Committee on theDevelopment and Campaign for theUtilization of Vetiver under HisMajesty’s Initiative was establishedunder the administration of theORPDB. The Committee is chargedwith the duty of coordinating all R &D activities for all agencies in Thailandthat are working on vetiver inorder to ensure that they follow thepolicy set forth in the master plan andto evaluate the results obtained. ThisCommittee also helps these agenciesby requesting their annual budgetfrom the Budget Bureau. A Sub-committeeon Technical Issues, Planningand Evaluation has also been set upby the Committee.3. During the first phase (1993-96),a master plan was developed givingemphasis to the following activities:(i) investigation and research, (ii)transfer of technology, (iii) demonstrationand extension, and (iv) othermeans of vetiver utilization. Therewere 27 agencies cooperating underthe scheme in the first phase, withconsiderable success in each, especiallyin research, although there area number of issues which have to bemonitored more effectively.4. The Committee has already prepareda master plan for the secondphase of the programme (1997-99),with the objective of coordinating activitiesamong various agencies, arrangingthe budget, and evaluatingthe work accomplished in order tosatisfy His Majesty’s Initiative.A few success stories from the resultsof the research and developmentwork during the past phase will behigh lighted in the present paper.The Adaptability and Benefits ofVetiver on Hills of Red EarthLu ShengLuan, He XiangYi, XiongGuoGen and Xie MeiGen (JiangXiProvincial Institute of Red Earth,JinXian, JiangXi 331717, China)Zhen QiFang (Soil and Fertilizer Division,Bureau of Land Administration,JiangXi Province)This paper deals with the growth andadaptability of vetiver on bare, severelyeroded low hills composed ofred earth. Vetiver grasses are moredrought resistant, cold hardy andperform better with infertile soils thanall local wild grasses. They are veryeffective in soil and water conservationdue to their quick growth, numer-

ous tillers and fast hedge formation.Their thick leaves and stems, oncereturned to the soil, are advantageousto soil physical properties andsoil fertility. These as well as otherbenefits, make vetiver grass suitablefor growth on the vast red earth hillareas in southern China and areworth extending to new locations.Vetiver Planting Experiments inEroded AreasAo HuiXiu, He DaoQuan and XiaHanPing (Laboratory of Ecology,South China Institute of Botany,Academia Sinica, GuangZhou510650, China)In the experimental sites at WuHua,XingNing and other counties inGuangDong Province, vetiver grass,though planted in various erodedgullies, or dams or on slopes with thinand infertile soils, usually grew vigorously.Those planted in XingNingreached a height of 1 m by the sixthmonth after transplanting, with a averagetillering rate of 10-15 slips, anda maximum of 50-60 slips per clump.Vetiver could form a closed belt in atimely manner and therefore couldfunction well in soil and water conservation.Experiments showed thatvetiver grass grew normally in erodedareas in GuangDong Province andcould be extended to more areas inthe future. However, further extensionrequires more profound research.A Preliminary Study on WildVetiver GrassHuang BuHan and Zhang JingXi(South China Institute of Botany,CAS, GuangZhou 510650, China)This paper introduces the series ofinvestigations, studies and experimentsconducted by the authors andothers in the late 1950’s, on wildvetiver grass found in large areasaround HuaZhou, GuangDong Province,China.1. A great deal of information wasobtained through a large scale fieldsurvey, including details of the morphologicalfeatures of vetiver, distributionand the estimated reserves ofwild vetiver.2. Studies were conducted on thevetiver growing environment, i.e.landform, climate and soil conditions.Research showed that vetiver grassgrew well in special local environmentswith alternating dry and moistconditions, growing in moist summerswhile flowering and fruiting indry winters. It has shown that vetiverbeing a mesophyll-mesophyte typeof plant with a wide range of adaptabilitycould tolerate both water-loggingand drought.3. Research on the extraction, analysisand perfume test of wild vetiveroil and on the identification of wildvetiver fibre quality for paper makinghave verified the value of utilizingvetiver. As a result, vetiver grass hasbeen put into industrial use. Testshave also proven that the quality ofoil and fibre derived from wild vetiveris as good as that derived from commonvetiver. The authors considerwild vetiver as a new kind of vetiverwith a fine prospect for developmentand suggest that the authorities concernedshould pay more attention toit.4. Impacts of local environmentalconditions on the oil content of vetiverroots and paper production of vetiverfibres were analyzed. Researchshowed that vetiver grass grew moreluxuriantly in moist fields than in drylands. However, perfume concentrationof vetiver found in dry locationswas higher than that from moistfields. In short, the content of availableingredient and utilization valueof vetiver from dry sites was higherthan that from moist fields. Researchalso showed that the rate of paperproduction for wild vetiver grass fibregrown in moist or wet depressionswas lower than that found inaerated soils with less water logging.It is therefore suggested that vetivergrass be planted in loose soils withoutwater logging to obtain higher fibrequality for paper production andsuperior perfume oil quality.An Overview of the Vetiver GrassHedge System in the Asia-Pacificand Southern African RegionsPaul Truong, (Leader, Erosion Controland Slope Stabilisation Group,Resource Sciences Centre, Departmentof Natural Resources,Brisbane, AUSTRALIA)The application of the Vetiver GrassHedge System (VGS) was first developedto protect farmlands from soilerosion. While this application of theVGS still plays a vital role in agriculturallands, its tolerance to highlyadverse conditions will have a keyrole in the increasingly concernedfield of environmental protection.Research and development to datehave shown the VGS is highly efficientin soil and water conservationin farmlands which can lead to cropyield improvement and more productiveland use practices.The vetiver plant is highly tolerant toextremely adverse growing conditionsand possesses some physicalcharacteristics which can be used forengineering purposes. The threemain applications of the VGS areconsidered to be in the areas of:1. Agricultural Lands: The VGS is themost efficient, low cost and effectivesoil and water conservation systemavailable. Its thick growth has hydraulicproperties that can be used to protectflood prone areas from flood erosion.Its roots are highly resistant tonematode attacks thereby providingsome protection to horticultural andagricultural crops.2. Engineering Applications: With atensile strength equivalent to onethird that of mild steel reinforcement,the VGS is highly effective in steepslope stabilisation. The porous barrierand hydraulic characteristics ofthe vetiver hedges result in a veryeffective diversion barrier for highwater flows.3. Environmental Applications: A veryThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 37

effective filtering system resultingfrom the vetiver hedges provides anideal natural barrier to trap bothcoarse and fine sediments. In addition,its tolerance to highly adversegrowing conditions such as extremepH or unfavorable levels of Al, Mn,As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu etc. provides anideal plant species for a bio-remedyand rehabilitation of toxic and contaminatedlands.The extent and results of these applicationsin the Asia-Pacific andsouthern African regions will be presented.Vetiver Engineering ( A BiologicalTechnique for Realizing SustainableDevelopment Xia HanPing andAo HuiXiu (South China Institute ofBotany, Academia Sinica,GuangZhou 510650, China)Almost all studies and observationson vetiver grass (Vetiveriazizanioides) from around the worldduring the previous 12 years haveindicated that this perennial has awidespread adaptation to diverseenvironments and a strong resistanceto adversity. It is also easy toestablish and maintain. Apart from itsgreat success as a biological measurefor soil and moisture conservation,vetiver also has a multitude ofother functions. It can increase nutrientsand moisture in the soil, enhanceagricultural microclimates, aidin the recovery of deteriorated ecosystems,ameliorate polluted landsand rehabilitate them vegetatively.Planted in strips vetiver can, also,protect fishponds, orchards, dams,reservoirs, and highway prevent hillsfrom landslides, and so forth. Vetiveritself also has many uses. For example,its tender leaves are a goodfodder for livestock, and its old leavesand stems can be used as paperpulp, mulch, manure, fuel, animalbedding thatch, making handicrafts,and so on. The roots of this plant areused to refine an aromatic oil, for usein medicines and pesticides. Therefore,extending vetiver engineering,particularly in mountain villages, is anThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 38efficient measure to assist in ruralsustainable development. Agriculturalecosystems in which vetiver hasacted as a pivot may produce tangibleecological, economic, and socialbenefits.For over 10 year now, scientists fromhome and abroad have conducted agreat deal of research on vetiver, andattained many achievements. Thesewill provide a staunch theoretical basisfor the large scale application andspread of this biological technique inthe future. Obviously, vetiver engineeringis an important step towardrealizing sustainable agriculture. Ithas a wide application in soil andmoisture conservation and in establishingcomplex agroecosystems inthe tropics and subtropics as well asin mountainous areas of southernChina. It is necessary, however, toensure that publicity, popularization,development, and utilization of thistechnology be more quickly and extensivelyspread.Challenges and Problems in theUse of Vetiver for Watershed Managementin the Sub-Mountain andScarcity Zones of Nashik District(Maharashtra, India)Prakash B. Pawar (Divisional SoilConservation Officer (S.C.) Nashik,Department of Soil Conservation andWatershed Management,Maharashtra, India)Soil and water are the most vital naturalresources for the survival of mankind.Proper management of thesenatural resources on a watershedbasis gives excellent results. Otherwisesoil degradation is a seriousenvironmental, social and economicproblem for the agriculturist. Soil degradationis closely associated withconstrained agricultural productionand sustainable development. A keycomponent of soil degradation is erosionby rain water i.e. runoff. Vastareas of fertile agricultural land aredamaged every year through soil erosioncaused by rain water especiallyin dry areas. There are major challengesin the scientific, technologicaland financial approaches to findingsolutions. Engineering structures formanaging catchments are expensive.Vegetative measures such asthe use of vetiver is quite inexpensive,and it is promoted through centrallysponsored schemes in India.Accordingly, twelve watersheds comprisingtwo agroclimatic zones witha geographical area of 52,952 hectareswere identified for improvementin the Nashik District. Since 1991-1992, 4,855 tones of vetiver slips (Vetiveria zizanioides) were used fordrainage lines and land treatment inwatershed management. From thisa case study of vetiver for soil andwater conservation was conducted.The results of the case study indicatedthat the establishment ofvetiver and its survival rate were directlycorrelated to type of soil, depthof soil, quality of planting material andother managerial factors like theproblem of stray cattle. In a scarcityzone the use of vetiver as a conservationmeasure failed except in a fewcases of drainage line treatment. Inthe sub-mountain zone drainage linetreatments like live check dams andloose boulder structures showed excellentresults while land treatmenthad only limited success. Instead ofplanting vetiver merely as a barrier,addition of a minor engineering supportgave better results. Vetiver enhancedthe infiltration rate of a nearbyplantation, arrested fertile slits resultingin profuse growth of vetiver. Besides,the vetiver hedges served asboundary marks which helped tillageoperation, especially in dry areas.In the sub-mountain zone, the survivalrate of vetiver was highest withlive check dams, supported by minorengineering structures (64.6%). Thiswas followed by loose boulder structuresreinforced by vetiver (47.9%).Thirdly, land treatment called contourvegetative hedges had the lowestsurvival at 41.6%. From the casestudy it was clearly observed thatplanting material played an importantrole in the survival of vetiver, in additionto managerial factors such as

Salinity (survived) 47.5 mS cm -1stray cattle. The overall conclusion(50% yield reduction)17.5 mS cm -1 reduced soil erosion and water run-was that a dry spell adversely affectedSodicity 33% (exchangeable Na)the survival rate of vetiver. The Magnesicity 20 Cmol/kg (Mg)average number of rainy days in thesub-mountain zone was 75 while inthe scarcity zone it was only 25. TheVetiver can also withstand very highlevels of heavy metals in the soil.dry spell after establishment and theproblem of stray cattle caused the Arsenic 100 - 250 ppmmortality of vetiver. However, vetiver Cadmium 20 ppmin high survival situations gave excellentCopper 50-100 ppmresults in terms of soil erosion Chromium 200 -600 ppmcontrol and moisture conservation, Nickel 50 -100 ppmwhich accounted for good returnsfrom the land i.e. crop production. Inthe present study it was found thatsowing along the contour with vegetativeThese characteristics make vetiverhighly suitable for the rehabilitationof toxic and contaminated lands.hedges gave a 35.3% in-creased yield of Eleusine caracanain the sub-mountain zone and 32.5%more yield of Sarghrmvulgare,Pennisetum typhoides in the scarcityzone as compared to non treated areas.There was also a significant increaseResults on the use of vetiver in therehabilitation of an old landfill siteoverburden (contaminated withheavy metals) as well as tailings ofcoal and gold mines will be discusseders.in financial returns for farm-Studies on Protecting HighwaySlopes with Vetiver HedgerowsAn attempt was made in this casestudy to compile all available informationabout the personal, social andeconomic characteristics of farmersAo HuiXiu, Xia HanPing, LiuShiZhong and He DaoQuan (SouthChina Institute of Botany, AcademiaSinica, GuangZhou, 510650)and their association with the usevetiver in a watershed managementunit.Vetiveria zizanioides, a perennialgrass, has broad adaptations and astrong resistance to adversity. ThisThe Role of Vetiver Grass in theRehabilitation of Toxic and ContaminatedLands in AustraliaPaul Truong and Dennis Baker(Leader, Erosion Control and SlopeStabilisation Group, Resource SciencesCentre, Department of NaturalResources, Brisbane, AUSTRA-LIA)plant grows rapidly and produces astrong and massive root system. Ithas been widely demonstrated thatvetiver can effectively prevent soilerosion. Introduced by the WorldBank and the Vetiver Network, theSouth China Institute of Botany(SCIB) since 1989 has begun to carryout experiments with vetiverhedgerows, with good results on erosionResearch conducted in Queenslandhas established that vetiver has anextremely high level of tolerance toadverse soil conditions.control and rehabilitation of de-teriorated ecosystems on slopes. Inorder to magnify and spread theachievements, the SCIB collaboratedwith the GuangDong Provincial HighwaySoil conditions LevelsBureau (GPHB) in 1995 to con-Acidity pH 3.3duct a trial on prevention of highwayembankment landslides with vetiverAlkalinity pH 9.5hedgerows along National HighwayAl ( Sat.%) Between 68% - 87% No. 105. After six months, theMn> 578 ppm hedgerows turned the barren roadSalinityembankments green, and distinctlyoff. SCIB and GPHB were both satisfiedwith the results and were willingto continue cooperating with eachother. Thus, in 1996 both sides continuedconducting a similar experimentwith this biological treatment ona dangerous and unstable sectionalong the First-Ring Highway aroundGuangZhou. Vetiver grew to 150-200cm high and produced 18-20 tillersper clump after being planted 5-6months. Neat and luxurianthedgerows formed which effectivelyslowed down and more evenly distributedthe runoff. This prominentlyhalted the soil erosion and ended thethreat of a landslide. On the oppositeembankment of the highway,Mimosa sepiaria was planted to “protect”the slope and acted as the controltreatment. However, the wholeslope, during the same period, wasseverely destroyed. Six large gullieswith an average depth of 1-1.3 m by20 m long along with a dozen smallrills formed as a result of the impetusof rain water and the impotentprotection from M. sepiaria. The twomeasures formed a sharp contrast.The trial indicates that it is absolutelyimperative to plant vetiver along contourlines and less than 15 cm apartbetween clumps to ensure thathedgerows can effectively protectslopes. It is best to apply fertilizer tothe plants, including basal manureand top dressing, for highway embankmentsare usually very infertile.Certainly, cutting back the tops to 30-40 cm above the ground before floweringis also a good managementpractice, which can reduce the consumptionof nutrients and promotetiller formation. As a matter of fact,civil engineering such as sand bagsand dams are usually indispensablewhen trying to establish the vetivertechnology. Biological hedgerowscan be established more rapidly andefficiently in conjunction with civilengineering.It is much better to combine vetiverwith trees, shrubs and creepers thatare adapted to the local environmentwhen employing biological engineer-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 39

ing. This combination can make roadsidesnot only more stable, but morebeautiful as well. There are severalkinds of plants, including Acaciaauricuiformis, A. mangium, Pinuselliotii, Lespedeza formosa, Milinisminutflora, and so on, which behavedwell in the trials.Applying biological measures for protectingand beautifying highways hasproduced positive ecological, economicand social benefits. The vetivertechnology certainly has a broad developmentperspective for the wholeof southern China.Preliminary Experiment on Purificationof Eutrophic Water withVetiverZheng ChunRong, Tu Cong andChen HuaiMan* (Institute of Soil Science,Academia Sinica, NanJing210008)The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 40The possibility of purifying eutrophicwater with vetiver was tested anddescribed in the present paper.Vetiver was grown in river water pollutedby domestic sewage, in pondwater and in tap water using the“floating island” technique. During a4 week culture, vetiver grew normallyin these three water bodies, but didthe best in river water. Net increasesin plant height were 80 cm, 60 cmand 50 cm with tillers numbering 4, 1and 0 for river water, pond water andtap water, respectively. The sightcharacteristics of river and pond waterwere apparently improved andtransparency increased after plantingvetiver. For river water, the totalN and water-soluble P removed was34.1%, and 68.1% after 1 week ofgrowth, respectively; the removal ratewas up to 99% for P after 3 weeks,and 82% for total N after 4 weeks.The removal of N and P was not asobvious in pond water because offewer contaminants (0.014 mg N/ Land 0.70 mgP/L). These findings suggestedthat vetiver is a good plant forpurifying eutrophic water and hasapplication potential. Changes inCOD, BOD and dissolved oxygen,the optimum growth period, and treatmentcapacity of vetiver need furtherstudy.* Corresponding author.Research on the Application ofVetiver to Red Soil DevelopmentHu JianYe (Agriculture DevelopmentUnited Co., JiangXi Province,NanChang 330002, China) XueHuiXian (JiangXi Provincial Instituteof Red Earth, JinXian, JiangXi,331717, China) Zhou CaiWen (RedEarth Development Bureau,ChongRren County, JiangXi, 344200,China)This paper deals with the effects ofvetiver application on red soil development.Experiments of 3 cultivationmodels, i.e., 1) contour vetiverhedgerows, 2) contour terrace cultivation,and 3) non-contour cultivationalong the slope, were located onslopes with red soil derived fromQuaternary clay. Comparison amongthe 3 models showed the effects ofvetiver on conserving soil and water,lowering surface runoff, resistingdrought when used as a mulch andmaintaining soil moisture in slopingred soils under different rainfall conditions.Experimental results showed that: (1)The effect of water and soil conservationby vetiver hedgerows establishedon the upper part of slopes withred soil was better than that of bothcontour terrace cultivation and noncontour cultivation along the slope.The former model reduced runoff by11.6% and 23.9% and reduced sedimentby 24.0% and 36.1% comparedto that of the latter two models. Thesame effects were also found in thefollowing 2 years. (2) The minimumrunoff was found after rainfall in themodel with the vetiver hedgerow, regardlessof whether rainfall was lessthan 9.9 mm or a of rainstorm wasmore than 25 mm. Generally speaking,runoff was 1/3 and 1/4 less thanthose in the contour terrace modeland in the non-contour cultivationalong the slope, respectively. Experimentsalso revealed remarkable differencesin sediment yields due tovariation in the amount of surfacerunoff. The sediment yield with thevetiver hedgerow (472.7 t/km 2 (yr)was close to the allowable amount(500 t/km 2 (yr). This was 0.6 and 1.9times lower than those in models ofcontour terrace cultivation and noncontourcultivation along the slope,respectively, while the runoff coefficientswere 0.16 and 0.5 times lower,respectively. The reduction of sedimentbuild up minimized nutrientlosses in the vetiver hedgerow case.(3) Soil moisture storage at depthsof 0-60 cm with a surface mulch ofvetiver leaves was obviously higherthan with a surface mulch of ricestraw or without a surface mulch. Aslow and stable loss of moisture wasfound in soil with vetiver leaf mulchdue to slower moisture evaporation.This resulted in drought being delayedby 6-10 days when comparedto soils with no mulch, while a delayof only 2-5 days was noted with ricestraw mulch. Moreover, fresh vetiverleaves with certain content of crudeprotein and fat could be used as fodderfor cattle.These experiments were the first successfulefforts toward extension ofvetiver technology in phase 1 of thered soil project. The provided a goodexample for red soil development insouthern China as well as the soil andwater conservation projects in theYangtze River Basin.Vetiver — An Excellent Plant forSoil and Water ConservationGuo TingFu (Department of RuralWater Conservancy and Soil andWater Conservation, Ministry of WaterConservancy, BeiJing 100761,China)During his visit to China in 1988, RichardG. Grimshaw, the Chief of theAgricultural Technology Division,Asian Technology Bureau of theWorld Bank described the function ofvetiver in soil and water conservation.It was through his active promotionthat vetiver was introduced to some

areas in southern China.This paper summarizes the plantingefforts, experimentation and effectsof vetiver in China’s JiangXi, FuJianand other provinces. In order to accelerateerosion control and the developmentof agriculture with forestryand pastural production(agroforestry) so as to better servethe national economy and enhancepeople’s lives, the author appeals toauthorities concerned to pay moreattention to the introduction and cultivationof plants, which are good forwater and soil conservation, such asvetiver.Ecological Effects of PlantingVetiver Grass in Citrus Groves onSloping Red Soil FieldsChen Kai and Hu GuoQin (Departmentof Horticulture, NanJing Universityof Agriculture, NanJing, 210014)Rao HuiMao, Xu LinHua and WuHuaQing (County’s Office of ForeignCapital Projects, LinChuan, JiangXiProvince)Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides)planted in lines along contour furrowsin sloping citrus groves of red soilgrew and developed quickly and vigorouslywith an annual yield of freshplant matter of about 15t/hm 2 . Thegrass was cut and used as a mulchto cover the surface soil under thecitrus trees such that the air temperatureand soil temperature in the citrusgroves were both effectively decreased.At the same time, the relativehumidity and moisture content ofthe soil both increased during periodsof high temperatures anddrought. In the summer, the strongsolar radiation was partly shaded bythe vetiver grass fence. There wereremarkable benefits in water and soilconservation, as well as improvementin soil structure and fertility. Thesoil bulk density decreased, while itsporosity, pH, organic matter contents,total N, hydrolytic N, availableP and K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B,Mo and 20 kinds of amino acids allincreased. The citrus trees, therefore,also grew and developed vigorously.Some new information was providedfor regional development and comprehensiveutilization of red soil resourcesto obtain sustainable highyields, superior citrus quality, and efficientproductivity with low cost insouthern China.Preliminary Study on the ExperimentalEffects of Vetiver on SoilErosion Control and Ridge StabilizationChen LongJiang (Bureau of WaterResources and Electric Power,XingNing 514500)The County Bureau of Water Resourcesand Electric Power plantedvetiver grass on ridges of slopingfarmland as a form of slope protectionto test its effect on preventing soilerosion and soil fixation. Two runoffplots were designed on the ridges,one with vetiver grass and the otheras a control. During the period fromJuly to December, when the rainfallwas 411.8 mm, the runoff moduleswas 183.2 dm 3 /m 2 for the vetiver plotand 259.4 dm 3 /m 2 for the control, or29% less for the vetiver plot. Theamount of soil erosion was 1.6 kg/m 2 for the vetiver plot and 4.8 kg/m 2for the control, or 67% less for thevetiver plot. Within the 0-20 cm soillayer depth, the average water holdingcapacity was 22.8% for the vetiverplot, and 16.3% for the control. Theresults showed that vetiver grassacted well in preventing soil erosionand maintaining ridge stabilization. Italso aided the soil moisture holdingcapacity thereby enhancing soilmoisture. In addition, the actual dryweight of the grass was up to 55.6kg/ha (834.0 kg/mu). The grass couldtherefore also be used as a fertilizersuitable for the fruit tree.Vetiver Hedges as a Means for ErosionControl (Some Problems withExtension)Chai Zong and Zhang Ning(ChengDu Institute of Mountain Disasterand Environment, The ChineseAcademy of Sciences, The Ministryof Water Conservation,ChengDu 610021, China)The authors briefly introduced theresults and benefits of the applicationof vetiver hedgerows in soil andwater conservation as well as theapplication of vetiver leaves as soilmulch in 1) India and 2) FuJian andJiangXi Provinces in China. However,they also pointed out some problemsremained to be solved when plantingof vetiver grass. For example,vetiver grass returned much fewereconomic benefits than other cashcrops in populated areas with limitedland resources when their roots couldnot be used to make the perfumeextract. Moreover, vetiver grassplanted together with other crops orfruit trees might compete for soilmoisture and nutrients creating adetrimental growth effect on the othercrops. Finally, vetiver grass provedto be susceptible to pest and diseaseattacks.Considering the weaknesses ofvetiver, the authors suggested thatthe following could improve vetiverdevelopment:1. Vetiver should be planted inareas south of a line formed bythe QinLing-FuNiu Mountainsin Central-China at elevations< 2000 m.2. Vetiver should be extendedstressing its advantages onbare hillsides in populated areaswith limited land resources.3. Mixed hedgerows composed ofvetiver and other cash cropsshould be developed.4. Focus should concentrate onstudies to eliminate pest anddisease attacks upon vetiver.Effects of Vetiver on Soil ErosionControl in an Artificial EucalyptusForestLiao BaoWen, Zheng DeZhang andZheng SongFa (Institute of TropicalForestry, Chinese Academy of For-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 41

estry, GuangZhou 510520, China)Three experimental sites were arrangedin an artificial Eucalyptus (E.ABL No. 12) forest afforested in April,1991 in YangXi County, GuangDongProvince, China. They were: (1) linesof vetiver planted between 2 lines ofEucalyptus; (2) lines of stylosanthesguianensis planted between 2 linesof Eucalyptus, and (3) a control withno grass planted under the trees. Therunoff field was arranged to observerainfall, surface soil and water losses.Results of a 3-year observationshowed that surface runoff in site 1was 20351 t/hm 2 , 15.2% less thanthat in site 2 and 51.1% less than thatin control site 3. Similar results werefound in cases of nutrient loss in solidand liquid. It was concluded thatvetiver was not only good for soil andwater conservation but also good forforest development.Contribution of Vetiver Grass toSustainable Agricultural Developmentin the Hilly Red Soil RegionLu ShengLuan and Zhong JiaYou(Red Soil & Hill Comprehensive ExperimentStation, DongXiang County,JiangXi Province, 331800)Soil erosion and soil degradation isa serious problem existing in the hillyred soil region of southern China,where an area of soil erosion has increasedfrom 71,000 km 2 in the1950’s to 200,000 km 2 in the 1980’s.Statistical data reveal that 0.7 billiontons of topsoil, 160,000 tons of organicmatter and 100,000 tons ofmineral nutritional elements are lostevery year in the nine provinces ofsoutheastern China which are locatedin the subtropical region. Massivesoil erosion, which leads to declinesin soil fertility and crop yield, isone of the principal obstacles to sustainableagricultural development inhilly red soil regions. Surveys andstudies in JiangXi Province show thatvetiver grass contour hedgerows offerone practical technology to addressthis problem.1. Vigorous hedgerows of vetivergrass with their dense root systemThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 42formed 1 or 2 years after the grasswas planted. They constituted a biologicalsoil moisture retention systemeffective for soil erosion control byfixing soil particles and conservingsoil moisture. Observations at standardrunoff sites in farmlands with aslope of 5-6 % showed that, comparedto a control, there was a 32.7%decrease in runoff. This was a 21.4t/hm 2 /yr decrease in soil loss resultingfrom vetiver hedgerows of 1 m inheight. Soils could be preserved inthis way, providing a base for sustainableagricultural development inhilly red soil areas.2. In fields with a vetiver hedgerowarrangement, with dry and high temperatureconditions, air and soil temperaturedecreased and surface waterevaporation decreased while humidityincreased.. In cold winters adequatetemperatures could be maintainedand frost damage could beminimized as the convection and diffusionof cold air could be bufferedby the hedgerows. An improved ecologicalenvironment with stabilizedhydrothermal conditions thereforeformed to promote the sustainableagricultural development in hilly redsoil areas.3. Large quantities of biomass weregenerated with the quick tillering ofvetiver grass. As a result an increasedamount of organic matteraccumulated in the soils as a largequantity of vetiver materials, naturallydecayed or artificially applied, enteredthe soil layers. Fertile soilsformed in this way constituted a fertilitybase for sustainable agriculturaldevelopment.4. Vetiver grass does not threaten thegrowth of crops as most weeds dobecause they develop without rhizomesor creeping stems and do notpropagate by seeds. Therefore, theymay be planted in orchards and cropfields using appropriate designs andforming sustainable multilayered integratedagricultural systems such asfruit-grass or crop-grass combinations.Vetiver Grass - Perfect for Soil ErosionControlFu DongYue and Wei XiChun(ShaWu City Office of Soil and WaterConservation, FuJian Province)Vetiver grass was introduced in 1988for two soil erosion control trials in anewly cultivated orchard inYueWang-Long, ShuiBe Townshipand in an integrated small watershedmanagement project in DaFuGang.(1) In the former case, vetiver grasswas planted in holes along contourlines, between 2 adjacent tree lineswith a hole interval of 10-15 cm. Aclump consisting of 3-5 slips ofvetiver was planted in each hole witha small amount of compound fertilizer(at a rate of 450 kg/ha). Eightmonths later, vetiver clumps hadgrown to an average height of 120cm, with a maximum of. 200 cm. ByAugust, vetiver clumps, planted inearly April had tillered to 25 slips eachand formed a continuous hedgerow,stopping the mud carried in the runoff.A remarkable earth ridge, consistingof mud and sand was found onthe rear side of each hedgerow. Itwas expected that a terrace wouldform on these newly formed earthridges in 5-6 years.(2) In the latter case, vetiver grasswas planted on contours of erodedsloping surfaces using the followingcharacteristics: a) line interval: 30 cm,b) clump interval (holes): 10-15 cm,c) number of slips for each clump: 4-7, and d) amount of compound fertilizerapplied in each hole while planting:450 kg/ha. As the grass grew,sloping surfaces were largely coveredby thick grass clumps therebyeffectively controlling splash andsheet erosion. Moreover, soil erosion-resistancewas greatly increasedas the soil was fixed by thestrong vetiver root system.Three years of experiments showedthat the quick growing vetiver grasswas indeed an ideal and effectiveplant for soil and water conservation.The grass height increased an aver-

age of 1.3-1.8 cm/day when localtemperatures were 22˚C or aboveand reached 1.5-2.0 m by the end ofthe first year of growth. Thehedgerows formed the same yearthat the grass was planted and werevigorous enough to stop soil lossescaused by runoff. Being adaptable toharsh conditions, vetiver grew well invery infertile and severely eroded redsoils with very little fertilizer and managementeven after undergoing adrought lasting for 60 days and a coldperiod with -7.5˚C. The tender leavesof vetiver can be used as cattle fodderwhile old leaves can be used forperfume extraction for roof thatch, fororchard mulch or for fuel.Vetiver Grass for Slope StabilityEnhancement and Erosion Mitigationin Engineering ApplicationsDiti Hengchaovanich (Director,Erocon Sdn Bhd P.O. Box 10639,Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)Use of vegetation (grass and trees)for erosion mitigation and slope stabilityenhancement has been implementedsince time immemorial,mostly based on successful applicationsof preceding cases. The increasingpopularity in the last decadeof a vegetative (“soft”) approach byusing trees for slope stabilization hasgained favour over a “hard” approachof using inert man-made materials.This has been due to the concernover the degradation of the environmentcaused by development,coupled with the fact that more knowledgeand information on vegetationhave now come to light to aid in engineeringdesigns.Vetiver, until very recently a relativelyunknown plant, possesses someunique features of both grasses andtrees by having a profuse, deep penetratingroot system that can offerboth erosion prevention and can controlmovement of surface earthenmaterials, a precursor to slope stabilitysolutions. Parameters obtainedfrom recent experiments revealedthat vetiver grass roots are verystrong with an average tensilestrength of 75 MPa or one-third thatof mild steel. The massive root systemalso increases the shear strengthof the soil, thereby enhancing slopestability appreciably. Engineers ordesigners working with sloping landwill find it more helpful now to havesome quantitative data available toprovide an engineering ‘answer’ tostability issues, when employingvetiver grass. Successful applicationmodels of vetiver grass for slope stabilityenhancement and erosionmitigition measures for highwayprojects in Malaysia are described.A Preliminary Report on RunoffExperiments with Different CroppingSystems on Hilly Red SoilZheng ZhongDeng and HuangXiuSheng (FuJian Academy of AgriculturalSciences, FuZhou, FuJian350013)This topic is one of the researchprojects from the “Second ChineseRed Soil Project” in FuJian Province.By establishing special plots for runoffexperiments, the effects of differentcropping systems and biologicalpractices on soil and water conservationhave been studied. Therewere 4 treatments including: 1): noforage grasses planted on terraces;2) vetiver grass planted on terracebanks; 3) no forage grasses plantedon slopes; 4) 50 cm wide PremierFingergrass strips planted betweentree rows on the slopes. In the treatmentswith grasses, terraces wereplanted with Pinto peanut or Wynncassia in Two replications. The areafor each plot was 4¡Á25 m 2 and a500¡Á500¡Á25 mm prefabricated cementblock was placed between twoplots. A water-collecting (or sand-collecting)pool, for water storage wasbuilt in each plot. Also a set of meteorologicalobservation instrumentswas installed in the experimentalarea. Plum seedlings as well as variousgrass species were planted beforeApril, 1995. Since January, 1997,formal observations have been performed.Meteorological observationson the main components, run-offamounts of soil and water, and moisturecontent in the soil layers weremeasured according to the requisitesissued by Chinese Agricultural Ministry.The preliminary results of a halfyear’sobservation showed that plantingon slopes without any biologicalpractices caused serious run-off;planting grass strips on slopes andcovering the terrace surface withPinto peanut may prevent the soilsurface from erosion; not plantingforage grasses on the terraces withfrontal banks and rear-ditches, althougheliminating serious run-offended up with the front bank beingleveled and the rear-ditches beingfilled with soil in the one and halfyear’s observation. Soil erosion occurredwhen the torrential rainscame. In the treatment where foragegrasses were planted on terraces,grass barriers formed on the banks.In a half-year’s time, the terraceswere covered by grass, the banksand ditches were well maintained,and the run-off loss did not occur,especially in plots where vetivergrass was planted. The ground surfaceand soil layer temperatures weredirectly affected by the vegetation onthe soil surface. In the treatmentscovered by plants and grasses, thetemperature was lower in the summerand higher in the winter comparewith treatments not covered by plantsand grasses. Since January 5, 1997,the moisture content in different treatmentplots was tested every 5 days.Data taken 39 times showed a regularpattern in which the moisture contentin plant-covered plots was higherthan that in the bare plots. The upper,middle and lower soil layersshowed the same tendency. The nutritionloss in the run-off experimentswill be analysed soon.Introducing Vetiver to Control Soiland Water Loss in FuJian ProvinceDing GuanMin (FuJian ExperimentalStation of Soil and Water Conservation)Vetiver was introduced to northernFuJian Province, as well asThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 43

JianYang, and ShaoWu Countiesfrom HaiNan Province, China, in the1950’s, when it was used as a perfumecrop, with economic benefits.Afterwards, however, it reverted to akind of wild grass. Recently, Mr.Grimshaw, Agricultural DepartmentChief from the World Bank, introducedthe grass for soil and waterconservation. FuJian ExperimentalStation of Soil and Water Conservationthen began to conduct a studyusing vetiver to harness soil and waterloss in JianYang County in thenorth, AnXi County in the south, andcoastal PingTan County. The resultsshowed that vetiver is suitable forplanting throughout the province,because of its acid and alkali tolerance.It has significant effects in harnessingeroded laterite slopes, especiallyon controlling rock slides ingranite areas. Vetiver hedges canprotect the cultivated land on slopes;moreover, it can also play a role inwind protection and sand stabilizationalong the highways and rivers aswell as in the coastal areas. Thestems and leaves of vetiver can beused in the cultivation of edible fungi,which can bring direct economic benefits.At present, however, vetiverextension is still in the preliminarystages, and it is necessary to do furtherstudies.An Experiment on Vetiver IntroductionCheng Hong (NanChang Water Conservancyand Hydro-Power College,Ministry of Water Conservancy,NanChang 330029, China)Analysis of 6 experiments introducingvetiver grass, in northern China,southern China and their transitionareas, showed that: (1). Regardlessof high or low latitudes, vetivergrasses, planted in a standardizedway, all grew normally, with a survivalrate ranging from a the maximum of100% (GuiXi, JiangXi Province) to aminimum of 61% (ChangShan,ZheJiang Province). (2). Vetivergrasses grew quickly, with 2 growthpeaks during their growing period.Among the 4 experimental sites, theThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 44quickest growth was found in HaiNanwhile the slowest was found inChangShan. (3). The maximumtillering number was over 20 while theminimum was greater than 6. Studyalso showed that the increase in thenumber of tillers on vetiver rootscould be represented by the equationy=10 ax+bwhere a and b varied at different latitudes.Finally, (4) adequate pruningof the parts above the ground ofvetiver in a suitable season promotedroot tillering.Impacts of Environmental Factorson theGrowth of VetiverXia HanPing, Ao HuiXiu and HeDaoQuan (South China Institute ofBotany, CAS, GuangZhou 510650,China)The authors deal with the impacts ofsome environmental factors, shadingfertilization and pruning on the growthof vetiver grass.1. Impacts of shading on the growthof vetiver. The growth and developmentof vetiver were remarkably inhibitedby shading. Measurements ofthe net growth in height of vetivergrass showed a difference of 90.8 cmbetween grass inhibited by shadingcompared to no shading. This resultedeven though shading was onlyapplied for 3.5 months during the 9month long growing season lastingfrom March to November. Measuredduring the peak of the growing season,the average dry weight of slipswithout shading was 2.43 times morethan with shading. The number oftillers per clump without shading was82.9% more than with shading. Experimentsalso showed that the removalof shading during the growingseason may quicken the growth ofvetiver grass. However, recovery ofboth height and accumulated drymatter was slower and that of tilleringwas quicker.2. Impacts of fertilization and pruningon the growth of vetiver. Experimentsshowed that vetiver grasscould grow on infertile laterite andthat fertilizer (urea) application increasedplant height and number oftillers. According to the second setof measurements after fertilization,the number of tillers in the fertilizedclumps averaged 90% more thanthose without fertilization. However,ceasing fertilizer application reducedthe growth rate of the originally fertilizedgrass clumps to the same levelas those without any fertilization. Alsono remarkable increase in dry matteraccumulation due to fertilizationwas noted over this short time. Therefore,accelerating vetiver tillering willbe an important topic in vetiver study.Vetiver tillering may be promoted bymoderate pruning at appropriatetimes. Pruning before earring couldaid vetiver growth and tillering. Onlylimited pruning, i.e. conducted inearly spring and early autumn, wasconsidered beneficial for vetiver development.Vetiver Grass Planted on theAeolian Sands of PingTan Islandand its ApplicationZhang Jing (FuZhou City Office forSoil and Water Conservation,FuZhou 350005, China)Situated off the east coast of FuJianProvince, PingTan Island ranks 5thin size among China’s islands. It oftensuffers from natural disasters,such as Typhoons and severe rainstorms.Since 1991, vetiver grasseshave been successfully planted onthe island to prevent wind damage,to fix sand dunes and to protect thecoastal seashore.1. Setting up seedling nurseries. InMarch and April, 1992, 555 clumpsof vetiver, each including 3 slips wereplanted at 20¡Á30 cm intervals betweenclumps, in the forest atChengGuan, PingTan. A full fourmonths after planting, in addition tothrough watering, liquid manure wasapplied to the vetiver. By the end ofJuly, the vetiver grass was pruned to

30 cm. According to observations inNovember of the same year, most ofthe grass had grown to a height of180 cm and some to more than 200cm. The clumps had tillered to asmany as 117 slips each. In additiona layering trial was successful.Clumps layered on July 16 weremore than 100 cm tall in November.This nursery provided a materialbase for further development ofvetiver in PingTan.2. Vetiver hedges as a windbreak.The windbreak hedge experiment inwind channels showed that a hedgecould be formed in a short time dueto the excellent growth of vetiver inadverse conditions. Vetiver could bedeveloped even in very marginal climaticconditions.(1). In order to form a closed vetiverhedge as quickly as possible, in theearly stage of planting it was necessaryto set up an artificial windbreakin the wind stream to weaken theforce of the wind.(2). In places with the strongest wind,it was suggested that vetiver rows beparallel to the wind’s direction so thatthe wind resistance of the hedgewould be strengthened. A shelteringwindbreak formed as soon as thehedges closed.In addition, technicians have succeededin planting vetiver in cashcrop gardens to minimize the windspeed and to fix drifting sands.Vetiver hedgerows have also beenused to protect embankments andslopes of hills.Observations and Experiments onthe Multiplication, Cultivation andManagement of Vetiver Grass Conductedin China in the 1950’sXia HanPing (South China Instituteof Botany, Academia Sinica,GuangZhou 510650)Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides)was introduced to China in the middle1950’s. Since then some multiplication,cultivation and managementexperiments on this plant have beenconducted. The purpose for introducingvetiver was the production of essentialoil from the vetiver roots.Seedlings were quite scarce at thattime; so experiments concentratedon two aspects: firstly, on the rapidmultiplication of seedlings, and secondlyon breeding roots that yieldedoil of high quality and high content.This paper summarizes these twoaspects of the experiments and surveys.Besides the general practice ofpropagation by division of roots, othersuccessful propagation methods included:1)multiplication by stem-culmcuttings, 2)multiplication by pedicelculmcuttings, 3)multiplication by longitudinal-slitstems, and 4)multiplicationthrough pruning tops. Cultivationtechniques that promoted rapid fieldestablishment were: 1)water-cultivationto accelerate root growth, 2)heeling-into improve root establishment,3)dipping roots, 4)oblique planting,and 5) retaining mother tillers left inthe soil.Management measures developedfrom experiments that enhancedtillering rates consisted of: 1)intensivecultivation while strengthening management,2) proper pruning, and3)rational close planting.In addition, several unansweredquestions remained: 1)How deepshould vetiver be planted, shallow ordeep? 2)How long should vetiverroots be kept, long or short? 3)Howmany tillers per clump should beplanted, one, two, three or more?Obviously, these successful propagation,cultivation, and managementmethods can play an instructive roleand be used as a reference for futurework.Preliminary Results of an ExperimentIntroducing VetiverGao WeiSen, Zhang Ning and ZhangXinBao (ChengDu Institute of MountainDisaster and Environment, TheChinese Academy of Science and theMinistry of Water Conservation,ChengDu 510021, China)Experiments introducing vetiver wereallocated to different regions in theSiChuan Basin, i.e., DeYang in theplains area, JianYang in the hillyarea, PingShan and DuJiangYan inareas around the basin as well asHuiLi and PanZhiHua in mountainareas of southwestern SiChuan.Comparison analyses were conductedon growth including the datethe grass turned green and tillered,growth height, etc. in 4 types of soilsin the 4 different types of locations.Results showed that: (1). Vetivergrew best in sandy alluvial soils withhigh fertility and good aeration; itgrew fairly well in cultivated sandyyellow soils and the red soils; and itgrew poorly in cultivated yellow claysoils. (2). Vetiver seedling growthvaried greatly in different temperatureregimes. For example, in the trialsites in DuJiangYan, a continuousrainy period with low temperaturesresulted in a prolonged period of 34days after transplanting before thevetiver turned green. Meanwhile atthe HuiLi sites with adequate temperaturesonly a short 12 day periodwas needed after the vetiver wastransplanted in March, before itturned green resulting in a survivalrate of 70%. Moreover, an even shortperiod of 6 days was needed with a95% survival rate, for grass transplantedin July at higher temperatures.Experimental results showedthat the optimum average daily temperaturefor vetiver transplanting was17.1˚C. (3). These hydrothermal conditionsdirectly influenced the netgrowth of vetiver. For example,vetiver in PanZhiHua grew under theworst hydrothemal conditions andproduced less than half of the biomassof grass grown in the JianYangregion which had adquate temperatureand plentiful rainfall. (4). In thefirst year of introduction, better managementincluding sufficient waterand fertilizer application was neededto pass safely through this period ofadaptation.The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 45

Effects of Fertilizer on VetiverGrass for Soil Erosion ControlChen XuHui and Xia JinHui (Instituteof Soil and Fertilizer, GuiZhou ProvincialAcademy of Agriculture,GuiYang 550006, China) Ronald D.Hill (Department of Ecology and Taxonomy,University of Hong kong)Severe soil and water losses arefound in GuiZhou Province where97% of the territory is covered bymountains and hills. Experimentsshowed that soil erosion might beeffectively controlled and slopingfields may be gradually transformedinto terraces by arranging contourlines of shrubs or perennial grasses.Aimed at accelerating vetiver growthand promoting the formation ofhedgerows for soil erosion control, astudy on vetiver was jointly startedin 1995 by the GuiZhou ProvincialAcademy of Agriculture and the Universityof Hong Kong.The study showed that no remarkabledifferences were found betweenthe vetiver hedgerows with fertilizationand those without fertilization onfarmlands where vetiver grew vigorouslyand hedgerows formed quickly.Furthermore, it was found that thetime necessary for vetiver grass toturn green after transplanting mightbe lengthened and survival rate of thevetiver might be reduced by fertilizationat transplanting. It is suggestedthat fertilizer as a dressing be appliedon vetiver planted on farmlands aftertransplanting.The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 46As for vetiver planted on infertile slopingfarmlands, organic manures werefound to be much better than chemicalfertilizers, but organic manuresapplied together with N, P and K fertilizersproved to be the best. A trialof various fertilizer prescriptionshowed that the survival rate, thegrowth vigor and the biomass yieldof vetiver were negatively affected bya lack of phosphorus. It was alsofound that when applying N, P andK, it was better to apply them separatelyat multiple times than to applythem together at one time with transplanting.Fertilization was found to be helpfulin promoting the formation of contourvetiver hedgerows on infertile slopinglands. According to data in 1996,surface runoff could be reduced by25% and soil erosion could be reducedby 55% from hedgerows withthe fertilization treatment in comparisonto those without fertilization. Itwas concluded that soil and waterlosses on infertile sloping lands couldbe effectively controlled by fertilizedvetiver hedgerows.Planting Techniques for VetiverSlips in Rainfed VertisolsA. Muthusankaranarayanan, U.Solaiappan and S. Senthivel (RegionalResearch Station, AgriculturalUniversity, Arnppukkottan 626107,Tamilnadu, India)Field investigations were carried outat a Regional Research Station,Tamilnadu Agricultural University,Arnppukkottan on various plantingtechniques for vetiver slips in rainfedvertisols during the rainy seasons of1991-92, 1993-94 and 1994-95. Thetreatment combinations comprisedfour planing methods viz 1) single rowplanting with an Azospirillum roottreatment, 2) zig-zag planting with anAzospirillum root treatment, 3) singlerow planting without Azospirilllum and4) zig-zag planting withoutAzospirillum in the main plot withthree spacing distances between theplants viz. 10 cm, 15 cm and 20 cmin the subplots. The experiment utilizedin a split plot design with threereplications.The mean tiller counts were observedat both the vegetative (30.3 tillers/hill)and the flowering stages (32.4 tillers/hill) when vetiver slips were plantedin the zig-zag manner with anAzospirillum root treatment. TheAzospirillum treated vetiver slipsplanted in a zig-zag manner maintaineda high level of soil moistureand produced higher seed cottonyield (352 kg/ha) compared to otherplanting methods.Among the various planting intervals,a wider spacing (20 cm intervals) recordedhigher mean tiller numbers atthe vegetative (29.4 tillers/hill) andthe flowering stages (31.0 tillers/hill).This was comparable to 15 cm spacingwhich maintained a higher levelsoil moisture profile.Hence, it can be concluded that forbetter establishment of vetiver and forgetting favourable benefits from thevetiver hedge, vetiver slips may beplanted in a zig-zag manner withroots dipped in an Azospirillum solution,then planted at a 15 to 20 cmspacing between the slips, in rainfedvertisols.Management Practices for Establishmentof Vetiver SlipsU. Solaiappan, S. Senthivel and A.Muthusankaranarayanan(Regional Research Station,Tamilnadu Agricultural University,Aruppukkottan 626107, Tamilnadu,India)Field experiments were conducted atthe Regional Research Station,Tamilnadu Agricultural University,Aruppukkottan on different agro-techniquesfor establishment of vetiverslips in rainfed vertisols during therainy seasons of 1993-94 and 1994-95 using a split plot design with threereplications.The main plot treatments consistedof six planting times for vetiver slipsafter uprooting viz., 6 hours, 12hours, 18 hours, 24 hours, 30 hoursand 36 hours and the subplot containedthree root dipping techniquesviz., 1) Azospirillum, 2) a 5% glucosesolution and 3) a 5% jaggary solution.It was observed that the establishmentof the vetiver slips washigher when they were planted within18 hours after uprooting and graduallydecreased with further delay inplanting time. Establishment was97.9% when planting was done within6 hours of uprooting, while it was

81.4% when planting was done after36 hours of uprooting. There was notmuch difference in the establishmentrate when considering root dipping innutrient solutions.The mean tiller count and plant heightwere observed 8 months after planting.All the biometric observationswere higher when planting the vetiverslips within 6 hours. Vetiver slipsplanted 6 hours after uprooting hada higher mean plant height (107.8cm), and number of tillers (26.2 tillers/hill), where as, the vetiver slipsplanter 36 hours after uprooting hadthe lowest mean plant height (96.2cm) and number of tillers (24.1 tillers/hill). Among the root dipping techniques,roots of vetiver slips dippedin the Azospirillum solution had ahigher tiller number (27.9 tillers/hill),while roots dipped in the 5% glucosesolution had higher plant height(110.0 cm) than the other treatments.Lesser plant heights (94.1 cm) andtiller numbers (21.5 tillers/hill) wererecorded with the roots of slipsdipped in the jaggery solution.Hence, it can be concluded that thevetiver slips should be planted within24 hours of uprooting for better establishmentand the roots may bedipped either in Azospirillum or in a5% glucose solution for better growthin rainfed vertisols.Seedling Technology for VetiverDing GuangMin (FuJian ProvincialSoil and Water Conservation ExperimentStation) Fang HouDe (JianYangCounty Office of Soil and Water Conservation,FuJian Province)Vetiver, a perennial grass, usuallyreproduces by tillers. Procedures forraising seedlings in various vetivernurseries in FuJian Province are asfollows: (1) Nursery preparation:nurseries are to be arranged in sandalong gentle flowing rivers and in flator slightly sloping fields with convenienttransportation and a plentifulwater supply. (2) Seedling cultivation:seedlings are cultivated in flat nurserieswithout a table or ridge arrangement.Clumps of vetiver, 3-5 slipseach, pruned to a stem and leafheight of about 20 cm with rootsabout 10 cm long, are planted alongcontours in V-shaped holes, 10-15cm in depth and spaced at 30¡Á30cm. The planting season lasts fromMarch to June with the optimum timebeing in March. Maximum survivalrate and the most vigorous growthare found in vetiver seedlings plantedin March while a decreased survivalrate is found in those planted afterJune. About 300 kg/ha of fertilizer(urea) are dressed in holes, 15 cmdeep and 5 cm from vetiver clumps,when the newly planted seedlings areturning green. (3) Management:timely planting and adequate managementare helpful to ensure seedlinggrowth with a survival rate of100%. For more tillering and higheryields, the following managementmeasures are needed: (a) timely irrigationin the first 15 days of greenup, (b) irrigation 1-2 times duringdrought periods; weeding and (c) fertilizingat the peak of tillering in Augustand September. (4) Transplanting:seedlings will be ready for transplantingthe following spring. Beforebeing taken out of the nursery, vetivergrass should be pruned as seedlingswith roots 10 cm long and stems andleaves 20 cm high. A 1 ha nurseryneeds 7,500 kg of seed vetiver grassand can produce 52,500 kg of seedlingsas well as provide protection for40 - 60 ha of terraced fields or 70 -100 ha of sloping fields.Perspectives of Vetiver Applicationin Southern China: A CaseStudy in FuJian ProvinceZhou FuJian (Water and Soil ConservationStation of FuJian Province)Xu LiYu (Institute of Soil Science,Academia Sinica, NanJing)FuJian Province is located in thesoutheast area of the country, 23°33’- 28 °19’ N, 115° 50’-120° 43’ E,with an area of 120,000 sq km and apopulation of 30,000,000 (1990).About 85% of the area is mountainousor hilly. In this southern subtropicalclimate, a deep weathered, redcrust several meters to dozens ofmeters thick has formed.In addition, there is a long coast linein FuJian Province, (3,324 km) andthere are more than 1,200 islands.Most of these areas are covered bywhite sands which contain a highlevel of salts and are subject to winderosion. Therefore, plants rarely growwell or even survive.In the late 1980’s the Red Soil Projectsupported by the World Bank introducedvetiver technology to southernChina. Since 1988, vetiver hasspread to a large area involving manycounties such as JianYang, ShaoWu,GuangZe,ShunChang,AnXi,ChangLe,PingTan,SongXi,PuCheng, etc. About 200,000 kg ofplant materials were produced ofwhich some were exported to theneighboring provinces of JiangXi,HuNan, SiChuan, ShanDong, AnHui,and ShanXi. Besides the NationalVetiver Conference held in ShaoWuin 1989, a workshop was held inSongXi organized by NanPing Prefecture.Vetiver planting was mainlyorganized by the local AgriculturalForeign Investment Offices involvedin the Red Soil Project and also waterand soil conservation stations.Experience showed that vetiver couldgrow in extreme soil.conditions such as the semi-weatheredgranite materials covering alarge area in southern China, wherethe soil was almost completelyeroded. The vetiver in these areaswas planted along contour-line whereother plants could not survive. Thetrial in AnXi County showed that after3-5 years the barren land accumulatedsome litter, and othergrasses, shrubs, and trees graduallytook hold. At last, the barren and gulliedland was completely covered bymultiple layers of plants, shrubs andin particular trees, Meanwhile it wasdifficult to find the vetiver. So, farmerscalled vetiver a pioneering grass.Vetiver was used to protect orchardsby the JianYiang Water and Soil Con-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 47

servation Station and AgriculturalForeign Investment Office. Theymade ‘hill-side ditches’ surroundingthe hills using a width so that a walkingtractor could be operated in ascrew thread fashion. Along the ditchembankments vetiver was planted indouble-line at a spacing of 20x30 cmwithout fertilizer application. The nextyear the grass grew up to 3 m inlength, while the roots were 1.5 mdeep. The grass was cut 2-3 times ayear, which promoted better growthand produced more tillers. The cuttingswere used for ground mulch orpulp. About 1-2 years after plantingthe runoff decreased considerably.Three years after planting, the soilparticles were efficiently detained bythe vetiver hedges. As the outer-sideof the ditches was a little higher thanthe inner side, the ditches effectivelyretained the water.blocked. Since the 1990’s farmers in these areas have planted vetiver underthe guidance of technicians. They planted vetiver along ditches, roads, andseashores. In addition, they built windbreak nets of trees with vetiver surroundingthe plots to control the wind and sand. Inside the plots they plantedthe profitable shrub hohoba to produce seeds from which a lubricating oilwas extracted. Many other crops and vegetables could also be cultivated inthe plots.It is obvious that vetiver grass can be widely used for cultivation on slopinglands, for wind erosion control, and for the protection of rivers and ditches insouthern China.Another use of vetiver grass was withChinese chestnut widely planted inareas of northern FuJian Provinceand many other provinces as well.Because of soil erosion the soil fertilitydeclined once the original plantationhad been cleared and theyoung chestnut trees planted. Tosolve this problem, the HuShan OrchardPlantation in JianYiang Countyestablished a vetiver fence on landwith a slope of 12 °. They cleared thedegraded Masson’s pine and plantedchestnuts at a 3x3 m spacing. InDecember 1990 instead of establishingterraces, they planted vetivergrass to build hedges along the contoursat every 2-3 meters of altitude..The results showed that vetiverhedges could control soil erosion veryefficiently and saved the costs ofbuilding terraces.In FuJian Province, with its long coastline and numerous islands there wasalso a critical problem with wind erosion.The soil, primarily a coarsewhite sand, contained very little organicmater and many salts, whichmade it difficult for most plants tosurvive. The cultivated lands werefrequently buried by sand, while riversand ditches were continouslyHubei Province, China. Two examples of serious point source erosion.Top image shows an erosing river bank. and bottom image showsabandoned terraces that have been eroded. Both could have beenstabilized with vetiver if the technolgy had been available and know.Phot credit Xu LiyuThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 48

Application of the Vetiver Grass System in Land Stabilisation,Erosion and Sediment Control in Civil Construction(Paper prepared for the Queensland Main Roads Southern Region Symposium,Toowoomba 20-22 November 1997),Dr. Paul Truong, Leader, Erosion Control and Slope StabilisationResource Sciences Centre, DNR, Brisbane. Diti Hengchaovanich, M. Eng., P.E., CEO, Erocon Sdn Bhd,Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.1.0 INTRODUCTIONLand disturbance by constructionactivities has resulted in soil erosionincreases from two to 40 000 timesthe pre construction rates (Goldmanet al, 1986) with sediment being theprincipal transport mechanism for arange of pollutants entering watercourses (Kingett Mitchell, 1995)Although Vetiver grass (Vetiveriazizanioides) has been used for landprotection purposes for about 50years, its real impact on soil and waterconservation was only started inthe late 1980’s following its promotionby the World Bank.The Vetiver Grass System (VGS)was first developed for soil and waterconservation in farm lands. Whilethis application still plays a vital rolein agricultural lands, vetiver grassunique morphological, physiologicaland ecological characteristics includingits tolerance to highly adverseconditions has a key role in the areaof environmental protection in civilconstruction2.0 SOME SPECIAL CHARAC-TERISTICS OF VETIVER GRASS2.1 Morphological characteristicsVetiver grass has neither aboveground or under ground runners anda massive finely structured root system,reaches down to 2 - 3 m in thefirst year (Photo1). This massive andthick root system bind the soil and atthe same time makes it very difficultto be dislodged. This very deep rootsystem has also made Vetiver verytolerant to drought, it did not onlysurvive but continued to grow throughthe worst drought in Queenslandearly in the 1990’s. In addition Vetiverhas the following desirable characteristics:Stiff and erect stems which can standup to relatively deep water flow (0.6- 0.8 m).Dense hedges when planted closetogether, reduce flow velocity andform a very effective filter.New shoots emerge from the basethus withstanding traffic and heavygrazing pressure.New roots are developed from nodeswhen buried by trapped sediment.Vetiver will continue to grow with thenew ground level eventually formingterraces, if trapped sediment is notremoved (Truong et al, 1995)2.2 Physiological CharacteristicsTolerance to extreme climatic variationsuch as prolonged drought,flood, submergence and extremetemperature from -10˚C to 48 o C (inAustralia) and higher in India and Africa.Ability to regrow very quickly afterbeing affected by drought, frost, saltand other adverse soil conditionswhen the adverse effects are removed.Wide range of soil pH (3.0 to 10.5)High level of tolerance to soil salinity,sodicity and acid sulfate (Truonget al, 1996; Truong and Baker, 1996)Highly tolerant to toxic levels Al, Mn,As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Cu (Truong andClaridge, 1996)2.3 Ecological characteristicsAlthough vetiver is very tolerant tosome extreme soil and climatic conditions,it is highly intolerant to shading.Shading will reduce its growthand in extreme cases, may eveneliminate vetiver in the long term.Therefore vetiver produces bestgrowth in the open and weed controlmay be needed during establishmentphase.Also because of this characteristicsvetiver can be considered as a pioneerplant on disturbed lands. Vetiverfirst stabilises the erodible ground (particularly steep slopes), then improvesits micro environment so othervolunteered or sown plants can establishlater. If the planted or invadedlocal native species, such as treesand shrubs, are taller than vetiver,these plants will shade the vetiverout, reducing its growth and in thelong term (if desirable) can replacevetiver as the main stabilising agent.North Queensland and overseas resultshave shown that within twoyears local species can reducevetiver growth substantially ( Photo3&4). Therefore vetiver is highly suitablefor land rehabilitation in combinationwith native plants.2.4 Weed potentialIt is very important that any plantsused for environmental protection willnot become a weed From the threevetiver cultivars present in Australia,a sterile line was selected and rigorouslytested for its sterility. This cultivarwas registered in Queensland asMonto vetiver to commemorate theMonto district where the first field trialwas conducted in 1990The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 49

Truong,1996).In Fiji where vetiver grass was introducedto the country for more than100 years and it has been widelyused for soil and water conservationpurposes for more than 50 years, ithas not shown any weed potential(Truong and Creighton, 1994).Vetiver grass can be eliminated easilyeither by spraying with Roundupor uprooting and drying out.3.0 HOW DOES THE VGSWORK?When planted in rows Vetiver plantswill form a hedge, a living porousbarrier which slows and spreads runoffwater and traps sediment. Aswater flow is slowed down, its erosivepower is reduced and at thesame time allows more time for waterto infiltrate to the soil, and anyeroded material is trapped by thehedges. Therefore an effectivehedge will reduce soil erosion, conservesoil moisture and trap sedimenton site.4.0 MAIN CAUSES OF SLOPEINSTABILITYThe main reasons for slope instabilityare surface erosion and structuralweakness of the slope. While surfaceerosion often leads to rill and gullyerosion, structural weakness willcause mass movement or land slip.Normally a good vegetative coverprovided by hydromulching is veryeffective against surface erosion anddeep rooted plants such as trees andshrubs can provide the structural reenforcementfor the ground. Howeveron newly constructed slopes, the surfacelayer is often not well consolidated,so rill and gully erosion oftenoccurs on even well covered slopes.For these, structural re-enforcementis also needed very soon after construction,but trees are slow and oftendifficult to establish on such hostileenvironment. Vetiver grass is fastgrowing and with its very extensiveThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 50and deep root system can provide thestructural strength needed in a relativelyshort period of time. In fact aswill be presented in section 5.1,vetiver roots have been found to haveaverage tensile strength equivalentto one-sixth of mild steel. Thereforethe role of vetiver in slopestabilisation should not be equatedto that of hydromulching species andthe cost of vetiver establishmentshould not be compared with that ofhydromulching either.5.0 ENGINEERING APPLICA-TIONSDue to its unique characteristics mentionedabove, vetiver has provided avery effective means of steep slopestabilisation and flood mitigation.5.1 Root tensile strength, shearstrength and Steep SlopeStabilisationBatters of both cut and fill slopes canbe effectively stabilised by establishingvetiver on contour lines. Thedeep root system provides structuralre-enforcement and stabilises theslope while the hedges spread runoffwater, reduce rill erosion and trapsediment, providing a morefavourable environment for thecolonisation by local volunteer species.Research conducted in Malaysia(Hengchaovanich and Nilaweera,1996) showed that the tensilestrength of vetiver roots increaseswith the reduction in root diameter,this phenomenon implies that strongerfine roots provide higher resistancethan larger roots. The tensilestrength of vetiver roots vary between40 -180 Mpa for the range of root diameterbetween 0.2 - 2.2 mm. Themean design tensile strength is about75 Mpa (equivalent to approximatelyone sixth of mild steel) at 0.7-0.8mmroot diameter which is the most commonsize for vetiver roots. This indicatesthat vetiver roots are as strongas, or even stronger than that ofmany hardwood species which havebeen proven positive for root reinforcementin steep slopes.In the soil block shear test, they foundthat root penetration of a two year oldVetiver hedge with 15 cm plant spacingcan increase the shear strengthof soil in adjacent 50 cm wide stripby 90% at 0.25 m depth. The increasewas 39% at 0.50 m depth andgradually reduced to 12.5% at 1 mdepth. Moreover, because of itsdense and massive root system itoffer better shear strength increaseper unit fibre concentration (6-10 kPa/kg of root per cubic metre of soil)compared to 3.2-3.7 kPa/kg for treeroots ( Photo 2).In a paper presented at last yearVetiver Workshop in Toowoomba, itwas also observed that vetiver cangrow vertically on slope steeper than150%, faster growing and impartsmore reinforcement to the make it abetter candidate for slopestabilisation than other plants(Hengchaovanich, 1996). Anotherless well known characteristics whichsets it apart from other tree roots is itpower of penetration. Its ‘innate’strength and vigour enable it to penetratethrough difficult soil, hard panor rocky layer with weak spots. Iteven managed to punch through asphalticconcrete pavement. He addedthat, indeed one can say that Vetiverroots basically behave like living soilnails or dowels of 2-3m depth commonlyuse in ‘hard approach’ slopestabilisation work. However, due tothe high rainfall of Malaysia (1 750 to3 500 mm/year depending on the region)the effectiveness of the mechanicalmechanism mentionedabove may be reduced by the negativeeffect of the hydrological mechanism(increased infiltration and permeabilitywhich can induce massmovement).The first trial on batter stabilisationin Queensland was conducted on avery steep (1:1) railway cutting in1992 on a highly erodible sodic soilnear Babinda, north Queensland.Monto vetiver planted stabilised the

atter in the first 6 months and theinter-row spaces were then completelycolonised by local vegetationlater. After fifteen months this highlyunstable slope was stabilised by amixture of vetiver and local nativevegetation (Photo 3,4)(9).Another trial was started in 1995 tocompare the effectiveness of a nativeAustralian vetiver (VetiveriaFigure 1Where:q = discharge per unit widthy 1= depth upstreamS o= land slopeN F= the Froude number of flow.y = depth of flowS f= energy slopefilipes), Lomandra longifolia andMonto vetiver (V. zizanioides) in batterstabilisation on an access road toTeemburra Dam near Mackay. Aftertwo years all three species establishedwell but following a prolongedrain period in March 1997 (with 400mm over two weeks), the sectionsplanted with the Lomandra and nativevetiver collapsed while the Montovetiver section remained intact.These results clearly show theunique characteristics of Montovetiver as compared with othervetiver species (Photo 5,6).Currently Paul Truong is using vetiveras a major component of a batterstabilisation, erosion and sedimentcontrol program for Queensland Railon the Murphy Creek - Toowoombarail line.Although Malaysia is currently leadingthe world in the application ofVetiver for erosion and slopestabilisation in highway engineering,Hengchaovanich conceded that thedesign is still some what conservative,treating Vetiver as ‘a bonus’ oradded assurance. Once more designparameters, especially theevapotranspiration and hydraulic aspects,and track records come tolight, bolder and more innovative designsmaximising the full potential ofvetiver grass should be adopted(Hengchaovanich, 1996).5.2 Hydraulic properties, sedimenttrapping and flood mitigationOn the floodplain of the DarlingDowns strip cropping practice relieson the stubbles of previous crops tocontrol erosion from flood flow on fallowland and young crops. But duringdrought or when low stubble-producingcrops such as sunflower andcotton are grown, very little protectionis provided. Vetiver hedges canprovide a permanent protectionagainst erosive flood flows on theplain.Hydraulic characteristics of vetiverhedges under deep flows were determinedby flume tests at the Universityof Southern Queensland forthe design and incorporation ofvetiver hedges into strip cropping(Dalton et al, 1996) (Fig.1)Flume tests showed that when fullyestablished, the Vetiver hedgesshould provide adequate protectionfrom floodwater over the 90 m spacingon 0.2 - 0.35% land slope whichis equivalent to five existing strips atthis particular site.Eight rows of vetiver totalling almost6,000 m, were planted at 90 m intervalson a strip cropped site nearJondaryan. Results over the last twoyears, including several major floods,have been excellent, the hedgeswere successful in reducing flood velocityand limiting soil movement, resultingin very little erosion in fallowstrips and a young sorghum crop wascompletely protected from flood damage.On the sediment trapping of vetiverhedges, the most important factorsare hedge spacing and the thickness(density) of the hedge. Closelyspaced hedges will minimise thequantity of sediment entrained by theflow. Dense hedges will maximisethe depth upstream, the length of theback water and the settling time forparticles and hence proportion of thesediment trapped. As terraces formthe length of the backwater will increaseand the sediment trapping efficiencywill also increase - providedthe hedge grows out of the sedimentlayer, remains dense and upright andis not overtopped by the flow (Smith,1996).VGS has also been used very effectivelyin the stabilisation of a largewater cascade which was built bySouth Johnstone sugar mill nearInnisfail on the bed of the flood proneSouth Johnstone River, to cool offwastewater from the mill. This 200m long and 4 m high structure with2:1 side slope was built mostly fromthe highly erodible sand and gravelmaterial from the river bed. Vetiverhas successfully protected this bankfrom several flood flows during thelast two wet seasons.6.0 SOME OTHERAPPLICATIONS IN QUEENSLANDVGS has also been used successfullyin the following applications:Agricultural landsReplacement of contour banks inThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 51

steep sugarcane lands on the wettropical coast..Stabilisation of gully erosion in bothcropping and grazing lands. Whenplanted on contour line above gullyhead, vetiver hedges spread andslow down runoff water and stop theadvancement of gully heads.Stabilisation and rehabilitation of ahighly erodible acid sulfate soil on thecoastal plain where the actual soil pHis around 3.5 and oxidised pH is aslow as 2.8 (Truong and Baker, 1996).Control of erosion on dam wallcaused by wave action,Provision of shade for sheep in treelessMitchell grass downs in northQueensland.Stabilisation of road and waterway inforestry plantations.Sediment trapping .. Trapping erodedmaterial at a working quarry. Vetiverhedges planted across waterwaysand drainage lines reduced erosionand trapped both coarse and finesediment resulting in less pollutedwater in the dam.Rehabilitation of contaminatedlands.. Landfill sites and industrialwastes are usually contaminated withheavy metals such as Arsenic, Cadmium,Chromium, Nickel, Copper,Lead and Mercury which are highlytoxic to both plants and human. Asthese old sites are often adjacent toresidential and recreational areas,the movement of these contaminatedmaterials from the sites must be adequatelycontrolled. Results fromworks conducted at Cleveland for theRedland Shire Council have conclusivelyshown that vetiver can rehabilitatethe highly erodible slopes anddrainage lines and are also very effectivein reducing leachate from anold landfill ( rubbish dump ) at Cleveland(Truong and Baker, 1997).Rehabilitation of mining and industrialwastes ... Rehabilitation of oldquarries where very few species canThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 52be established due to the hostile environment.Vetiver is able to stabilisethe lose surface first so other speciescan colonise the areas betweenhedges.Stabilisation and rehabilitation ofoverburden and highly saline and alkaline(pH 9.5) tailings of coal minesand highly acidic (pH 3.5) tailings ofa gold mine.7.0 ESTABLISHMENT REQUIRE-MENTSAlthough vetiver grass is very toughand resilient when fully established,it needs special care during establishmentphase.7.1 Planting materialsAs mentioned earlier vetiver grasshas to be established vegetatively byroot subdivision (slip). Each slip normallyconsists of 2 - 3 tillers. At themoment there are 4 types of plantingmaterial available:Bare root slips are freshly subdividedslips from large clumps of vetivergrass. These slips are for immediateplanting.Bare roots plantlets are 4-5 weeksold plantlets which were raised insand beds and supplied fresh forplanting within a week.Tube stocks are tubed or pottedplants (4-5 week old) which can bekept in nursery and planted whenneeded.Strip or band slips are strips of 1 min length, raised in special containersfor 2 - 3 months and can be keptfor a few weeks in nursery beforeplanting.7.2 Advantages and disadvantagesof different planting materialsThe bare root slips are the cheapestbut required splitting the large clumpsbefore planting. These materials requiremost intensive watering duringhot and dry periods and therefore notrecommended for large scale application.The bare root plantlets are more expensivebut arrived on site ready forplanting. In large projects, theseplantlets can be raised in sand bedson site to reduce costs. These alsoneed intensive watering during establishmentphase.Tube stocks cost approximately thesame as bare root plantlets, but theyare more bulky and heavier to transportto sites. Root damage may occurduring planting and they requireless intensive watering.The main advantages of the strips arethat the vetiver plants were establishedclose together ( 50 - 70 mmapart ), and the roots damages areminimal during planting. The otheradvantages are lower planting costsas they are planted in 1 m band at atime and easier to plant especially onsteep slopes. Because of the smallergaps between plants and older plantsthese strips provide protectionsooner then other planting materials.The strips also require less intensivewatering. Their main disadvantage istheir slightly higher costs. To reducecost they can also be prepare onsites.7.3 Layout DesignIn general for slope stabilisationvetiver is planted on contour lines tospread runoff water and to trap sediment.Row spacing normally variesbetween 2 and 0.8 m VI ( Vertical Interval), but the exact layout variesbetween sites, depending on soiltype, slope gradient, slope length andmost importantly local weather.Plant spacing is recommended at0.15 m apart ( averaging 7 plants perlinear metre ). For sediment trappingin drainage lines closer spacing isrecommended.7.4 Watering

It is best to plant vetiver grass intowet soil, when planted into dry soil itneeds to be watered soon after planting( within that day ). Therefore prewatering the day before is highly recommended.If no rain occurred wateringis needed daily for the firstweek and every 2 or 3 days for thenext 2 weeks depending on theweather (hot and dry weather requiresmore watering ) and 2 to 3times a week until rain.7.5 MaintenanceIt is important to have the topsoil andbase materials tested to determinethe fertiliser requirement at plantingand subsequent maintenance. Ingeneral 150g/m of DAP ( Di AmmoniumPhosphate ) is needed at plantingand once again 5-6 weeks later.For the next two years twice duringthe summers.As vetiver is particularly intolerant toshading, especially during establishmentphase, weeding may be requiredduring the first year, particularlyclimbing plants such as bellevine and Siratro.Vetiver is extremely sensitive toRoundup weedicide ( glyphosate),therefore vetiver should not be exposedto this weedicide. Any otherherbicides, pre-emergent or postemergentsuch as 2,4 D basedchemicals can be used for broad leafweeds.7.6 Quality ControlThe most important factors that determinethe success or failure of theapplication of VGS in civil constructionare in the following order:• Good quality planting materials.• Appropriate design layout.• Adequate watering during establishmentphase.• Chemical analyses of both basematerial and topsoil to determine.• fertiliser requirement and possiblesoil amendment prior to planting.• Weed control when required8.0 CONCLUSIONFrom the results of research and thesuccesses of numerous applicationspresented above, it is clear that wenow have enough evidence that VGSis ready to move out of the farm gate,beyond the soil and water conservationapplications in agricultural landsto the protection of the environmentin general, with particular emphaseson the rehabilitation of disturbed landcaused by civil construction, contaminatedlands, mining wastes.However it must be emphasised thatto provide an effective support forengineering structures, the two mostimportant points are the quality of theplanting materials and the all importantAPPROPRIATE DESIGN ANDCORRECT APPLICATION TECH-NIQUES. Unless these strict specificationsare met, its effectiveness islost.REFERENCESDalton, P.A., Smith, R.J. and Truong,P.N.V. (1996). Vetiver grass hedgesfor erosion control on a croppedfloodplain, hedge hydraulics. Agric.Water Management :31(1,2) pp 91-104.Goldman, S.J., Jackson, K.Bursztynsky, T.A. (1986). Erosion andsediment control handbook. McGrawHill, New YorkHengchaovanich, D. (1996). Use ofvetiver grass for engineering purposesin Malaysia with particular referenceto Slope Stabilisation and erosionControl. Proc. R&D and A ofVGS in Queensland. Australia, p 27-35Hengchaovanich, D. and Nilaweera,N.S. (1996). An assessment ofstrength properties of vetiver grassroots in relation to slope stabilisation.Proc. First Int. Vetiver Conf. Thailand(in press).Kingett Mitchell and Associates Ltd(1995). An assessment of urban andindustrial stormwater inflow to theManukau Harbour, Auckland. RegionalWaterboard Techn.Publ. No. 74.Smith, R. (1996). The hydraulics andsediment trapping of vetiver hedgeson steep slopes. Proc. R&D and Aof VGS in Queensland. Australia, p18-26.Truong, P. and Creighton, C.(1994).Report on the potential weed problemof vetiver grass its effectivenessin erosion control in Fiji. Div. LandManagement. QDPI, Brisbane, AustraliaTruong, P., Baker, D.E., andChristiansen, I. (1995). Stiffgrassbarrier with vetiver grass. A new approachto erosion and sediment control.Proc. Third Annual Conf. onSoil & Water Management for UrbanDevelopment. Sydney pp 214-222Truong, P.N.V. (1996). An Overviewof Research, Development and Applicationof the VGS overseas and inQueensland. Proc. R, D and A ofVGS in Queensland. Australia p: 6-7.Truong, P.N.V. and Claridge, J.(1996). Effects of heavy metal toxicitieson vetiver growth. Proc. FirstInt. Vetiver Conf. Thailand (in press).Truong, P., Gordon, I. And Baker, D.(1996). Tolerance of vetiver grass tosome adverse soil conditions. Proc.First Int. Vetiver Conf., Thailand (inpress).Truong, P. and Baker, D. (1996). Vetivergrass for the stabilisation andrehabilitation of acid sulfate soils.Proc. Second National Conf. AcidSulfate Soils, Coffs Harbour,Australia pp 196-8.Truong, P., and Baker, D.E. (1997).The role of vetiver grass in the rehabilitationof toxic and contaminatedlands in Australia. Proc. VetiverInt. Workshop, Fhuzou, China. ( October1997, in press).The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 53

FARMER S OWN ADOPTION: A FRAME/LINE LEVEL COMPOSITEBy Jerimia Phiri, Small Farmer, Malawi.My name is Jerimia Phiri, a smallscale farmer in Nkhata-Bay district inNorthern Malawi. I farm a gardenmost of which is on slopes exceeding12%. I was first introduced to an“A” frame as an equipment used inpegging contour marker ridges by anagricultural extension worker whoresides in our village in August, 1996.Two months later I taught the use ofa line level to perform the same functionas the “A” frame.For want of a better name I have tentativelynamed this equipment “A/Line level Phiri”After using the equipment I notedseveral problems posed by both instruments,some of which include thefollowing:“A” frame• is slow to use since the spacingbetween the poles is normallyshort• the pendulum takes too longto settle especially on windydays• could be obstructed by stumpsor small trees etc.Line Level• requires more than threepeople to peg a contour line• may not be as accurate becauseone may prefer to havethe two poles at wider spacingfor a quicker operation• the string used to hold the linelevel has to be regularly madestiff by pulling from either sideby the operators since it is notfixedI also noted a few advantages in bothinstruments relating to accuracy inthe “A” frame and ease of operationin the line level.With these observations and usingmy experience on both instruments Ithought of combining the advantagesof both instruments and removing thedisadvantages by making what I calla composite “A” frame/Line levelequipment.Description of EquipmentEssentially the equipment looks likean “A” frame except that it does nothave a pendulum. It has two legsspaced at over three metres whenstanding on the ground, and twocross bars. These materials shouldpreferably be dry bamboo sticks. Thesize of the frame should be dependenton the size ofthe person using theequipment. In-betweenthe two crossbars a string is tiedvery tight from boththe two legs of theequipment. The linelevel is fixed halfwaybetween the string(see Figure 1).I normally work withtwo “A/Line levelsPhiris”, one smalland another slightlylarger. The smallerone is used when Ipeg fields that do nothave uniform slopes.Mr. Phiris A Frame/ Line Level Composite was used to peg out these hedgerows innorthern MalawiCalibration is done inthe same way as forthe “A” frame exceptThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 54

that when the construction of the frame itselfis geometrically correct the line level canbe fixed on any position on the string.Pegging a contour linePegging a contour line follows normal recommendations,but in this case the pointsof equal height on a contour line are markedby centering the bubble in the line level insteadof the pendulum. It must be notedthat the equipment can be tilted at 45 ˚ orless towards or away from the operatorwhere obstacles such as tree stumps needto be avoided.Mr. Phiri with his A Frame/ Line Level . As can be seen it issimple. Note the thin string with the line level attachedEcolink s Vetiver Grass Programme (April - July 1997)By David Jobson,Coordinator: EcoLink Vetiver Grass Programme,POBox 727,White River, 1240, South Africa. (Firstprinted in SAVN Newsletter #2)A couple of nights ago I dropped intothe ‘local’ and was introduced to agroup of fellow cyclists from sundryparts who had descended on theLowveld for the 15th old Mutual JockCycle Tour. Before I could open mymouth the landlord introduced me asthe ‘Vetiver man’ and he and anothercustomer began to laud the virtuesof this remarkable grass. However,as our dynamic co-ordinator alsohaunts this part of the world it is notsurprising that hardly a drinking soulhas gone untouched by the message!(Dynamic? - hardly. And I promise,I don’t touch the stuff - TonyTantum is my witness! However, I canrecommend the ‘local’ - Gianni’s - inWhite River. Hopefully this bit of unsolicitedpublicity will get me a freemeal. Ed.) I phoned the optician lastweek for an appointment. Although Ihad never met him he called me backto say he’d been retrieving Vetiver informationoff the Internet and could Ibring him some leaflets! He did eventuallyget around to testing my eyes.So, by fair means or foul, includingsome local press coverage (Englishand Afrikaans), a local radio item (inSiswati), and formal and informalworkshops, Vetiver awareness hasinvaded the Lowveld!For one person with no agriculturalcredentials to make a serious impactin four months was quite a tall order.Fortunately the programme is basedat EcoLink, an Environmental Educationorganisation established byDr Sue Hart which has been workingwith traditionally disadvantaged communitiesin the Lowveld since 1985.Furthermore, EcoLink has beenworking with Vetiver since 1990 andplanting with community groups andindividuals for the past four years. Asmall nursery provides planting materialand agronomist Brian Beck hasbeen available to advise. Hence thetask of ‘selling’ the grass to communityleaders and key individuals in agriculture,roads, water affairs, minesand forestry has been a little less formidable.Four full-day workshops and fourVetiver sessions within otherprogrammes have introduced thegrass to 246 individuals, 120 of whomare in positions to influence others -both groups and institutions. Ourprogramme made use of local interestsand expertise including AndrewHall of Dickon Hall (essential oil production)and Johan Swart of Soil ErosionControl involved in propagationand commercial bank stabilisation.Over the period of the programmeThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 55

over 30 different plantings have takenplace (albeit small scale) and haveinclude community nurseries, clinics,farm erosion control, and individualgardens. Many more of the workshopparticipants have promised to plantat the beginning of the summer rains(September/ October) and I hope tobe following up on these good intentions.The focus of the programme hasbeen the soil erosion control andwater retention qualities of the plant.We are well aware of the small scalefarmer’s resistance to a plant thatdoes not show any immediate financialreturn, as was reported in a veryrecent programme of ‘Farming World’on the BBC World Service. The farmers,spotlighted in this programme,were examining the relative merits offour different vegetative barriers.Vetiver came last as not providingany commercial return by comparisonwith sugar cane for example. InMpumalanga there is considerablepublic awareness of soil erosion -bridges swept away, roads turnedinto dongas, rivers of mud and thevery real problems associated with athunderous downpoor which cansweep all in front of it and destroy acarefully nurtured garden plot in atrice. Nevertheless, soil erosion isnobodies baby! The private individualhas always seen it as a part ofgovernment’s responsibility eventhough there is little evidence of anythingbeing done at local level. I believewe have started making inroadsinto this article of faith and also demonstratethat bank and soilstabilisation can be a serious incomegenerator for the small (and not sosmall) entrepreneur. Understandably,the commercial aspects of the planthave generated the most interest.Mpumalanga has great opportunitiesfor Vetiver business as those intoessential oil production and bankstabilisation are aware. Even nowdemand outstrips supply and awarenessraising has only just begun!The four month Vetiver Networkfunded project has been extended foranother month thanks to Dickon Hall of Nelspruit, while we seek financialsupport to continue this work and pursuade those in the mining, forestry,water, roads and the oil business that a little money spent now will reapconsiderable benefits relatively soon for the individual, society and the environment.Guinea. Top two photos show new vetiver hedgerows in Guinea (a jointSasakawa Global 2000 / West Africa Vetiver Network project). Bottom photo isof a 6 month old (very good growth) vetiver nursery located on a low lying basfond. Photo Credits: Linus FollyThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 56

SPREADING THE SLIPS OF VETIVER GRASSTECHNOLOGY:A lesson in technology diffusion from Latin Americaby Vanessa Slinger (Draft paper for World Bank). The following are some extracts from Ms. Slinger s paper. The fullpaper is on the Vetiver Home Page at www.vetiver.org........... Erosion - a needed senseof urgency for an insidious problemThe magnitude and effect of soil erosionis astounding. On a global scaleexact rates of soil erosion are unknownand difficult to measure, however,estimates point to a possible 10to 20 billion tons of soil lost a yearworldwide; representing the equivalentloss of between 5 million and 7million hectares of arable land (NRC,1993). The extent of the effects ofsoil erosion is as great as its size.Local farmers experience untoldlosses in agricultural production andthe health and security of their families.Further down the chain of effectsthe changes it brings arechronic and often irreversible: lostland; reduced productivity in forests;deminished watertables; floods;silted harbors, reservoirs, canals andirrigation works; washed out roadsand bridges; and destroyed wetlandsand coral reefs.All of this destruction in turn has anegative affect on the nationaleconomy of a country.With this kind of economic loss atstake it would seem expedient thatthe governments of countries beimplementing drastic programs forsoil conservation. However, both thecauses and nature of soil erosionmake it a difficult problem to address.A primary cause of human-inducederosion has been the expansion ofagricultural production on to steeperslopes, with more erodable soil andshallower topsoil (Yudelman et al,1990). This situation is exasperatedby rapid population growth. Themarginalization of small farmers ontosteeper land is usually a result ofgovernment policies that provide incentivesfor extensive production,such as cattle ranching, to be placedon the most fertile bottom-lands. Atthe same time, small farmers, involvedin intensive food production,have no option but to eke out a livingon the hillsides available to them.Even where soil conservation methodshave been implemented farmeradoption and sustenance after interventionis low. The insidious natureof soil erosion often creates a situationin which neither the governmentnor farmers feel that there is a problemto be addressed. Except in severeweather conditions, soil erosioncan be hard to perceive visually overa short period of time. Along with insignificantrecognition of soil erosion,often inappropriate techniques areused to tackle the problem, leadingto failure and total abandonment ofsoil conservation measures. Thegeneral approach taken tends tohandle soil conservation as an engineeringproblem amenable by usinghigh-cost and highly technical-assistance-intensivetechnologies, includingengineered structures such asearth bunds, gully plugging and terraces;many of which are heavily subsidizedby governments or internationalinstitutions. These technologiesrequire significant changes inland use, farming practices and laborinputs.Not only are there substantial initialinvestments, engineered measureshave high annual maintenance costs(Smyle et al, 1994). These systemshave been described as more expensiveper ton of soil erosion reductionthan any other alternative for erosioncontrol (USDA, 1981). This engineeringbias has been encouragedby strong vested interests inside andoutside government and donor agencies(Yudelman et al, 1990). In India,contour banks and bunding arethe main erosion control methodspromoted by extension agents.Farmers only implement the banksand bunds because of the presenceof subsidies given by the government.Extension agents push thesebig budget methods because of thefinancial cut backs that are possible.One result of focusing on engineeringmethods has been the limited useof cheaper, and perhaps more effective,alternatives for soil and moistureconservation, including vegetativemeasures.Technology diffusion - to be usedor not to be usedOther than limited application for soiland moisture conservation, there areother struggles that a technology,such as vegetative barriers, mustface once it is on the ground. Thediffusion of vetiver grass technologyis limited by the fact that constructionand soil conservation programtend to be run by engineers who tendto be more familiar with bunds andterraces. The diffusion of vetivergrass technology as a measure forroadside and construction site stabilizationhas been hampered by mistreatmentof the technology. In thecase of roadside stabilization failuresin the use of vetiver technology haveresulted from the fact that contractorsand the highway authority doingthe design work have no idea of theThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 57

planting specifications of the plant.Any technology implemented incorrectlywill fail in its goal.A brief review of the literature suggeststhat there are key elements thatinfluence the diffusion of a new orlittle used technology. Those elementsrelevant to agriculture, and soilerosion in particular, deal with smallfarmer s risk aversion and also theirneed for the provision of recognizablebenefits in the short term. Tangiblebenefits must be apparent if the individualis to sacrifice time and workaway from other tasks. Farmers arefar more likely to adopt a technologyif they see that others in the communityhave successfully incorporatedthis technology and that there areclear advantages. These benefits donot necessarily have to be economic,other gains, relating to culture, securityand stability can be equally important.Studies giving evidence of programimpact years after the outside interventionended concluded that PCAD,people-centered agricultural development,a series of principles formaking extension work effective, canbe applied easily and effectively tothe diffusion of soil and moisture conservationtechnologies. The basicprinciples include reducing the risk ofadoption by teaching farmers to experimentwith new technologies on asmall scale; using rapid, recognizablesuccess in these experiments ratherthan artificial incentives, such as subsidies,to motivate the farmers to innovate;using technologies that relyprimarily on inexpensive, locallyavailable resources; beginning witha limited number of technologies toallow resource poor farmers to getinvolved and to achieve the maximumpossible percentage of successesearly in the program; andtraining community leaders asextensionists and support them whilethey teach additional farmers,thereby creating a community-basedmultiplier effect (Bunch, 1996).In reference to vetiver diffusionThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 58throughout the world and especiallyin Latin America, PCAD principles arealready in effect. Through localNGOs, government and educationalinstitutions, and, in the case of ElSalvador, a private company, farmersare being encouraged to test thistechnology in small areas of theirfields. With vetiver hedges limitedexperimentation is easy, especiallycompared to experimentation withalley cropping which requires restructuringthe entire field. Furthermore,vetiver technology is inexpensive andrequires very low labor inputs in creatingand maintaining the vegetativestructures (box 1.1). Well aware ofthe dangers of promoting the technologysolely for the purposes of soilerosion prevention, these organizationsare advising farmers to propagatevetiver on better soils in contourlines associated with their crops sothat they will experience an increasein the productivity of their crops. Alarge component programs is theidentification of local community leadersand innovators who are willing toset up demonstration plots in theirfields.......... Vetiver technology in action- case studies in the diffusion ofvetiver El Salvador: NOBS ANTI-EROSIONThe problem of soil erosion in El Salvadoris severe and in need of immediatesolutions. Contributing 25percent of the country s gross nationalproduct in 1990, agriculture isone of the most important sectors ofthe economy (Hernandez Navas etal, 1994). As in other Latin Americancountries there is a dichotomy inthe agricultural sector between themodern industrial plantations producingexport crops on the best land andthe large numbers of small landownersgrowing subsistence crops usingtraditional methods on marginalizedplots. As a result of the conversionof forests into agricultural land andsoil degradation, annual soil loss variesfrom 50 to more than 180 metrictons per hectare in critical conditions.Further down the line, sedimentationof the reservoirs of the three hydroelectricdams in the watershed of theLempa River has reduced the effectivelife span of the dams from thirtyto eight years.NOBS ANTI-EROSION is a companybased in El Salvador working to promotethe use of vetiver hedges forsoil erosion control in the agriculture,industry and construction sectors ofthe country. Aware of the country’sserious erosion problem, NOBSANTI-EROSION was created in 1994as a subsidiary of NOBSHIDROFUSION, Inc. which was establishedduring the mid 1980s as aproducer of essential oils for the perfumeindustry. NOBS has made acommercial success of vetiver, notonly through its sales of oils, but alsofrom contracts for highway and constructionsite stabilization using thegrass. NOBS contracts out the workof vetiver production to some farmerswith privately owned or leasedland on the coastal plains south ofVolcan Chinchontepec in SanVincente and Volcan Chaparrastiquein San Miguel. In this way NOBScurrently has more than 150 hectaresplanted with vetiver grass for oil productionand production of material forerosion control. On a yearly basisthe company has about 80 hectaresof vetiver grass available for sale asplanting stock. Government and privateconstruction companies havebeen NOBS main clients so far. Todate NOBS has planted 300 km ofvetiver hedges along the roadsidesand slopes in El Salvador.Vetiver grass technology has beenpromoted in El Salvador primarilythrough NOBS aggressive campaignof advertising on bill boards, over theradio and in the newspapers. As resultof this broadcasting, in one yearNOBS made $350,000 from the saleof vetiver grass for highway and constructionsite stabilization. NOBS hasalso donated significant amounts ofits patented vetiver material (CultivarJF 91) to local communities for soiland moisture conservation. Farmershave been encouraged to incorporatevetiver hedges with their staple

crops of corn, beans and sorghum.These crops are most commonlyfound grown on slope greater than5% and can be very erosive.In order to work with communitiesNOBS has networked through NGOsthat are already established and accepted.In addition, the company hasfive extensionists associated with theorganization who do demonstrations,training and advise on communityprojects. The green book , VetiverGrass: A Hedge Against Erosion, hasbeen used extensively by NOBS andits technicians as an extension tool.Other promotional and extensionmaterial for vetiver grass technology,developed by NOBS, includes flyersand a comic booklet. This bookletwith drawings is directed at smallfarmers to explain the problem of soilerosion and how vetiver hedges canhelp to control the loss of soil andimprove crop production. The materialis mainly visual and easy to follow.NOBS has taken care not to promotethe use of vetiver roots as a materialsource for making perfumes and oilbecause of the risk that individualswill excavate the plants for their rootsand defeat the purpose of the plantas a measure for soil and moistureconservation. The best advertisingthat vetiver grass technology has receivedso far in El Salvador is theword of mouth from one farmer toanother (campesino a campesino).Farmers using vetiver grass not onlytell other farmers about their experiences,more importantly, the hedgesin their fields speak for themselves.In one farmer s field the improvementin the soil as a result of using vetiverhedges allowed a slope, that wasonce entirely used to meet corn subsistencerequirements due to low production,partly to be put into coffeeproduction. NOBS feels that it is veryimportant to get farmer demonstrationplots in as many communities aspossible in El Salvador to spread thetechnology as quickly as possible.NOBS has been raising the level ofconsciousness about the problem oferosion in El Salvador and the methodsthat can be used effectively tosave the soil. Presentations to governmentofficials and local bankinginstitutions, such as the governmentbank working with small farmers (BFA- Banco de Fomento Agropecuario),has led to the adoption of reforms totheir credit pre requisites such ...previousto any credit approval thefarmer should show proof of somesoil conservation application in his/her plot. This could be dead barriers,pineapple, izote, lemongrass,vetiver, or simply organic debris...(Vetiver Newsletter #17). FurthermoreNOBS has been involved in thetraining of approximately 210 agronomistsfrom BFA in vetiver technology.On the farmers level, the acceptabilityand desirability of vetiver as ameasure for soil and moisture conservationis recognized, oddlyenough, through the theft of a truckload of vetiver grass planting material,not including the vehicle, leftovernight on a community roadside.Oaxaca, Mexico: PCERS - Programfor the control of erosion andthe restoration of the soils ofOaxaca, Mexico.Oaxaca, Mexico, has wide range ofecological zones, and is also hometo 16 indigenous groups. These indigenouspeople are tied to the landin terms of their physical and culturalsurvival. Therefore, the issue of soiland moisture conservation is a feltneed and a priority. The lack of sustenanceof soil erosion control methodsis sometimes due to the lack ofproblem recognition and definition(Fujisaka, 1989). In the case ofOaxaca, however, the people areclear on what the problem is; the lossof their soils and the increasing drynessof their lands. I asked somefarmers how they knew that theywere losing soil. Their answer wasthat they were now growing theircrops on rock instead of soil and thatthey had experienced a decline inproductivity. Erosion is evidentlythreatening to take these people offof their land and away from their culture.SASO is part of a group of NGOs anda Technical Committee who are introducingthe use and application ofvetiver technology to communities inOaxaca. SASO was started in 1995with the initiation of the Program forthe Control of Erosion and Restorationof the Soils of Oaxaca (PCERS),an initiative aimed at the necessityfor communities to consider simpleand low cost natural methods to improvetheir soils and reduce erosion.A Technical Committee was formedin April 1995 to coordinate, superviseactivities and facilitate the institutionalinvolvement. The Technical Committeehas 20 member organizationswhich includes member communities,NGOs, research and traininginstitutions and government (VetiverNewsletter #16).The focus of PCERS and its memberorganizations, of which there are20, is to get vetiver into the hands oflocal farmers and indigenous communitiesfor the purpose of (1) slowingdown the rapid rate of erosion andincreasing the productivity of theirland and (2) acting as the supplypoint of vetiver to government andother agency s projects. So far otherstructural methods, such as terracingand bunding, have not worked inthe long run. These methods areexpensive, both financially and timewise, and when the subsidies areremoved farmers cannot afford tocontinue to upkeep the structures.Vetiver is seen as a good alternative.Vetiver grass is not a theoretical technologyfor these people. It can beput into their hands, it is easily demonstratedand, as a vegetative measure,it fits into their cosmology. Experimentsin all ecological zones ofOaxaca have demonstrated thatvetiver grass can grow sufficiently orvery well in the range of environments(from coastal to forest ecologicaltypes). This grass is, in effect, aunifying ingredient to a diverse region.While some local people can be seenin western clothing, the communitiesof Oaxaca have a strong indigenousThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 59

culture and perceive themselves tobe distinctly different. A high level ofsocial organization has beenachieved in the region that can beused to promote development andestablish a forum for discussion andresolution making in which there iswide spread participation. In this way,the communities can formalize ideasand search out for assistance thatmeets their needs for managing theirresources rather than acceptingwhatever assistance that happens tocome their way. PCERS is an exampleof such social organization.Like other groups in the area, theirresources are minimal but their organizationis good.The plantings of vetiver in Oaxacaare concentrated in satellite nurseriesin communities, government institutions,educational institutions andnongovernment agencies. Widespread planting of contour hedges ofvetiver is expected later on this year.Experimentation with vetiver is takingplace in a number of different forums.The Universidad Tecnologiade la Mixteca, a member of PCERS,is doing formal research on the effectof different natural fertilizers,such as animal manures, on thegrowth of vetiver. ITAO, the institutoTecnologico Agropecuario deOaxaca, and SEDAF, Secretaria deDasarrollo Agropecurio y Forestal,both also members of PCERS, areundertaking research analyzingvetiver grass as an alternative for soiland water conservation. In Oaxaca,vetiver grass leaves are been experimentedon as a pulp material for paperproducts.One of the greatest challenges to thediffusion of vetiver grass technologyworldwide comes from the mistreatmentor poor planting and managementof the grass. In Oaxaca, participantsof vetiver grass technology(through extension by the memberorganizations of PCERS) have beenadvised to initially propagate vetiveron the better soils and not until therains have started. The dual purposeof planting vetiver on better soils isThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 60first to improve farmers productivityas they are most likely to be growingtheir crops on the best lands. It hasbecome clear, after many decades ofsoil conservation, that farmers resistsoil conservation measures whichhave the aim solely to conserve soil.Instead, if farmers can see other,additional, benefits accruing fromtheir use of a technology they aremore likely to adopt and sustain thattechnology. Also, vetiver is ideallyplanted on better soils to maintain thequality of the planting material whichin the long run ensures the survivaland success of vetiver.PCERS, whose future at the momentseems dubious due to lack of funding,plays an important role in linkingthe efforts, knowledge and interestsof local communities, governmentand educational institutions and nongovernmentagencies. This type oflinkage can prevent duplication ofexperiments and wastage of scarceresources. In the long run, the demiseof PCERS will not mean the endof the vetiver movement in Oaxacabecause if a community or organizationhas already seen the beneficialresults of the grass they will continueto use it. However, PCERS centralrole in the collection and dispersal ofinformation, combination of effortsand the facilitation of exchangesthrough the organization of eventswill be lost. Specifically, PCERS canprovide the following functions thatare key to the diffusion of vetivergrass technology:(1) keep contact between differentorganizations through questionnairesand facilitating workshops at whichexchanges of ideas and informationtake place.(2) Collect, archive and disperseinformation on vetiver grass andother soil conservation methods.(3) Create documents that describesimply the methodology to followfor establishing and assessingexperimental trials either in vetivernurseries or hedgerows, includingexperimental designs, main factorsto evaluate, data collection formatsand data analysis tools.(4) Promote soil conservation andthe use of vetiver grass technologythrough radio, television and newspaperexposure.(5) Work full time with memberinstitutions (at present there are 13who are working with 16 communities)developing proposals for researchand funding involving vetivertechnology(6) Provide sources of plantingmaterial and extension for interestedinstitutions.(7) Use vetiver as a good base onwhich many organizations can focusand use to build on top of and addother methods of soil and moistureconservation.(8) Create a short video detailingthe use of vetiver grass technologyin Oaxaca.(9) Transport farmers for exchangesof information with otherfarmers who have established vetiverin their fields.So far the major concern of PCERSand its member organizations, ratherthan worrying about absolute numbersof plants, has been trying to getvetiver nurseries out to all areas ofOaxaca so that there is a source ofmaterial close to communities. Communitieshave come to be participantsof vetiver technology throughseveral ways; their liaison with amember organization, receiving informationfrom other communities inwhich the grass was already established,radio and television programsand mainly, community workshops,held to disseminate information.The program appears to be runningwith little funding. However, as a resultof the lack of funding there areramifications, such as, follow up proceduresare lacking, there is nomoney for new communities settingup nurseries with their own scarcelabor, no formal evaluation of resources,no ability to transport farmersto other farmer’s fields to seeestablished areas, the inability todevelop any training material, nowthat they have people trained in the

extension of the technology they do not have the resources to put thesepeople out into the field.In the meanwhile, soil is disappearing from the lands of Oaxaca and the onlyway to stop this from happening is to make a joint effort with as many peopleas possible. Despite their funding limitation, PCERS and its member organizationshave accomplished much in a short time and are an example toothers for their joint efforts and organization. While vetiver may not be themost ideal technology for all soil erosion problems in Oaxaca, because itmay not be able to restore extremely degraded, alkaline soils under semiarid,uncultivated conditions, it has been a good base measure to get thecommunity focused on the problem. From this point other alternatives canbe explored.Vetiver workshop, Mbingo,CameroonOn February 6, 1997 at 1.00 p.m theofficial programme began with openingprayers delivered by the chaplainof Mbingo Baptist Hospital. This followeda brief meditation on Psalm133 verse 1 “Behold, how good andhow pleasant it is for brothers to dwelltogether in unity.”Mr. Ngwainmbi Simon came up tointroduce the Family AssociationRural Development Project (FARDP).He welcomed the quests and participantsand thanked them for respondingto FARDP’s invitation to attendthe workshop. He observed that theresponse was a positive sign of successsince many farming groups andorganisations were represented.Introducing FARDP, Mr. Ngwainmbjsaid it had been working with farmersand church groups for over sixyears. He said, as a grassroot farmersorganisation, FARDP was recentlyregistered as a common initiativegroup. And that FARDP intendsto work together with existingorganisations in the community topropagate the use if the vetiver grassin erosion control.Mr. Simon Ngwainmbi, introduced thegoal of FARDP to participants, whichhe stated that, FARDP works withand assist the peasants, poor, needyby Ngwainmbi Simonand disabled in improving theiryields, incomes and better quality oflife. To achieve these, he continued,FARDP is working with these ruralgroups in crop production and improvement,crafts improvement andabove all, on the spiritual aspects ofevangelising and winning souls forChrist. He recounted how, withthese objectives in mind, he criedout in the Vetiver Network newsletter,asking for help in order to propagateVetiver in Kom and eventuallyCameroon. The Vetiver Network(TVN) then responded to his call,and the workshop is therefore, theresults of the cry he made based onFARDP’s objectives.Mr. Ngwainmbi paid tribute to TheVetiver Network for the timely response,and prayed that the establishedlines with TVN would be sustained,as it is only through humanitarianlinks and rural people - orienteddevelopment organisationslike TVN that FARDP would be ableto make a meaningful and sustainablecontribution to the rural massesin this part of the world.Mr. Ngwainmbi stressed that FARDPis a link to channel; resources, testedand proven relevant rural technologiesto grassroot groups and farmers.FARDP in tasks would work andcollaborate with individuals, churchesand church groups government services,national and internationalNGOs achieving its objectives.Workshop ConclusionThe organisation of the FARDP workshopon the vetiver grass was verytimely. This is evident from the attendance(over 200 persons) recordedand the enthusiasm shown by participantsduring the workshop. Heldin a background of persistent decreasein crop production over thelast few years, this workshop wasseen by farmers as the long awaitedsolution to a problem that was almostgetting out of hand. Agroforestersand environmentalists came in contactwith an ultimate solution to theproblem of erosion which has goneunabated for decades and whosenegative consequences for the naturalenvironment has been growingfrom strength to strength. The factthat the vetiver grass is importantcame to be a unnimous conclusionbut the level of appreciation of the importanceand the contribution ofideas by workshop participants displayeda large margin of inequality.This is owed to the fact that the targetaudience was academically, professionallyand psychologically veryincompatible.The three days of discussions, learningand demonstrations were adequatelygraced by the devotednessof the main resource person, Mr.Memu Mekonnen whose mastery ofthe subject rnatter backed by hisstruggle to employ audio visual aidswas much appreciated. The inadequacyof on-the-port audio visualequipment however helped to limitthe impact that had to complementhis efforts.Notwithstanding, with the awarenessalready raised and the seed of vetivertechnology planted in the Belocornmunity, adequate “watering” hasto be done to ensure that it does notdie the natural death that most. otherprojects die. This watering has toThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 61

include a true and detailed monitoring and evaluation of the project. Suchmonitoring and evaluation will ensure a proper measure of the pulse of implementationof the ideals embedded in the concept of the vetiver technologyas disseminated bythe workshop.SOIL PROTECTION AND SOIL RESTORATIONSEMINARMahajanga, Madagascar, November, 1997By Criss Juliard , Managing Director, Chemonics/Project CAP,Madagascar. Email: cj@chemonics.mg“Vetiver does not work here.”“We have never heard of that plant”“How dare you promote a non-indigenousgrass in Madagascar. It couldspread like a weed and take over thecountry.”“It isn’t good for Madagascar becauseit can’t be used as fodder.”“You need to find waysto avoid this road frombeing washed out everyyear.”With these and othercomments as backgroundCAP/Chemonics, a USAIDfunded project, in collaborationwith theNational Agency forEnvironmental Actions(ANAE) organized inmid-November aseminar with the objectiveto bring togetherpractitionersand organizations activelyworking on soilerosion and soil conservationsolutions.The objective of theseminar was to devisean action plan thatwould use “technical packages”tested and found effective in and outsideof Madagascar, and to adapt thatplan to the different regions of thecountry. The seminar originated withCAP/Chemonics’ interest to reducethe burden on local road user asso-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 62This road on an irrigated rice project at Marovayi, nearMahajangais fully protected on the left hand side with vetivergrass. On the right there is no vetiver protection and rillingis taking place on the road (by arrow)ciations who had been transferredthe right and responsibility to maintainthose agricultural feeder roadsrehabilitated under the project. Thesedirt roads are transferred to the community-basedassociation as an economicresource under their management.Sections of rural roads inMadagascar are often destroyed duringthe rainy season due to mudslides and soil erosions. The seminarbrought together some 55 engineers,researchers, NGOs, developmentprojects, environmentalists,businessmen, professors, agronomists,farmers and international.Madagascar is a large island nationin the Indian Ocean (about the sizeof France and the Benelux) that hasa rich biodiversity and an ambitious15 year environmental protection program.It is in its 6th year of the programand it is recognized as one ofAfrica’s first comprehensive initiativeto protect a country’s diverse ecosystemat the same time as promotingsustainable agricultural practices.The latter is designed to help its lowincomepopulation reduce pressureon the depleting natural resourcebase. The country is plagued by massiveerosion that further impoverishesthe heavily leeched soil and by traditionalagricultural practices that requiresburning of hillsides and forests.The seminar had three themes:¥ community involvement in resourcemanagement¥ agro-biologicaltechniques to restoresoil fertility¥ use of vetiver tocombat soils erosionFifteen papers andpresentations weremade at the conferenceand discussedin small workinggroups. Among thetopics presentedwere:¥ “Low tillage” agriculture(zerolabour), a techniqueused successfullyin Latin America onsome 3 million haand tried in Madagascarduring thepast 4 years on amuch smaller scale.The work in M/carwas done through a joint initiativebetween a French researchorganization and a local NGO.Good results were obtained inthe field, but its acceptance byfarmers has been limited. “Low

tillage” is a complex technology,requires knowledge of a widevariety of plants that have specifictasks, and production resultsare not rapidly seen. Thetechnology is appropriate forflat, low-level lands, but it doesenrich the soil usingintercroping and a biorganicprocess to “till” the land.¥ Improving fertility and texture ofthe soil through various organiccomposting, including fragmentedchips andbranches(BRF), mulching andvillage composting. Resultshave been good, rapid, but itrequires the user to have bothan abundant source of biomass(trees) and necessaryequipment (chipper). The technologyis particularly welladapted for restoring humuscontent to Madagascar’s acidic,oxidol-type soils. The technologyincorporates agro-forestrytechniques that increase threefoldthe growth and harvest potentialof non-resin trees.¥ Establishing socio-economicties between pastoral and sedentarypopulations to better controlbush fires and promote intensiverather than extensivelivestock practices. The techniqueis management intensive(requires permanent presenceof agents in the field), and isslow to be transmitted.A vetiver hedge on “tanety” land near Mahajanga. This hedgerow islocated on poor upland soil. The vetiver technology was introduced byone of Madagascar’s largest NGO called ANAE. The farmers havenow been using the vetiver hedgerows for some three years, are satisfiedwith the results, and are expanding the use of this low cost andeffective technology.¥ Utilizing a combination of mechanicaland vegetative techniquesfor hillside agriculture.The technique accepts thatMalagasy farmers will continueto practice planting in the the“tanety” (hillside) in spite ofshorter fallow intervals and decreasedproductivity from theless and less fertile lands. Thetechnique, promoted mostly bya Swiss NGO is labor intensiveand is not easily transferred todifferent regions of Madagascar.¥ Utilizing a combination ofvetiver, trees and low grass toprotect roads, irrigation ditchesand hillsides. The technique isbeing used successfully in 5out of M/car’s 6 regions, butthere are constraints at the extensionlevel. There is a shortageof plant material, and theplanting technique used for thevetiver to date is not welladapted to soil conservation,but focuses on essential oil production.Vetiver has had excellentresults in protecting 26 kmof irrigation ditches for the past8 years with zero maintenancein the Marovoay region wherean organization manages about20,000 ha of irrigated rice.The conference organized a one dayfield trip to three different locations:a feeder road site needing immediatesoil erosion measures, a livestockresearch station, and a village wherethe combination of the vetiver andfruit tree technology had been applied.In the village the farmer associationhas been assisted over thepast two years by ANAE, thecountry’s Environment Actionagency in the use of vetiver hedgesas a way to protect their hillside cropping.Farmers indicated they saw anincrease in their cassava yield, reducingtheir need to move from theirpresent location, on their own initiativethey planted more vetiver aroundtheir fruit trees, and they had usedthe cut stems of vetiver for mulching.They told the visitors that theircattle ate the stems of the vetiverwhen the plant was regularlytrimmed. They indicated they hadseen no rats among the hedges althoughthey added that this was perhapsdue to the prevalence ofsnakes in the area! The farmer groupwas most pleased to show the conferenceparticipants how theyplanted vetiver, and how importantthey thought the plant was to the economichealth of their small community.The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 63

During the seminar itbecame evident thatvetiver technologyhad been used in M/car for years for roadstabilization, soil erosion,fodder, irrigationditches and watershedmanagement.Participantsconcluded after the4-day seminar thatthe plant in fact“worked,” that it wasnow better known,that it had been in introducedin Madagascarin the earlypart of the century,and since the varietycannot propagate byseed, it cannot “takeover” the country.Users identified themajor constraints asthe lack of plant material, poor extensionand poor promotion. Participantssaw cattle eating vetiver alongthe roadside, heard farmers say theywill continue to use the technology,and witnessed along an agriculturalfeeder road the ineffectiveness of theshallow rooted local “bouzaka” grassto prevent road-side erosion. Accordingto the road engineers attendingthe seminar construction of concretesoil retention devises could havebeen replaced by vetiver, damageswould be lessened, and the per kilometercost could have been reduced.A principal outcome of the conferencewas the decision to establish inMadagascar a VETIVER NETWORKwith six regional representatives. Participantorganizations in five regionsagreed to assume a leadership rolein each region. An NGO will initiatethe start-up phase of the national network.The network will:¥ join the international Vetiver Networkin Leesburg, USA¥ hold training workshops in theregions over the next 10 months¥ assisting end-users to improveThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 64Marovaoy Irrigation program near Mahajanga. This photo showsan irrigation canal protected with vetiver. The canal banks arefully protected and all weeds have been totally shaded out bythe vetiver. The canal has needed no maintenance in the eightyears since it was constructed.planting echniques and improvingthe quality and availability ofplant material through privatelyoperated nurseries.By the close of the conference, theorganizers had received offers fromprivate businesses to invest in vetivernurseries that would supply plantmaterial to meet existing demand. Inaddition to having established a workplan, the nascent Network will publisha vetiver bulletin, it will contributeto the bibliography of French documentson vetiver including thosetranslated for the seminar, and willtranslate several “how-to” papers intoMalagasy. An experienced environmentalcommunicator volunteered tobecome the editor of the Bulletin andcoordinate the network’s activitiesover the next two year. She will providethe Vetiver Network in Leesburgwith French language documents thatwill help launch other groups inFrancophone countries.During the conference, participantshad a chance to dig-up clumps ofvetiver, separate them into tillers or“plugs,” plant them, and help establishsmall nurseryplots.The spark and thecatalyst of the seminarwas the electrifyingpresentation byDick Grimshaw.Through slides andupdated images on alaptop he demonstratedwith immediatelytransferred picturestaken in thefield with a digitalcamera how specificproblem areas inMadagascar weretreated in other countriesthat had thesame climate, rainsand soils.Grimshaw’s participationin the workshopcompleted a 4week consultancy inMadagascar during which he demonstratedcutting edge technology tofarmers and engineers with his portablecompute on how to handle soilerosion, soil restoration and involvelocal communities through the simpleand inexpensive technology. In additionto the field trips to four regionsof Madagascar, Dick Grimshawmade presentations and demonstrationsto audiences at CAP, USIS, theFrench technical center, FOFIFA (thecountry’s agricultural research service),World Bank and EuropeanUnion staff, the Chinese Embassy,USAID, road engineers and constructioncompanies.

The International Vetiver Workshop Fuhzou,Fujian Province, China. October 21 - 26 1997by Liyu Xu, China Vetiver Network CoordinatorSupported by The World Bank (SmallGrants), The Vetiver Network (international),Natural Science Foundationof China, Chinese Academy ofSciences (Academia Sinica), FujianProvincial Water and Soil ConservationCommittee, Fujian ProvincialWater and Soil Conservation Station,The Institute of Soil Science(Academia Sinica), and China VetiverNetwork, The Vetiver Workshop washeld successfully in Fuzhou of China,on 20-26 October 1997. As more andmore foreign experts expected toparticipate in the workshop, the titleof the workshop was changed fromoriginal China Vetiver Workshop intoInternational Vetiver Workshop whichwas approved officially by the NationalScience Committee of China.Vetiver hedgerows on Pintang Island used as a wind breakto protectyoung hohoba trees. Notice how the vetiver has a good ‘bend’ to it.Sustained winds here exceed 50 km per hour.General introductionMore than 90 domestic participantsattended the workshop. They comefrom Fujian, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan,Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Shanghai,Beijing, Guangdong, Hainan,Guizhou, Yunnan, and many otherprovinces mostly from southernChina. The participants involve inmany institutions and various disciplines,such as agriculture, forestry,environment, botany, soil and waterconservation, geography, livestock,ecology, etc. Some come from extensionstations and others from researchinstitutions, universities, andgovernment offices. Therefore, theworkshop played an important role onthe establishment of bridging a gapbetween research scientists and extensionworkers.Foreign experts coming from theUnited States, United Kingdom, Australia,Malaysia, Thailand, etc. alsoparticipated in the workshop. Justbefore the initiation of the workshop,the organizing committee still receivedmany applications from bothhome and abroad who expected toparticipate in the workshop. It indicatesthat more and more people andinstitutions are getting interests invetiver technology.The windward side of the Vetiver hedgerow. Notice the profusion offlowers and excellent mungbean green manure crop which is growingvigorously alongside the vetiver.Corespondents from newspapersand TV stations were also attendedthe workshop. Their programs createdinterests in wide audience. Morepeople knew that vetiver is a magicgrass for soil conservation and forenvironment protection.The workshop included various pro-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 65

grams such as plenary presentations,discussions, posters, exhibitions ofpublications and vetiver products,and multiple field visit. There were 28papers presented at the workshop,including 7 papers presented by foreignexperts. These papers reflectedthe recent development of vetiverresearch and development. As timewas too short for the workshop toarrange such plenty of colorful programs,the participant had to use freetime at noon and in the evening aswell to continue their group discussion,video and computer performancewhich showed participants thevetiver development in the world andvetiver information service by meansof computer.In the workshop, The Collection Paperson Vetiver Research and Development(in Chinese), the WorkshopAbstract (in English), Vetiver Newsletters(3 issues in Chinese and 1 issuein English), Vetiver for Soil Conservationthe fact sheets (4 issues inChinese), and Agroforestry TodayVol. 5, No. 2 and 3 (in Chinese) inwhich vetiver grass composed animportant component in someagroforestry systems. From thesepublications we can see that manyscientists and development workersare actively involving in the vetivertechnology.In the workshop, vetiver publicationsfrom both China and foreigncountries were exhibited. Postersintroducing multiple research subjectsand different uses of the grasswere put on display.Vetiver hedge row used to protect upper half of sea water fish pond onPintang Island.Field visitDuring the mid-tour, the participantsvisited large demonstrations inPingtan Island. The island has beenfrequently attacked by Typhoon,heavy rain and sand storm. Historically,some villages were buried bywind-blown sands. Farmers thereused to use rocks and other weedsto protect their farmland,homegardens, and houses as wellagainst wind disaster. Since scientistsintroduced vetiver to the islandjust few years ago, the vetiver grasswas widely spreaded in the islandand voluntarily accepted by more andmore farmers. They planted vetivergrass to protect river bank which wasused to protected by expensive rocksand frequently destroyed by extremelystrong wind. The river iscalled as life-keeping river as in theisland the fresh water is very valuableto farmers’ livelihood. Farmershad to clear their river each year,even the banks were protected byrocks. After vetiver grass was introduced,farmers no longer to clear thesilts. In addition they can use thegrass to feed goat. The demonstrationshowed that the vetiver grass canThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 66

e planted very easily and can growquickly. The only point during theplanting is that the roots of the grassshould be dipped in clay paste justbefore planting so that the survivalcan be guaranteed.The second large demonstration siteis a fishery pond whose dikes werefrequently destroyed by sea wave.Several old farmers visited the demonstrationsite along the river not longago and then decided to plant vetivergrass around their fishery pond. Theyplanted the vetiver grass voluntarily.The only support from outside societyis limited planting materials. Afterthat the farmers propagate thegrass themselves. At the sand areajust beside the sea, the grass grewvery quickly. They can grow well althoughthere was a little damage byheavy wind and strong sea wavewhich frequently attack this area. Adense fence can formed in severalmonthes. It indicated that the grassis tolerant to wind, salty sea water,and infertile soils.Dry vetiver grass leaves being fed through a hammer miller and collectedin large bag on left for future use as a substrate for mushroomgrowing. This technology has potential in other countries as an enterprizefor small farmers.The third demonstration area inPingtan island visited by participantswas to use vetiver grass to form anet system of wind-break in order toprotect crops from damage. Thepresent crop was hohoba, a highquality old extracted from the seedscan be produced. The farmers alsoplanted vetiver to protect their vegetableplots. In the field, a free discussionwas held between farmers,county chiefs, and participants.Through the field investigation, participantsfound that vetiver was verysuitable for coast sandy area wherewind is strong and often forms athreaten to crops and farmers’ life. Inaddition, many Chinese participantsrealized that in China there is a largearea of barren sandy land around riversand lakes, the Poyang Lake forexample, where vetiver can surviveand grow well and can be used as apioneer plant for land rehabilitation.During the post-survey, the participantsvisited a demonstration area inJianyang county of northern Fujianprovince. In the past decade, followingnational economic reform, highwaysat different levels have beendeveloped very rapidly through outthe country. For example, in FujianProvince 4,000 km of highways wereestablished during the period of 1992- 1996. The construction of highwaysplays an important role in promotingrural economic development, but atthe same time causes environmentalproblem. In Fujian Province, forexample, the highways were usuallyconstructed on the deeply weatheredgranite, from few meters to severaldozens of meters deep, and weresubject to soil erosion and collapse,leading to damaged highways andnew soil erosion along the highways.To protect highways engineers hadto use rocks and concrete to protectcritical sections of the road beds.There are 2.6 million sq. meters ofroad embankment slopes that needto be protected in Fujian Province.However due to financial constraints,there is only a very small percentageof the slopes protected. Therefore, tofind a new measure, both effectiveand economical, is an urgent task forhighway construction and protection.Many examples showed that vetiverhas a strong fibrous root system thatpenetrates and binds the earth to adepth of up to 3 m and can withstandthe effects of tunneling and cracking.The grass is more effective (thanhard wood roots) in the mechanismof root reinforcement on soil slopes,as clearly demonstrated on extremelyunstable and massive highwayembankments and cuts in Malaysiaas presented by Mr DitiHengchaovanich during the workshop.In the demonstration site, thevetiver grass was planted with twomodels, i.e., contour aligned vetiverhedges and square mesh plantingwhich combines vertical and horizontalhedges like a honeycomb.After few month’s growth, it seemsthat the latter worked more efficiently.The demonstration siteshowed that the vetiver grass canprotect the highway from collapsingand at the same time protected thepaddy field from silt deposit efficiently.The demonstration waswecomed by farmers and acceptedand will be supported by local highwayauthority.Vetiver for profit generationThe common concern on vetiver isthe profit. Whether vetiver can gen-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 67

erate profit formed one of the key issuesduring the workshop. Trialsshowed that vetiver can not only beused to control soil erosion in orderto maintain soil fertility and then toincrease crop yield for 30% as presentedby Mr Lu Shengluan duringthe workshop, but also can be usedto feed animals, used as farmers’cottage roof materials, and to produceart and craft products. Duringthe workshop, the vetiver productsfrom both China and Thailand wereexhibited. These products can besold directly in the market and cancreate considerable profit for farmers.The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 68In addition, the application of usingvetiver to produce edible fungis consistedof a hot topic and generatedstrong interesting among the participants.During the workshop, the basicmethod of using vetiver to produceedible fungis was introduced.Besides, participants took free timeto visit Fujian Agricultural Universityto see the edible fungi productionbases just before the presentation inthe afternoon on 23 October. Thewhole procedures were shown to theparticipants, including the vetiver cultivation,the harvesting, the processingof the vetiver cuts, and the cultivationof edible fungi. It is very clearthat using vetiver grass to producemultiple fungis has many advantages:(1) Traditionally the ediblefungis were cultivated using woods,which aggravated the degraded environment,while using grass to producefungis can solve this problem.Because the component of the grassis the leaves and stems above theground, the roots and the remainingstems can still control soil erosion.(2) The pruning and using of vetivergrass can promote the tillering of thegrass and therefore to strengthen thefunction for soil erosion control. (3) Itis shown that the production efficiencyof using grass to produce ediblefungis was much higher than thatof woods. For example 1 kg dry grassmaterials can produce 1 kg freshedible fungi which was 10-20%higher than using woods. (4) Studiesshowed that the production periodof using grass was much shorterthan that of using woods. Althoughthe edible fungis can also be producedfrom other grasses, vetivergrass became one of the best candidatesbecause vetiver can grow almostevery places where other plantscan hardly survive, and also vetiveris tolerate to pruning.New applications and further considerationsThe organizing committee receivedmore than 20 proposals or conceptpaper before the workshop. The topicsincluded vetiver for soil erosioncontrol and commercial tree protection,vetiver for sandy dune stabilizationand fuel production in PoyangLake area, vetiver for water eutrophicationcontrol in Taihu Lake, etc.Therefore the future application ofvetiver grass formed a worth componentof the workshop. In the afternoon23 October, several proposalsor concept papers were presentedand discussed during the workshop.The topics included the use of vetiverfor soil erosion control, highway andrailway protection, watershed management,deposit control for riversand reservoirs, vetiver plantation forfarmland ecology improvement andmushroom cultivation, etc.Additionally, in the evening of 23October 1997, a group discussionwas held on the further considerationof vetiver technology in southernChina. The participants proposedsuggestions and comments on futureapplication of vetiver technology.Many new users expressed their interestsin the utilization of the grassin their homeland or their researcharea, while old users are going tostart new trials on highway and railwaystabilization, extreme soil rehabilitation,etc. They hope that theChina Vetiver Network could do morein dissemination of vetiver technologyand the coordination and initiationof various programs. Theystrongly suggested that the proceedingscould be published as soon aspossible so that more people couldshare the experiences and suggestedthat regional meetings andvisit be organized in the near future.Through the discussion between Instituteof Soil Science and Mr DitiHengchaovanich Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Erocon Sdn Bhd from Malaysia,a company was planned to belaunched in China aiming at transferthe technology of using vetiver to protecthighways into southern China.To sum up, the workshop presentedresults and achievement of vetiverresearch, experiments, application,and extension in the past decade;discussed new vetiver applicationsand its management of extreme soilrehabilitation (seriously eroded redsoil, mobile sandy dunes, toxic soils,etc.), watershed management, waterwaystabilization, earth worksreinforcing, pollution control, disasterprevention, etc.; proposed newapplication of the grass to satisfyfarmers’ basic needs (fuel productionfor example) and profit generation.The workshop bridged the gap betweenscientists and extension workersand between vetiver users andgovernment officers and policy makers.New Publications: Vetiver Researchand Development: AB-STRACTEdited by Xu Liyu and Charles (Todd)Chirko the publication titled VetiverResearch And Development wasprinted and distributed during theVetiver Workshop held in Fuzhou ofChina on 21-26 October 1997. Theworkshop was organized by ChinaVetiver Network and supported orsponsored by The World Bank(Small Grants), The Vetiver Network(international), Natural ScienceFoundation of China, Chinese Academyof Sciences (Academia Sinica),Fujian Provincial Water and Soil ConservationCommittee, Fujian ProvincialWater and Soil Conservation Station,and The Institute of Soil Science(Academia Sinica). The AB-STRACT was selected, translated,

and edited based on the contributions just before the workshop. It includes five parts: part 1. General Introduction;part 2. Adaptability and Utilization; part 3. Ecological Effect and Erosion Prevention; part 4. Introduction, Planting,and Perspective; part 5. Planned Program.The ABSTRACT contains 56 abstracts with 90 pages. Limited free copies are available for national and regionalnetworks by surface mail. For airmail, please send a check for US$20 for each copy to: Liyu Xu, China VetiverNetwork, ISSAS, P.O.Box 821, Nanjing 210008, China.NEWS FROM THE NETWORKSWhat s New in EuroMed-VetNetBy Mike Pease, Vetiver NetworkCoordinator, EuroMedVetNet.Dick Grimshaw has introduced me toNetwork members through theVetiver Homepage. I think I need sayno more for you to know who I am,what my background, is and how Imay be contacted. Now, I want totake this opportunity of explaininghow I see my role as Co-ordinator forthe European and MediterraneanRegion of the Vetiver Network.I have set myself three principaltasks, and in each case I seek thesupport and assistance of existingmembers of the Network locatedwithin our regional network.Firstly, The Vetiver Network has providedsome start up funds to get usgoing but I am keen to achieve a positionof self financing as soon as possible.Already I have taken some initiativestowards this goal but whetherthese prove productive remains to beseen. Consequently, I would appreciateany suggestions and, above all,contacts that I might pursue thatmight lead to financial support for ourregional network.The costs involved in running‘EuroMed-VetNet’ are, in the first instance,those of communications, i.e.mail, phone/fax and e-mail and linkedcosts such as stationery etc. Thereis no charge for my services; I getfun out of it. In due course, if we canobtain sufficient funds I envisage thatthere might be justification and demandfor holding an occasional conferenceor similar ‘meeting of minds’funded from within our regional resources.In addition, if adequatefunding was available, it might evenbe possible to provide financial supportfor specific research undertakingswithin our geographic footprint.Naturally, if such a proposition wasto be considered, it would have to beco-ordinated through the central Networkto ensure that it conformed toglobal research strategies.My second priority area will be to promotethe dissemination of knowledgeof vetiver amongst public or privatebodies or individuals that show aninterest and who may be able to contributetowards overall expansion ofthe use of vetiver or other ‘livinghedge’ technologies within our Region.In regard to research we would functionin close liaison with the centralnetwork in the United States. However,EuroMed-VetNet covers geographicareas that are climatologicallyquite different to many of theareas covered by the other regionalnetworks. Much of our region is intemperate zones and is located northof the latitudinal limits below whichvetiver can be expected to prosper.Alternative ‘living hedge’ species mayhave a valuable part to play in someof these ‘marginal’ locations. As youwill be aware from earlier Newsletters,work is being conducted in theUnited States along these lines. Alsoin our region are areas of semi-ariddesert, typically in eastern Mediterraneanand North African countries.Research work conducted in thesemi-arid areas of Rajasthan in Indiaand in semi-arid areas of Chinamay well be relevant and applicableto our Region. Nevertheless, specificresearch is required to determinetechnologies appropriate to theabove climatic areas.Recently, I completed a seven-pagepaper, that summarises some possibleareas for research for our Region.In preparing this paper I havedrawn extensively on presentationsthat were made at the First InternationalVetiver Conference held inThailand in February 1996. I havealso incorporated some specific suggestionsmade by Dick Grimshaw. Itis my intention to send copies of thispaper to research bodies that showinterest in vetiver as and when theycan be identified. So, I would be mostgrateful if members within our Regionwould let me know names and addressesof contacts in research orallied fields that are likely to be productiveand who I should contact. Ofcourse, if any member wishes to receivea copy of the paper I would behappy to respond, preferably by e-mail.Departments or organisations thatThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 69

might be interested in vetiver researchcould include, for instance:agriculture, forestry, botany, biology,soil conservation and soil sciences,water sciences, civil engineering andenvironmental affairs.Finally, I wish to provide some regionalflavour, where appropriate, tothe information dissemination thatcomes from the central Network. Iintend to do this primarily by usingthe ‘What’s New in EuroMed VetNet’through the mirror-plus section of theVetiver Homepage. Once again, Iinvite your comments and suggestions.I have prepared a four-page paperthat summarises ‘The Vetiver Story’.I have written this as an introductionto vetiver and its uses and intend tosend copies to those showing interestin vetiver as and when they canbe identified. If any existing memberwishes to receive a copy I wouldbe happy to respond, preferably bye-mail.On this occasion, since it is introductory,I have done the writing for ourregional ‘What’s New’ section. However,I would like that, for future editions,we use this space primarily topublicise information provided byyou, the regional membership specificto our regional circumstances.So, contributions and communicationswill be most welcome.The current membership ofEuroMed-VetNet is about 200. Withyour help I think we should be ableto expand it quite rapidly, especiallyin countries where we currently haveno representation. Let’s go!The Southern AfricaVetiver Network (SAVN)Progress Report for theperiod February 1997 -September 1997Compiled by: Duncan Hay, ProjectManager, Institute of NaturalResourcesThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 701. IntroductionThe Southern Africa Vetiver Networkwas established by the Institute ofNatural Resources in February 1997.This initiative was as a direct resultof a visit to Southern Africa by Mr DickGrimshaw, co-ordinator of TheVetiver Network (TVN), and Dr PaulTruong, an internationally acknowledgedvetiver expert from Australia.Mr Tony Tantum of Specialised SoilStabilization was instrumental inmaking this visit possible. Core fundingfor the establishment was providedby TVN.2. Activities and Progress• SAVN has a current membershipof approximately 300 individualsand organisations• Two newsletters have been produced(they will continue to beproduced at six-monthly intervals)and circulated to all members.The response to thesenewsletters has been extremelypositive, especially from interestedindividuals andorganisations in Zimbabwe andZambia.• SAVN has provided informationon specific request to approximately100 enquiries frommembers.• A SAVN home page has beenestablished on the Internet. Itcontains a brief description ofthe mission of SAVN, the twonewsletters, and the databaseof members’ contact details.The entire TVN website hasbeen down loaded on to SAVNhome page providing more directaccess to this comprehensiveinformation base and preventingduplication of effort. TheTVN website is regularly updatedby Mr Dick Grimshaw.• Two articles on Vetiver havebeen accepted for publication.The first will shortly appear inthe mass circulation environmentalpublication “On Track”and the second will appear nextweek as a feature that in theKwaZulu-Natal mass circulationnewspaper, “The Natal Witness”.A third article producedfor “African Mining” is beingconsidered. Further specificallytargeted mass exposure isplanned through farming, mining,civil construction and developmentmagazines.• SAVN funded a vetiver displayat the National NGO Conferencein Bloemfontein.• SAVN has been promoting andfacilitating the purchase ofvetiver stock by commercial operatorsfrom small scale growersin Biyela, NorthernKwaZulu-Natal. Given the increaseddemand this activity islikely to increase and stimulateother small growers to take onvetiver production as a commercialagriculture activity.• The “Green Book” has beentranslated into Zulu and whenadditional funding is obtained itwill be published.• Discussions with Monsanto andvarious mining houses on sponsorshipof the next WorldVetiver Conference are ongoing.• In the context of mining rehabilitation,SAVN has been providingadvice to Premier Mine atCullinan, and Foskor and PMCat Palaborwa on appropriatetechniques, and has supportedSpecialised Soil Stabilization insecuring rehabilitation contractsat Foskor.• SAVN is providing support toDavid Jobson of Eco-Link in thecompilation of a proposal aimedat supporting small grower developmentin Mpumalanga.This is linked specifically tovetiver oil production at DickonHall which is likely to fund theproject.• The Premier of KwaZulu-Natalhas been approached to funda major vetiver initiative in theprovince.3. Future Priorities

• Vetiver stock is currently in shortsupply and existing stocks arepoorly positioned. Priority will begiven to the establishment ofstrategically positioned nurseriesto supply the predicted increasein demand.• Further articles in mass circulationpublications are necessaryto increase general awarenessof vetiver.• Further promotion of vetiverbased entrepreneurial developmentlinked to the mining industryis required.• Further fund raising to supportactivities of the network and theestablishment of nurseries isrequired• Extend the membership ofSAVN to 500 individuals andorganisationsLatin American VetiverNetwork (LAVN)Annual Report - 1997by Joan MillerLAVN CoordinatorDuring the year 1997, the LAVN hasaccomplished the following:1. Publication of Boletín Vetiver.Boletín Vetiver No. 3 was publishedin April 1997 and sent out to approximately570 network members in LatinAmerica (and includes about 10members in the United States).Boletín No. 4 is currently underwayshould be mailed out in December.In addition, we sent out a 2 pagequestionnaire in June to our membersasking about their experienceswith vetiver, uses, problems, sources,etc. We had a response approaching15% and have summarized someof the findings in Boletín No. 4. Wehave also asked those who did notrespond to please do so if possible.2. MembershipSince the LAVNs initiation in October1996, our membership has increasedby approximately 50%. Newmembers are generally coming viaword of mouth, occasional articles inpublications, and the VetiverNetwork’s Homepage. New membersstill receive copies of the newsletters,the green booklet (Vetiver, labarrera contra la erosión), a Spanishcopy of a paper written by RichardGrimshaw (The Role of VetiverGrass in Sustainable Agriculture),and if they are English-speaking theyreceive the World Bank Publication#273 and the blue vetiver book by theNational Academy of Sciences. Forindividuals who ask, receive videoswith the request that copies be madefor other users in their area. Largerquantities of green vetiver books aresent to those who ask, although thesupply is dwindling to around 1000books.3. Travel in 1997The LAVN made two vetiver-relatedtrips. In May, a trip was made toOaxaca to visit vetiver projects andattend a users workshop. The othertravel was to make a visit to NOBSin El Salvador to learn about theirvarious projects and involvement withvetiver.4. FinancesThe LAVN closed out the month ofNovember 1997 with a balance of$1,384.83. Income for the yearequalled a $2,000 grant from theVetiver Network, a balance of $875.48 carried over from 1996, andexpeditures totalling $1,490.65. Expendituresincluded mailing costs,office supplies, printing costs, filmpurchase and developing, and postalbox rental for the year.5. Some Activities Planned for 1998- Posting of Web site for the LAVN inSpanish (currently under construction).- Assistance to The Vetiver Networkin fundraising for NGO grant program.- Publishing of Boletin Vetiver, #5 and#6.China Vetiver Network(CVN)Recent Development ofVetiver Technology inChinaBy Liyu Xu, China Vetiver Network,Coodinator, P.O.Box 821, Nanjing210008The proper use of soils is to ensuresustainable land productivity throughconservation of water resources andprevention of reduction of soil erosion.Although there are a lot of soilconservation measures, the mostoutstanding of these is the use ofvegetative soil and moisture conservationmeasures that are cheap, replicable,sustainable, and fully effectivein stopping erosive degradationand increasing crop yield. Many examplesfrom all of the world showedthat vetiver as a boundary hedge tobe the ideal plant to conserve soil andrehabilitate eroded farmland. Thevetiver technology was recently recognizedby a panel of internationaljudges to be the best of 71 sustainabletechnologies that were enteredfor the “John Franz SustainabilityAward”. To speed up the extensionof the technology in southern part ofChina, where 70% of the land ismountainous and soil erosion is acritical problem, the China VetiverNetwork (CVN) was established atthe end of 1996. The main task ofCVN is country-wide vetiver technologyextension, i.e., to extendvetiver technology to new area or touse the grass to new applications. Toachieve this purpose we may divideour work into the following aspects:national information service; organizationof regional surveys and investigations;supporting partners to testvetiver grass; and the developmentof new projects. The followings aresome details.I. Background of vetiver technologydevelopment in ChinaThe valuable grass vetiver (Vetiveriazizanioides) was disseminated toThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 71

China in late 1980s as a plant forsoil erosion control hedges, althoughit had been introduced into thecounty as early as in 1950’s as aplant for extracting oil from its roots.Since 1980’s, the Vetiver Grass hasbeen experimented or tested in mostprovinces in southern China, as inJiangxi, Fujian, Sichuan, Hunan,Guizhou, Hainan, Guangdong,Gansu, Henan, Shandong, andZhejiang Provinces. The followingsare some results:• Some nurseries have beenestablished and experimentswere carried out or proposedon the biological characteristics;hedge establishment andmaintenance; hedgerow impactson soil fertility, moisture,crop yield, and soil losses;• Vetiver hedgerows were establishedin tea, tea oil (camellia),or citrus plantations;• Vetiver Handbooks was translatedand distributed;• Vetiver was used to feed fish,livestock, and to mulch groundsurface of orchards.Although there has been someprogress in vetiver cultivation inChina, there exist problems:The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 72• There is little, if any, informationservice in the country andthousands of related institutionsare still unfamiliar with thegrass.• Lack of systematic or comprehensiveconsideration on nationalvetiver extension anddemonstration.• As lacking of bridge betweenresearch and extension, mostof the present vetiver-involvinginstitutions are at higher level.So there is an urgent demandto introduce vetiver to countylevelextension stations andthen to farmers.• The vetiver grass extension isrestricted in limited area,Jiangxi and Fujian Provincesfor example, while most ofother Provinces were excluded.Accordingly, there isan urgent need to extend ortest Vetiver in other Provincesin southern China.• The application is limited in soilconservation in red earth region,while more potential usesneed to be tested or explored.Recently, great progresses havebeen made in improving this situationand in extending vetiver technologythrough out China. The work wasdone under the coordination by CVNand in cooperation with numerousinstitutions in various disciplines. Thefollowings are the main points.II. National information serviceThe China Vetiver Network was developedbased on and in cooperationwith the existing national agroforestrynetwork which has been developedfor more than four years with over1,000 members. The national informationservice focus its attention onthe southern part of China wheretropical and subtropical climate dominate.The vetiver publications weredistributed to many national universities,research institutions, governmentaloffices, provincial institutions,and also many county level and sometownship level extension stations.Many disciplines were involved, includingsoil and water conservation,agriculture, forestry, ecology, environmentalprotection, botany, and soilscience, etc. The publications include:• Vetiver Newsletter in Chinese,4 issues in 1997. About 3,500copies were disseminated.• Vetiver Fact Sheets (Vetiver &Soil Conservation), 4 issues in1997 totaling 8,000 copieswhich introduce substantialtechnology to extension stationswere mostly distributed tocounty extension stations.• Agroforestry Today, a quarterlyjournal in Chinese publishedfor 5 years, in which thevetiver grass being one of themajor subjects were distributedwith an averaged circulationaround 1,200 copies.Besides, in order to distribute thevetiver grass more widely, advertisementswere put in some popular nationaljournals on soil and water conservationand ecology. Communicationhas been strengthened betweenCVN and vetiver users through frequentcorrespondence.III. Field surveys and investigationsAiming at disseminating vetiver technologyand exploring new users andnew vetiver applications, field surveysand investigations were carriedout in Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong,Hubei, Hunan, and Anhui provinces.These investigations were organizedby the China Vetiver Network andcooperated by numerous multi-disciplinaryinstitutions at national, provincial,prefecture, county, and townshiplevels. Through these investigations,team members learnt experiencesfrom established vetiver applicationmodels and proposed newapplications. In addition, by distributingvetiver publications and discussingwith local technicians andmaster farmers, team members encouragedmore and more peopleto test and use the grass.(1) Vetiver Investigation in FujianProvince, ChinaCo-organized by China Vetiver Networkand Fujian Provincial Water andSoil Conservation Station, a vetiverfield investigation was organized on23-31 December 1996. The investigationteam consisted of 16 personsfrom The Institute of Soil Science ofAcademia Sinica, Nanping City Waterand Soil Conservation Office,Jianyang County Water and SoilConservation Station, Jianyang AgriculturalForeign Investment Office,Fuzhou City Water and Soil ConservationOffice, Pingtan County Waterand Soil Conservation Station, andPingtan County Agricultural Bureau,etc. The purpose of the investigationincluded: (1) evaluation of the former

experiences; (2) discussion of newapplications and extension measures;(3) consultation of new projectproposals; (4) preparation of somedetails on the proposed vetiver workshop.The investigation sites includedthe site of vetiver for the recover ofdegraded barren lands, vetiver fororchard protection, vetiver for promotingnut cultivation, and vetiver forstabilizing coast sands.(2) Vetiver Investigation in JiangxiProvince, ChinaCoorganized by China Vetiver Network,and Jiangxi Agricultural ForeignInvestment Office, a field investigationwas held on 24-28 February1997. Eight scientists and governmentofficers from Jiangxi Red SoilProject, The Institute of Soil Science(Academia Sinica), Jiangxi ProvincialRed Soil Institute, Nanchang ScienceCommittee, and Jinxian AgriculturalForeign Investment Office were involved.The issue of the investigationwas to evaluate and explore the applicationof vetiver on red soils andwind-blow sandy area. In the provincethe red soils derived from quaternaryred clay covers a large areaof 162 million Mu (1 ha = 15 Mu),while the wind-blow sandy land covers0.2 million Mu.The investigation team visited thesandy area of Nanchang County andred soil area in Jinxian County andfound a great potential of usingvetiver to ameliorate these extremesoils. In addition the team preparedvetiver planting material and sentthem to Anhui, Hubei, and JiangsuProvinces.(3) Soil erosion and Vetiver applicationpotential in Hubei ProvinceSituated at the center of the country,Hubei Province has a total area of870,700 sq.km in which the mountainsand hills cover more than 60%.Under high population density the percapita cultivated land is very limited.Farmers had to clear forests for foodproduction, which may easily causesoil erosion if without proper protectionmeasures. It was estimated thatthere was a soil erosion area for68,500 sq. km in the province, inwhich there was 40,000 sq. km belongingto moderately and seriouslyeroded area. To prevent soil from erosion,some watersheds were managedthrough the establishment ofstone-protected terraces with considerablecosts ( over 20,000 YuanRMB/ha). Therefore, the soil erosionwas rarely controlled, which andother multiple factors caused manymountain areas remained in povertywith more than 3 million people withfood and clothing problems. To alleviaterural poverty the governmentproposed ‘RichnizationProject through Greenization’, i.e.,to promote poverty alleviation byplanting commercial trees in largescales. However, as there will be notany protection measures proposed,it will easily cause new soil erosion.In addition, in the 5 years startingfrom 1996 the province will constructexpress highway and 1st-class highwayfor 410 km, and 2nd-class highwayfor 2,600 km. As lacking of fundslippage will not be well protectedand new soil erosion remains to becontrolled. Through the survey andfield investigation coorganized byprovincial water and Soil ConservationOffice, Huangang PrefectureWater and Soil Conservation ResearchInstitute, and numerouscounty level water and soil conservationstations, the participants investigatedmost suitable areas andsites where the grass can play effectivefunction, such as river, ditches,and reservoir embankment protection,earth terrace fixing, sedimentprotection, etc. Vetiver nurseries areplanned and going to be established.Vetiver development proposals wereprepared.IV. Supporting partners to testvetiver grassThe China Vetiver Network has supportedits partners to test and usevetiver grass through providing micro-grantsand information services.The followings are some examples.Fuzhou Soil and Water ConservationStation, Fujian ProvinceUnder financial and document supportfrom CVN, Fuzhou Soil andWater Conservation Station continuesand strengthens its tests of usingvetiver to control wind erosion, toestablish vetiver based agroforestrysystems. They fill the gaps of existinghedges, strengthen the applicationsof vetiver in coast area of FujianProvince where wind-blow sandforms a threat to farm land, ditches,and rivers.Botanical Institute of South China,GuangdongSupported by The Vetiver Network(TVN) and CVN, scientists in the institutecontinue their research andextension work in spreading the usageof vetiver in Guangdong, enlargingnurseries to produce plantingmaterial. Besides, they study theeffect of vetiver as feed specially forpig and fish, the possibility of usingvetiver as leaven material for biogas,the vetiver cover of municipal wastedumps and industrial polluted area.Reproduction base in Dabie Mountains,Anhui ProvinceTo introduce and extend vetiver inDabie Mountains, one of the mostserious eroded area and povertymountain in the country, supportedby CVN, a nursery was establishedin Yuexi County of Anhui province,which will become a production basefor planting materials in the area andis expected to produce more plantingmaterials for the whole DabieMountain area in Hubei. Anhui, andHenan Provinces.V. Encouraging different institutionsto use vetiverSince the establishment of CVN in1996, more and more people wroteus to express their interests in applyingvetiver grass based on their ownThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 73

udget and existing projects. TheCVN has provided them with information,documents, and/or plantingmaterials and encourage them tostudy, use and extend vetiver grass.The followings are some examples:The Anhui Provincial AgriculturalAcademy is actively involving vetiverplanting. With financial support fromAnhui Provincial 9th Five-year Planfor the Yellow and Red Earth Amelioration,they bought vetiver plantingmaterial from Jiangxi Provinceand plant them on chestnut plantationin red soils of Huangshan areaof southern Anhui province.Provided with vetiver planting materialsby CVN, the Shuitianba Water& Soil Conservation Station, JiguiCounty of Hubei Province is plantingvetiver in upper section of The ThreeGorge. The county has 2427 sq.kmland with population density of 160person/sq.km. About 80% of the landare mountains and soil erosion isserious.The Institute of Soil Science is startinghis research on effect of salinesoil on vetiver grass, and the effectof vetiver grass on saline soil improvementin Rudong County ofJiangsu Province.The Environmental Group of TheInstitute of Soil Science started thetrial of using vetiver grass for watereutrophication control in Taihu Lakein East China. The preliminary testwas conducted in Nanjing supportedby CVN. Pots were used for vetiverculture. Preliminary result was obtained.The Forestry College of GuangxiAgriculture University focus on thesoil conservation in limestone areaof Guangxi province. They are alsoplanning to use vetiver grass to controlsoil erosion and to establish ademonstration site for the 8 seriouslyeroded counties in the province.The above examples indicate thatThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 74through our networking activitiesmore and more people are using ortesting vetiver grass. The main problemat this moment is the lack ofplanting materials and ‘seed money’.The CVN organized and providedsome vetiver planting materials todistribute to Jiangsu, Anhui (DabieMountain, and Huangshan Mountain),and Hubei. However, caused byfinancial shortage only very limitedmaterials were distributed, far fromenough.VI. Preparation of new developmentproposals through joint effortsBased on multiple surveys, investigationsand exchange programs,several proposals or concept paperswere prepared, that is playing and willplay an important role in acceleratingthe dissemination and developmentof vetiver technology throughout the country and will keep CVN tobe more vigorous. The followings aresome examples:• Vetiver Application and Extension for Soil Erosion Controland Commercial Tree Protectionin Reservoirs Area ofDabie Mountain of HuaiheRiver Basin of China.• Vetiver for Highway Stabilizationin Jianyang County ofFujian Province: Demonstrationand Extension.• Stabilization, Fuel Production,and Sustainable Land Use ofSandy Land in Poyang LakeArea of Jiangxi Province,China: Demonstration andTraining.• Vetiver for Watershed Managementin Mountainous areaof Hubei Province.• Vetiver For Water EutrophicationControl in Taihu Lake ofChina.• The China Vetiver Network(CVN): A Workshop to developa long term strategy for the disseminationof the vetiver technologyin China, A Proposal forWorld Bank Small Grants (approvedand undergone).VII. Further consideration invetiver development in ChinaAlthough great success has beenachieved during the recent time,much remains to be done. China hasa huge population but very limited percapita natural resources. Besides,caused by various factors, the limitedfarm land resources in China arepoor in quality with a fairly large proportionunder soil erosion, degradation,and desertification, etc. Therefore,the sustainable agriculture andsoil erosion control is extremely importantin this country. The role ofvetiver planting can not be overemphasized.At first, we should do our best to extendvetiver technology to most agricultural,environmental universities,research institutions, developmentagencies, government offices, and inparticular various extension stations.More attention should be paid oncounty and township extension stationsand master farmers as well inmountainous and hilly areas in southernChina. Information service shouldbe strengthened. More vivid descriptionand instruction materials onvetiver technology should be prepared,produced and distributed aswidely as possible. Training courses,demonstrations, and workshops atnational, provincial, and local levelare expected to be organized throughjoint efforts of different institutions.We should tell users that althoughvetiver can not enable one to be amillionaire, it does help other cropsto be productive and profitable.Secondly, we should strengthen exchangeprogram to promote vetiverusers distributed at different areasboth at home and abroad to exchangetheir ideas and to share theirexperiences. Exchanging visit is ex-

pected to be organized both nationallyand internationally.Third, we should encourage scientistsfrom different disciplines to activelyengage in vetiver research onsoil erosion control, extreme soilamelioration, waterway stabilization,pollution control, earth works protectionand other numerous new applications,and encourage scientistsand development workers to join togetherto extend research results topractical uses.Fourth, vetiver reproduction basesshould be established and disseminatedat reasonable places to coverthe whole southern part of the countryin order to meet the increasingneeds of plating materials, to lowertransportation costs and increasesurvival rate.Fifth, we should do our best to seekmore financial support from differentsources, international donors, governments,domestic foundations, etc.GhanaWest African VetiverNetwork.Notes from Linus Folly, WAVNCoordinatorW.A.V.N. and its newsletter had beenofficially launched on 24th Novemberat the British Council after a simplebut well covered function. The eventwon the headline of TV3 nationwide.There should be in due course featurearticles on vetiver grass in thenewspapers.A “Round Table” with national NGOs,CBOs etc, involved in Agriculture,Evironment and Rural Developmenwill be held to set up a working platformfor collaboration.Awareness and Information contactwill continue to be held sessions withenvironmental journalists.A translation team has been put inplace for publications and documentarymaterial to be published in majorlocal languages.Reorganization of office location andpremises for computer equipment tobe installed them connected to theInternet and also to establish ahomepage as well as a mirror site.Cote D’IvoireMinister of Agriculture and AnimalResources has agreed to DECIA’srequest to organise a W.A.V.N. supportedRegional Workshop under theauspices of his Ministry in December1998 at Bouake.GuineaIntroduction of Vetiver hedgenowtechnology through the establishmentof a pilot project Kouriya financedby Sasakawa Global 2000/Guinea. A proposed awareness supportand training program should startearly next year. This package will findtechnical backing from the Departmentof Agricultural Extension(S.N.P.R.V).NigeriaW.A.V.N. is in the process of makingits training centre inbio-engineering, the College of NaturalResources and EnvironmentalManagement of the Federal Universityof Agriculture in Abia State. Thisis due to facilities at the college aswell as the amount of experience onvetiver technology gathered by theHead of that College, Dr. P. E. Okorie.International WorkshopDr. Linus K. Folly, CoordinatorW.A.V.N., has been invited as a resourceperson to the F.A.O/TCDCSponsored Workshop on soil erosioncontrol from 8-10 December, 1997being organised by the Soil ResearchInstitute in Kumasi, Ghana. His presentationwill dwell on the role ofvetiver hedgerow technology in soilloss control. This workshop beingattended by participants from theRepublic of Benin and Burkina Fasowill be an occasion to discuss prospectsand constraints in the promition ofvetiver grass in the region.CEDIACEDIA, as a development NGO playinga key role in promoting vetiverhedgerow technology in Ghana andother West African states, has transformedits operational structure torespond to the new challenges, itsawareness program had brought up.Nevertheless CEDIA’s field programscontinue to suffer from an acute lackof support. This is creating a majorsetback in the Plan of Action. Theorganization is renewing its appealto all stakeholders in Agriculture andEnvironmental Management to supportCEDIA’s initiative.The Pacific Rim VetiverNetworkBy Narong ChomchalowThe Origin of the Pacific Rim VetiverNetwork and the newsletter“Vetiveria”The Newletter “Vetiveria”As the organizer of the First InternationalConference on Vetiver (ICV-1)held in Chiang Rai, Thailand, on 4-8February 1996, the Office of theRoyal Development Projects Board(ORDPB) was requested by thePresident of the Vetiver Network, Mr.Richard Grimshaw, to establish a regionalnetwork for the Pacific Rimwith the principal objective of servingas the center to collect and disseminateinformation on the use ofvetiver for the benefit of the membercountries. ORDPB, with full supportand agreement of His Majesty, KingBhumibol Adulyadej, agreed to therequest.One of the responsibilities of the Pa-The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 75

cific Rim Vetiver Network (PRVN) isto publish a newsletter as a meansof information exchange among scientistsof the member countries. Ithas been proposed that the newsletterbe issued quarterly. As for itsname instead of using a rather longname like 'The Newsletter of the PacificRim Vetiver Network', or its acronym,'PRVN Newsletter', the editorialstaff prefers to use the name“Vetiveria,” which is the name of thegenus to which vetiver belongs. It isa latinized word derived from a Tamilword, vettiveru, which means acoarse grass.Being a regional newsletter,“Vetiveria” should contain informationfrom as many member countries aspossible. Such information can beobtained directly from the scientistsworking in these countries, or indirectlyand effectively, from their CountryRepresentatives (CRs) who wouldact as a focal point in their countries.The Editor extends his cordial invitationto the readers to send contributions(articles, news, views, etc.) tobe published in future issues of“Vetiveria”The Pacific Rim Vetiver Network(PRVN)The creation of the Pacific Rim VetiverNetwork (PRVN) was the resultof a proposal made by Mr. RichardGrimshaw, Coordinator of the VetiverNetwork at the First InternationalConference on Vetiver (ICV-1) heldin Chiang Rai, Thailand, on 4-6 February1996. Mr. Grimshaw suggestedthat Thailand act as the core of thePRVN with the principal objective toserve as the center to collect and disseminateinformation on the use ofvetiver grass in the form of newsletters,occasional publications as wellas homepage on the internet. Thailandis considered suitable becauseit is the site of the world's largestvetiver project known as the Doi TungDevelopment Project which has beenimplemented under the supervisionof the Office of the Royal DevelopmentProjects Board (ORDPB), theThe Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 76organizer of the Conference.Subsequently, ORDPB submitted theproposal to His Majesty the King, akeen supporter of the use of vetivergrass and an awardee of the VetiverNetwork's specially - commissionedbronze vetiver sculpture - in order toobtain His comments and approval.His Majesty agreed with the proposaland commissioned the setting up ofthe PRVN under the supervision ofits Committee on the Developmentand Campaign for the Utilization ofVetiver under His Majesty's Initiatives,to be administered by ORDPB.In order to facilitate the effectiveimplementation of the network witha common view and flexibility, theCommittee established a WorkingTeam to take care of the PRVN onMay 6, 1997. The working team consistsof Mr. Manoon Mookpradit,Deputy Secretary-General ofORDPB, acting as the Chairman ofthe Team and a number of experiencedofficials from the concernedagencies and renowned institutions.The Office of the RDPB itself functionsas the secretariat of the Team.The working team on the PRVN hasthe responsibility to manage and supervisethe Network which aims topromote the cultivation and use ofvetiver through the issuance of anewsletter and homepage. ThePRVN intends to serve the countriesof eastern Asia and the Pacific.These include: Australia, Brunei,Cambodia, Cook Islands, China, Fiji,Indonesia, Japan, Korea (Rep. of),Lao PDR, Malaysia, New Zealand,Papua New Guinea, Philippines,Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan,Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu, WesternSamoa, and Vietnam.Membership and SubscriptionCurrent members from the PacificRim countries under the Vetiver Networkare automatically registered asPRVN members which at presentamount to about 800. Others whowant to join the Network can applydirectly to its Secretariat Office. Noapplication form is necessary. Thosewho are interested just identify themselveswith name, current position,place of work, and mailing address.Email address, and other informationare welcomed.Officers of PRVN andVetiveriaEditor: Narong ChomchalowAssistant Editor: H V HenleAd'visors: Sumet Tantivejkul,Manoon MookpraditCountry Representatives*:Australia Paul N V TroungChina Liyu XuIndonesia Kuscahyo B. PrayogoLaoPDR Boonkong Senghayon**Malaysia P.K YoonNew Zealand John C. GreenfieldPapua New Guinea Rob SheltonPhilippines Edwin A. BaibarinoThailand Weerachai NanakornVietnam Taon Bui Quang**Business Office:Office of the Royal DevelopmentProjects Board, 78 Rajdamnern NokAvenue, Dusit, Bangkok 10300, Thailand;Tel.: (66-2) 280-6193; Fax:: (66-2) 280-6206, 629-8915; E-mail:pasiri@mozart.inet.co.th* These are representatives frommember countries of the Pacific RimVetiver Network. Confirmation isneeded for those with **. Nominationsare requested from: Brunei,Cambodia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Japan,Korea (Rep.of), Singapore, Taiwan,Tonga, Vanuatu, and Western Samoa.Other NetworksNo recent newsfrom the PhilippinesVetiver Network. HoweverVETNETPHIL has been very busy. Ithad an excellent workshop in August

where the vetiver technology was fully endorsed. Further it has produced two very professional newsletters. Edbalbarino the Network Coordinator has appointed three regional coordinators to help him cover the far spread worldof te Phillipines.A new network has been established in Thailand forThai speakers. The Network is coordinated by Dr. VeerachaiNaNakorn, Director, Queen Sirikit Botanical Organization, Chiang Mai, Thailand.Also a provincial vetiver network is to be established in Fujian, China.Table of ContentsHighlights from the International Vetiver Conference -- Fuzhou -- China --October 21 to 26 1997 1FROM THE EDITOR 3VETIVER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AWARDS 7FUTURE ISSUES OF THE VETIVER NEWS LETTERS 7LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 7“Its Just Like Growing Shallots” Experiences with Vetiver Grass in Soil and WaterConservationProgramme for Communal Farmers in Zaka District, Zimbabwe. 14Report on a visit to the Philippines by Paul Truong (14 - 22 MAY, 1997) 17Observations and Experiments on the Multiplication, Cultivation, andManagement of Vetiver Grass Conducted in China in the l950’s. 18A Preliminary Study on Vetiver’s Purification for Garbage Leachate 22DNA fingerprints (RAPDs) of the pantropical grass vetiver, Vetiveria zizanioides (L.)Nash (Gramineae), reveal a single clone, ‘Sunshine’, is widely utilized for erosion control. 27Vetiver Conference, Fuzhou, China. Abstracts of Papers 33Application of the Vetiver Grass System in Land Stabilisation, Erosion and Sediment Controlin Civil Construction 48Ecolink’s Vetiver Grass Programme (April - July 1997) 54Farmer’s own adoption: “A Frame/Line Level Composite” 55Vetiver workshop, Mbingo, February 1997 Cameroon 60Soil Protection and Restoration Workshop, Madagascar. November 1997 63The International Vetiver Workshop, Fuhzou, China. October 1997 65NEWS FROM THE NETWORKS 68What’s New in EuroMed-VetNet 69The Southern Africa Vetiver Network (SAVN) 70Latin American Vetiver Network (LAVN) 71Recent Development of Vetiver Technology in China 71West African Vetiver Network. 75The Pacific Rim Vetiver Network 75Other Networks 76The Vetiver Newsletter #18 Page 77