Review and Update of the Vetiver System R

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    Review and Update of
the Vetiver System RD in Thailand

• Narong ChomchalowCoordinator
• Pacific Rim Vetiver Network

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1. Introduction
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• Vetiver activities in Thailand were initiated by
  His Majesty the King since 1991 and coordinated
  by the Office of the Royal Development Projects
  Board (RDPB)
• 40 agencies collaborated during 3 Master Plans
  developed by RDPBs Vetiver Committee
• 197 projected were conducted
• In MP-3 (2002-06), 36 projected were conducted
• Budget (1,000 US) Research - 660, Dissemination
  - 1,432, Management - 80 Total - 2,172

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2. Recent RD on the Vetiver System in Thailand
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2.1 Soil and Water Conservation 2.2 Reclamation
of Problem Soils 2.3 Wastewater Treatment 2.4
Increasing Soil Fertility and Crop
Productivity 2.5 Socio-economic Benefits of
Planting Vetiver 2.6 Salt Tolerance in Vetiver
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2.1 Soil and Water Conservation

• 2.1.1 In Agricultural Land
• Vetiver plots, with
  the application of compost and green manure, can
  maintain moisture and fertility of sandy soil
  planted to curcuma, sweet corn and cucumber

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2.1.1 In Agricultural Land (Cont.)

• In curcuma plot
• Moisture content was highest (13) in plot with
  vetiver cut leaves compost lowest (6) with no
  vetiver no compost
• Yield was highest (216 kg/ha) in plot with
  vetiver cut leaves compost (640 kg/ha)

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2.1.1 In Agricultural Land (Cont.)

• In sweet corn plot
• Moisture was highest (14.4) in plot
• applied with 1,280 kg/ha compost
• Yield was highest (331 kg/ha) with
• 640 kg/ha compost

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2.1.1 In Agricultural Land (Cont.)

• In cucumber plot
• Moisture was highest (9) in plot with vetiver
  cut leaves and cowpea green manure
• Yield was highest (290 kg/ha) in plot applied
  with vetiver cut leaves and crotalaria green
  manure
• Yield of 129 kg/ha obtained from plot applied
  with vetiver cut leaves only

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2.1.1 In Agricultural Land (Cont.)

• In acidic-sandy soil growing sweet corn in
  rainy season followed by tomato in dry season
  show that sweet corn and tomato gave similar
  yield pattern
• Control plot and plot with vetiver with no
  fertilizer gave lowest and low yields
• Yield was higher if applied with fertilizer and
  highest

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• 2.1.2 In Non-agricultural Land
• Highway Dept. planted vetiver at 7 sites with
  21 plots along a highway and found that
• There is a need to fertilize the soil with basal
  application of chicken manure or chemical
  fertilizer
• Polybagged slips, aged 45 - 60 days, used with
  proper maintenance after planting during 1st year
  and inter -planted with Arachis Pinto which
  covers 25 - 30 land area within 4 mos. or
  80 - 90 within a year, could reduce weeding
  cost significantly
• Optimum spacing of Arachis Pinto 10x10, 25x25
  cm

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2.1.2 In Non-agricultural Land (Cont.)

• Study on the impact of management system of
  soil water conservation on hydrology and water
  quality revealed that
• Area covered with forest hold more water and
  moisture
• Agricultural area interplanted with vetiver
  could hold more water than pineapple-planted
  areas
• Other parameters (precipitation, water, soil
  moisture, sedimentation, plant nutrient, etc.)
  were all in favor of agricultural areas with
  vetiver

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2.1.2 In Non-agricultural Land Cont.)

• Three vetiver ecotypes grown in oxic palcustult
  - a low nutrient soil, disintegrate release
  plant nutrient from their root systems
• Songkhla 3 highest rate of disintegration
  (89.87)
• Prachuap Khiri Khan released 87.58 within
  8 weeks
• Amounts of nutrients released were similar in
  the order N P and K
• Maximum releasing period was 6 - 8 weeks

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2.2 Reclamation of Problem Soils

• A study was made on
  the benefit of VS and other natural grasses in
  stabilizing stream banks of riparian degraded
  land eco-system
• Planting different kinds of grasses resulted in
  different growth pattern which benefits soil
  covering and maintains stability of the stream
  banks.
• A spacing of 10x50 cm gave the highest fresh
  weight yield, 506.7 kg/ha, followed by 25x25 cm
  (469.3 kg/ha) and natural grasses (296.5 kg/ha)
• After 6-14 mos. plots with vetiver, spaced at
  10x50 cm, gave the highest moisture content of
  4.78, which is similar to plots with vetiver
  spaced at 25x25 cm having 4.35 moisture
• Plot with natural grasses contains
  3.43 moisture while control plot contains 0.71

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment

• Three vetiver ecotypes (Kamphaeng Phet,
  Songkhla 3 and Prachuap Khiri Khan) could
  grow for 4 mos. in wastewater from whisky
  distillery containing high amounts (in mg/l) of
  BOD - 450, total solid - 6,750, Pb - 26, Zn -
  187, Hg - 185
• Two ecotypes of vetiver (Songkhla 3 and
  Prachuap Khiri khan) could grow in mixed
  wastewater from 3 industries paper mill, rice
  mill, and cassava flour mill. After 4 mos., the
  reductions in the amounts (mg/l) were BOD (464
  to 7.8 and 9.1), total solids (8,180 to 1,899 and
  1,883), Pb (30 to 0.05 and 0.05), Cr (36 to 7 and
  6), Zn (29 to 0.01 and 0.01), Hg (0.90 to 0.71
  and 0.67).
• Most other ecotypes could not grow, some even
  died, because they could not tolerate heavy metal

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Three ecotypes of vetiver (Kamphaeng Phet, Sri
  Lanka and Surat Thani) could grow in
  wastewaters from 4 factories dairy, battery,
  lampshade and printing ink
• Wastewater from dairy factory gave the highest
  growth and printing ink the lowest as it
  contained high conc. of heavy metals
• Vetiver could reduce 71 and 55 of BOD and COD
  84, 97 and 48 of N P and K from wastewaters
• Heavy metals were also reduced (in mg/l) Pb -
  5.78 in battery wastewater, Zn - 6.83 in
  lampshade wastewater, Fe- 8.00 in printing ink
  wastewater, and Cu - 11.43 in lampshade
  wastewater

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Three vetiver ecotypes (Monto, Surat
  Thani and Songkhla) were used to treat
  wastewater from tapioca-flour mill
• Two systems were employed
• Drain wastewater into vetiver wetland for 2 wks
  then drain off
• Drain wastewater into vetiver wetland for 1 wk.
  and it drain off continuously for 3 wks., then
  drain off

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Monto had highest growth of shoot, root and
  biomass max. absorb P, K, Mn and Cu in shoot and
  root Mg, Ca, and Fe in root Zn N in shoot
• Surat Thani max. absorb Mg in shoot Zn in root
  
• Songkhla max. absorb Ca, Fe in shoot N in root

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Four vetiver ecotypes grown hydroponically in
  running domestic wastewater from KU commu-
• nity. All could grow well.
• BOD reduction in Surat Thani 18.67,
  Indonesia 31.61 and Songkhla 29.86, at
  18 m distance
• Sri Lanka could reduce BOD max. - 46.28 at 6 m
  distance

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Three vetiver ecotypes grown in wetland supplied
  with wastewater from shrimp pond
• Ecotype difference in growth was found at 3 mos.
• Songkhla accumulated max. dry weight, biomass
  and absorption of K, Mg in shoot and P in root
• Surat Thani gave highest yield of root and
  max. absorption of N, K, Ca, Mg in root and N, P
  and Ca in shoot

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Two vetiver ecotypes grown in domestic
  wastewater from Irrigation Dept. community
• Different ecotypes exhibited different growth
• and adaptability
• Surat Thani had max. ability to reduce (in )
  nitrate 49, bicarbonate - 43, EC - 5.8, TSS -
  83
• Monto had max. ability to reduce (in )
• BOD - 75, total N - 93, K - 14, Na - 3
• Efficiency increased with age, highest at 3 mos.

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Greenhouse and in field experiments using
  leachate from garbage landfield revealed that
• Heavy metals in shoot and root of vetiver were
  increased with higher concentration of leachate
• But height was reduced

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Vetiver could grow well in mine tailings
• Compost and chemical fertilizer gave higher
  height and dry weight but did not increase Pb
  concentration
• Higher conc. found in root than shoot
• Total amount of Pb was higher with fertilizer
  application

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2.3 Wastewater Treatment (Cont.)

• Songkhla ecotype of vetiver could grow well in
  wastewater
• Dry weight of shoot root
• In winter at 4 mos. 11.71 2.56 kg/m2
• In summer at 8 mos. 19.85 4.92 kg/m2
• Vetiver could reduce ill effect of pollutants of
  wastewater in summer (period of max. toxicity)
• Smell and BOD of wastewater also reduced in
  proportion to distance traveled through vetiver
  plots

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2.4 Increasing Soil Fertility and Crop
Productivity

• Growing vetiver in soil with high acidity and
  low contents of N P K in combination with 3
  species of mycorrhiza and Azotobacter, together
  with chemical fertilizer (N P K at 4.8 kg/ha) and
  bio-liquid fertilizer
• All have beneficial effects on growth of corn
  and sorghum as evident from plant height, no. of
  leaves and biomass
• Sorghum At 54 days with mycorrhiza, Azotobacter,
  chem. fertilizer gave highest height, no. of
  leaves and biomass
• Corn At 52 84 days with Glomus aggregatum and
  Azotobacter and chem fertilizer gave highest
  total biomass while with Acaulospora scrobuculata
  and Azotobacter with chem. fertilizer gave
  highest height no. of leaves

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• 2.5 Socio-economic Benefits
• Acceptance and participation of the
  villagers in planting vetiver for soil water
  conservation in watershed areas in Chiang Mai
• Level of acceptance was related to gender,
  duration of the settlement of the villages,
  family income, freq. of meeting with agric.
  officers, position in village committee and
  membership of the farmers group
• As the benefit of growing vetiver is mainly on
  the envt. rather than on the economy, title of
  agricultural officer should be changed to envtl.
  officer, and should work with the farmers group
  rather than individual farmers

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• 2.5 Socio-economic Benefits
• Acceptance and participation of the
  villagers in planting vetiver for soil water
  conservation in watershed areas in Chiang Mai
  were investigated
• Level of acceptance was related to gender,
  duration of the settlement of the villages,
  family income, freq. of meeting with agric.
  officers, position in village committee and
  membership of the farmers group
• As the benefit of growing vetiver is mainly on
  the envt. rather than on the economy, title of
  agric. officer should be changed to envt. officer
  and should work with the farmers group rather
  than individual farmers

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2.5 Socio-economic Benefits (Cont.)

• Growing vetiver for watershed conservation in 3
  villages in Mae Chaem, Chiang Mai
• Farmers earn higher gross income from
• Increase in production potential of soil
• Employment of labor for planting
• Greater farm areas and more family members
• Income from secondary occupation
• However, farmers with secondary income earned
  less gross income
• Trend in reduced migration of farmers forest
  clearing

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2.6 Salt Tolerance in Vetiver

• Growing vetiver callus on salt-containing
  medium
• Salt-tolerant explants have been selected
• Exposing them to gamma radiation, higher salt
  tolerance has been obtained gamma-radiated
  explants contain higher K and Ca ions than
  untreated ones
• Callus exposed to 50 Gray tolerate 4 NaCl vs 3
  of untreated one
• Problem in inducing callus with high salt
  tolerance to differentiate into explants
• Require further trials on using different media
  or use of seed having well-developed system
  instead of callus

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3. Discussion Most of the works were on
research, few on dissemination (as none was
presented) Various govt. agencies have been quite
active in such activities, e.g.

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• In soil water conservation in highway,
  reservoir and pond embankment sloping areas in
  cassava field

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• Wastewater treatment in canals and ponds

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• 3. Discussion (Cont.)
• In research, most is in wastewater treatment as
  we are facing a serious problem. Vetiver has been
  found to be able to solve this problem
  effectively at a low cost based on simple
  technology

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• In agricultural land, vetiver increases the
  yield of several crops, alone or in combination
  with compost, fertilizer or green manure, through
  the accumulation of plant nutrients and moisture
  contents of the soil, and cut leaves of vetiver
  used as mulch

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• 3. Discussion (Cont.)
• As there are large areas of soil with high salt
  contents in Thailand, the need for salt-tolerant
  strains is obvious to reclaim such problem soils
  for agricultural production
• Although the results so far obtained were not yet
  conclusive, there is a high hope to obtain
  salt-tolerant strain through more extensive
  research

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Thank you