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Biomass Plants
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7 guidesCastor Oil Plant
Overview The castor oil plant is a fast-growing shrub or small tree best known for producing castor oil from its seeds. It is hardy, drought-tolerant once established, and often grows in disturbed places such as roadsides, dry riverbeds, abandoned fields and settlement edges. For regenerative agriculture, the plant is interesting because it can grow in […]
Atriplex saltbush: assess a fodder planting
Identify the species, check livestock water and test a small protected planting before expanding saltbush as supplementary fodder.
Brachiaria forage: turn a promising recommendation into a local trial
Brachiaria is a familiar name for forage grasses now often classified under Urochloa.
Sesbania: identify the species and match it to the water available
Sesbania plants can attract interest as fast-growing support vegetation. Species differ in habitat, persistence and toxicity, so a riverbank plant and an introduced ornamental should not be managed as though they were the same crop.
Zinnias: bring flowers into a productive garden
Zinnias bring colour and insect activity into a food garden and can supply cut flowers. They are useful plants in their own right; their job need not be justified by claiming that they replace a large biomass shrub.
Pigeon peas: trial food and biomass in a warm garden
Pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan, is a shrubby legume grown for food and other farm uses. It may fill a useful role in a warm, adequately watered garden, but its mature size, season length and competition with nearby crops should be part of the plan.
Biomass between fruit trees: test the benefit and competition
Plants between fruit trees can provide mulch, cover and useful harvests. They also use water, light and labour. A small comparison helps you find a useful support planting without hiding its costs beneath a list of possible benefits.