Subject: Re: Botanical name of the Indian crop "dhaincha"?

From: Steve Diver <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 17:08:49 -0500 (EST)

> 
> A colleague has an Indian paper referring to the effect of various pre-crops
> on a subsequent rice crop.  One of the crops discussed is simply called by
> the Indian vernacular name "dhaincha", and we don't know what this is :-(
> 

I have seen this in the literature associated with 
crotalaria (Crotalaria juncea), or maybe its kenaf 
(Hibiscus cannabinus)?.  

I'm pretty sure it is crotalaria, though, because crotalaria
is a common green manure crop which precedes rice (or used to be).  
The common name for the crotalaria grown as a fiber crop and green 
manure in India is Sunn Hemp. 

Recent interest in the U.S. has focused on the nematacidal 
properties of a crotalaria cover crop and secondly, for the 
allelochemicals released sunn hemp seed that suppress the growth of 
leafy spurge, a noxious range weed.   

Literature sources for further reading:

Dempsey, James M.  1975.  Chapter 9.  Sunn Hemp, p. 417-447.
In:  Fiber Crops.  The University Presses of Florida, 
Gainesville.  457 p.  

Duke, James A.  1981.  Handbook of Legumes of World Economic 
Importance.  Plenum Press, New York.  345 p.
     5 crotalia species covered on p. 61-70.
 
Also:

McKee, Roland, and C.R. Enlow.  1931.  Crotalaria, A New
Legume for the South.  USDA Circular No. 137.  31 p.

McKee, Roland, et al.  1946.  Crotalaria Culture and Utilization.
USDA Farmers' Bull. No. 1980.  17 p.

White, G.A., and J.R. Haun.  1965.  Growing Crotalaria juncea,
a multipurpose legume, for paper pulp.  Econ. Botany 19(2):
175-183.