Pueraria javanica vs Mucuna bracteata by crop system: oil palm, rubber, coconut

Pueraria javanica (PJ) tropical cover crop seeds by Kudzu Seeds Trading Mucuna bracteata (MB) cover crop seeds by Kudzu Seeds Trading

Which species to plant in which planting system, from published field evidence. By Kudzu Seeds Trading, the Philippines-based sister company of Chemiseed Sdn. Bhd.

What this page answers: which of the two species belongs in your particular planting system. Choose MB for young oil palm on mineral soil and for oil palm on peat, where its vigour gives fast ground cover and weed suppression, provided you can keep the palm circles clear. Choose PJ for immature and replanted rubber inter-rows and for coconut basins, where a less aggressive habit is easier to live with. MB is the more shade-tolerant of the two and holds ground cover longer as the canopy develops, while PJ thins out earlier; under a fully closed canopy both eventually thin, and shade-persistent species such as Centrosema pubescens (CP) and Calopogonium caeruleum (CC) take over. Both are sown the same way, drilled or planted in holes, at the recommended seeding rates for each species sown alone: 10 kg/ha for PJ and 1 kg/ha for MB (our recommendation). MB can also be raised in a nursery and transplanted; in MPOB's trial on deep peat, 320 seedlings/ha, two per palm point, were raised from about 500 seeds (75 g) (MPOB TT No. 501).

Request a quotation for Pueraria javanica or for Mucuna bracteata. We reply within one business day (Philippine time).

Need seed quantities, cost and ordering instead? If the species choice is already made and your real question is how much to buy, read our companion page MB vs PJ: seeding rates, ordering and cost. It covers our recommended seeding rates, ordering for seed sown in drills or holes or for MB nursery seedlings, scarification and germination, what each species costs to establish, and current seed availability in the Philippines. This page stays on the question of which species suits which system, and does not go into order quantities or pricing.

Head-to-head by planting system

Attribute Mucuna bracteata (MB) Pueraria javanica (PJ)
Establishment 1 kg/ha sown alone, drilled or planted in holes (our recommendation); nursery seedlings are another option (MPOB's deep-peat trial: 320 seedlings/ha from about 500 seeds, 75 g, MPOB TT No. 501; Samedani et al. 2015: 680 seedlings/ha on mineral soil). Not broadcast 10 kg/ha sown alone, drilled or planted in holes (our recommendation)
Nitrogen fixation 67-84% Ndfa in oil palm (Cheah et al. 2010, MPOB OPB 60: 15N isotope dilution under three-year-old oil palm on Jawa Series soil, Malaysia) 85 to 93% Ndfa depending on the year (natural-abundance 15N method), with about 250 kg N/ha/yr accumulated by the legume, in one four-year rubber-intercrop trial in northeast Thailand (Clermont-Dauphin et al. 2016). A single-trial measurement, not a design value
Biomass production High, vigorous climbing growth About 8 Mg/ha/yr aboveground in immature rubber (Clermont-Dauphin et al. 2016)
Erosion control Higher soil moisture, infiltration and organic matter, and less runoff and erosion, on 0 to 25% slopes under three-year-old oil palm in Riau, Indonesia (Wawan, Dini and Hapsoh 2019) 88% less runoff and 98% less soil loss than bare soil with a Pueraria phaseoloides inter-row cover in young rubber replanted after clear-cutting, on 1-square-metre plots in Côte d'Ivoire (Perron et al. 2024)
Drought tolerance Moderate to good once established Moderate once established, but on shallow or light soils with low water-holding capacity the cover competes for water. See the caveat under immature rubber below
Shade tolerance Moderate to high; the more shade-tolerant of the two, which is why it is the species used under maturing oil palm. It still declines under a fully closed canopy Low to moderate; suited to open immature rubber, but it thins out earlier than MB as the canopy closes
Soil pH range Performs on acidic tropical soils Grows on acidic tropical soils; tolerates temporary waterlogging
Management demand High, vigorous, can smother and entangle young palms without active circle maintenance Moderate, less aggressive growth, easier to manage around young trees
Weed suppression Strong, mainly by smothering once established Good ground cover but less aggressive than MB
Best primary system Young immature oil palm on mineral soils; oil palm on peat (320 transplanted seedlings/ha in MPOB TT No. 501) Immature rubber inter-rows; coconut basins; mixed legume covers

System-specific recommendations

Young oil palm (mineral soil)

Choose MB. MB is widely used under young immature oil palm for ground cover and weed suppression, and an MPOB study measured 67 to 84% of its nitrogen taken from the air under three-year-old oil palm (Cheah et al. 2010). MB is not broadcast: it is drilled or planted in holes at 1 kg/ha sown alone, or raised in a nursery and transplanted, and it requires active palm-circle management to prevent smothering.

Oil palm on peat

Choose MB. MPOB TT No. 501 describes MB on deep peat at Teluk Intan, Perak, planted at 320 seedlings/ha, two per palm point, raised from about 500 seeds (75 g). Ground cover closes more slowly on peat than on mineral soil: 31% at 6 months, 58% at 12, 75% at 18 and 78% at 24 months in that planting, against about 100% at 6 months for 680 seedlings/ha on mineral soil (Samedani et al. 2015).

Immature rubber

Choose PJ. PJ is drilled or planted in holes, at 10 kg/ha sown alone. In one four-year rubber-intercrop trial in northeast Thailand, PJ produced about 8 Mg/ha/yr of aboveground biomass and accumulated about 250 kg N/ha/yr at 85 to 93% Ndfa, and fixed N transferred from the legume made up 39 to 46% of the rubber trees' leaf N depending on the year (Clermont-Dauphin et al. 2016). Treat these as single-trial measurements rather than design figures. The same trial found the cover reduced young rubber trees' resilience to intense drought at upper slope positions with low water-holding capacity, so on shallow or light soils plan the cover to the soil. PJ is less aggressive than MB and easier to manage around young rubber.

Replanted rubber on slopes

Choose PJ (or a mixture that includes PJ). In young rubber replanted after clear-cutting in Côte d'Ivoire, a Pueraria phaseoloides inter-row cover reduced runoff by 88% and soil loss by 98% compared with bare soil on 1-square-metre plots (Perron et al. 2024); small plots tend to show large relative reductions. PJ's moderate habit suits slope management. On upper slopes with low water-holding capacity, weigh that against the reduced drought resilience reported by Clermont-Dauphin et al. (2016).

Coconut basins

Choose PJ. In a farmer's coconut garden on laterite soil in Alappuzha district, Kerala, India, Pueraria phaseoloides sown in 1.8 m-radius palm basins produced 28.45 kg of fresh biomass and 196.2 g of nitrogen in its shoots per basin, harvested 120 days after sowing (Thomas and Shantaram 1993). These are per-basin figures from one site, not per-hectare or annual values. The wide spacing and open canopy of coconut suit PJ well.

Mixed legume cover systems

Use both. Some plantation managers use PJ across the open inter-rows and put MB into the blocks with the worst weed pressure. Both are drilled or planted in holes; MB can also go in as nursery seedlings. As the canopy closes PJ thins out first and MB holds on longer; under a fully closed canopy plan for CP and CC to take over. Species selection should match canopy stage, slope, and management capacity.

What this comparison does not cover

Important limitations

This comparison focuses on soil-system benefits: nitrogen fixation, erosion control, ground cover, and weed suppression. It does not make crop-yield promises, and it does not cover order quantities, scarification or pricing; for those, see MB vs PJ: seeding rates, ordering and cost.

MB has not been shown to "always increase FFB yield", that claim is not supported by consistent multi-site evidence. PJ has not been shown to increase rubber latex yield, shorten time to first tapping, or prevent Tapping Panel Dryness, those claims lack clean field-trial support.

Cover-crop performance varies by soil type, rainfall, management intensity, planting density, and canopy stage. The data cited here comes from specific field contexts and may not transfer directly to all sites. Legume cover contributes nitrogen; adjust your fertiliser programme only after soil and leaf analysis shows what the cover supplies on your block.

Evidence sources

  • Cheah, Zaharah and Aminuddin 2010, Oil Palm Bulletin 60: 22-27 (MPOB, PDF): 15N isotope-dilution study documenting 67 to 84% Ndfa for MB under three-year-old oil palm
  • Clermont-Dauphin et al. 2016, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 217: 79-88 (doi:10.1016/j.agee.2015.11.002): about 8 Mg/ha/yr biomass and 250 kg N/ha/yr accumulated by PJ at 85 to 93% Ndfa, with 39 to 46% of rubber leaf N from the legume, in one four-year rubber-intercrop trial in northeast Thailand; the same trial found the cover reduced young rubber trees' drought resilience on water-limited ground
  • Wawan, Dini and Hapsoh 2019, IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 250: 012021 (doi:10.1088/1755-1315/250/1/012021): MB effects on soil physical properties, runoff and erosion on three slopes (0 to 25%) of immature oil palm, Riau, Indonesia
  • Perron et al. 2024, Science of the Total Environment 913: 169335 (doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169335): 88% less runoff and 98% less soil loss than bare soil with a Pueraria inter-row cover in young rubber, 1-square-metre plots, Côte d'Ivoire
  • Thomas & Shantaram 1993, CORD 9(1): 34 (doi:10.37833/cord.v9i01.265): fresh biomass and shoot nitrogen of PJ per coconut basin, Kerala, India
  • Hasnol Othman, Farawahida Mohamad Darus and Zulkifli Hashim 2012, MPOB TT No. 501: MB on deep peat at 320 transplanted seedlings/ha from about 75 g of seed; ground cover at 6 to 24 months
  • Samedani et al. 2015, International Journal of Agriculture & Biology 17(2): 251-260: MB at 680 seedlings/ha on mineral soil, about 100% cover at 6 months
  • Tropical Forages (CIAT and ILRI 2020): fact sheet for Neustanthus phaseoloides (syn. Pueraria phaseoloides)
  • Recommended seeding rates on this page (PJ 10 kg/ha, MB 1 kg/ha): our recommendation, each for one species sown alone; for a mixture, the quantity of each species is set on the quotation for your site

Frequently asked questions

Can I use MB and PJ together in the same plantation?
Yes. Some plantation managers use PJ across the open inter-rows, both species drilled or planted in holes, and use MB where weed pressure is worst or where the cover has to persist as the canopy develops, since MB tolerates shade better than PJ. The key is matching species to canopy stage and management capacity. MB's vigorous growth requires more active maintenance than PJ.
Which species is easier to establish?
Both are sown the same way: drilled or planted in holes, not broadcast, because broadcasting does not guarantee good germination, especially where the soil dries out easily. Our recommended seeding rate is 10 kg/ha for PJ and 1 kg/ha for MB, each sown alone. MB can also be raised in a nursery and transplanted, which adds nursery labour; in MPOB's trial on deep peat, 320 seedlings/ha, two per palm point, were raised from about 500 seeds (75 g) (MPOB TT No. 501). PJ is generally easier to manage. MB is more vigorous once established but requires active circle maintenance in young plantations to prevent smothering of crop plants. Both benefit from proper seedbed preparation and adequate moisture at planting.
How much nitrogen do MB and PJ fix?
The measurements are from different crop systems and methods, so direct comparison is not straightforward. MB took 67 to 84% of its nitrogen from the atmosphere under three-year-old oil palm (Cheah et al. 2010, MPOB). For PJ, one four-year rubber-intercrop trial in northeast Thailand measured about 250 kg N/ha/yr accumulated by the legume at 85 to 93% Ndfa (Clermont-Dauphin et al. 2016); treat that as a single-trial measurement rather than a design value, since published figures vary widely with site, stand age and management. Legume cover contributes nitrogen; adjust your fertiliser programme only after soil and leaf analysis shows what the cover supplies on your block.
Will either species increase my crop yield?
Neither species has consistent multi-site evidence for direct crop-yield increases. Cover crops improve soil system health, nitrogen cycling, erosion control, moisture retention, organic matter, which supports long-term productivity. But attributing specific yield numbers to a single cover crop input would overstate the evidence.

Need help choosing the right cover crop for your plantation?

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