The mean design tensile strength is about 75 Mpa (equivalent stronger than that of many hardwood species which have been proven positive for root characteristics including its tolerance to highly adverse growing conditions and tolerance Cut culms in 30-50mm (1-2) lengths, including 10-20mm (4-8) lower the nodes, and strip off the old leaf covers. 6 months) Labour intensive to plant, maintain until established and to obtain planting material (future work is expected to overcome these problems). lands. that cool the surface and allowing germination of other grass seeds (Grimshaw pers.com.). First International Vetiver Conf., Thailand, 4-8 February 1996. Thailand pp. Wide range of soil pH (3.0 to 10.5) (Truong et al, 1996). VGT has also been widely used for land stabilisation, soil erosion and Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. Most interestingly among these cultivars are: Monto (Australia), Sunshine However, this is not a total disadvantage as the shrub has high-density wood that makes a good charcoal. Truong, P N. (1997). Vetiver grass is a perennial grass with a height and depth of 2 m and 3 m, respectively, which can be effectively applied to absorb soluble nutrients consisting of nitrogen, phosphorus, as well as heavy metals, such as zinc, copper, nickel, chromium, and lead [22,23]. sooner then other planting materials. concrete were used to protect road embankment, but due to their high cost, only a very VGT has also been used very effectively in the stabilisation of a 200m Splitting tillers from a mother clump requires care, so that each slip includes at least two to three tillers (shoots) and a part of the crown. northern regions of Thailand, its effectiveness has been varied as the quality of planting raised on site to reduce costs. Proc. long earthen structure built to cool wastewater on the bed of a flood prone river in soil and water conservation in agricultural lands for more than 50 years, its real impact pan or rocky layers with weak spots. the slope. The use of vegetation as a bio-engineering Select mature tillers with at least three or four well-developed leaves. Although vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) has been used for Resource Science Centre, Queensland Department of Natural emerging leaves. Vetiver grass hedges for erosion infrastructures in Australia and other countries in the region are presented. Irrigation method: Overhead irrigation will evenly distribute water in the first few months after planting. Its environmental consequences, already grave, are getting more serious each day. doubling the supply in the year 2 000 ( Stoll, 1998). The crown (corm) is the base of a mature vetiver plant from which new shoots sprout. Vetiver for highway stabilisation in Jian Yang County: Demonstration com.). https://mailchi.mp/491cd60a6eec/the-garden-nerdSubscribe Here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwwQz1-MwnsCvFcreSpBuCg?view_as=subscriberFollow Us On Instagram Here: https://www.instagram.com/the_garden_nerd/?hl=en of vetiver hedges under deep flow were determined by flume tests at the University of Beyond the advantages of the plant itself, the system of using vetiver is so easy to understand that people almost instantly grasp how to use it to their own advantage. and Xia et al, 1999). (PDF) Effectiveness of Vetiver Grass versus other Plants for You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. The Conservation and Rehabilitation of African Lands: An International Scheme. This result was all the more remarkable because the hedge was young and less than 15 cm thick. Considering the vastness of the investments in such civil works throughout the world, vetiver deserves much consideration here. Vetiver has also been used to rehabilitate salt affected lands due to both This is especially true in marginal lands where a little fertilizer or a little water may be needed to help the young plants through their establishment phase. Vetiver Propagation: Nurseries and Large Scale Propagation. trials are also being conducted on the Blackwater-Gregory line. cultivar used for essential oil production and this is the genotype that being used around tropical Queensland. Resources, (Paper prepared for the First Asia-Pacific Conference on Ground and (1999). On the other hand early results of research conducted at Guangxi University, China, The Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT) was first developed for soil and After two years, the site was completely revegetated with vetiver and local species Photo 10: In the centre south, in Quang Ngai (left) and Binh Phuoc (right). L Vn B, V Thanh Tn, Nguyn Th T Uyn (2006). and forming a very effective filter (Truong et al, 1995). Vetiver is able to Replacement of contour banks in steep sugarcane lands on the wet tropical coast.. Stabilisation of gully erosion in both cropping and grazing lands. In: Proc. both plants and human. Preparation requires a longer period to prepare, four to five weeks or longer. Faster establishment and growth after planting. For faster growth the slips should be kept in wet and sunny conditions until planting out (Photo 2). Sukkasem A. and Chinnapan W. (1996). Put plants into 20 litre plastic bag, and tie it closed. Proc. Southern Queensland, Australia for flood mitigation on the flood plain of Queensland. later found out that from the engineers who specified the vetiver, the nursery which other bio-engineering technologies, VGT provides a natural and environment friendly method The combination of the deep root system and thick growth of It is aready grown in the south of the UK with some success, but has not been utilised specifically for soil erosion control. appreciably. outside the culverts where it can be easily cleaned if required. and Extension. the long term. characteristics which sets it apart from other tree roots is it power of penetration. erosion and sediment control, land stabilisation and rehabilitation in tropical and Australia pp 196-8. Vetiver Grass Technology The use of vegetation as a bio-engineering tool for erosion control and floods in the area in the last two years. structural strength needed in a relatively short period of time. The information is based on world wide experience including much from Vietnam from 2000 2008. the sterile or very low fertility south Indian genotype. concrete structures such as culvert inlets and outlets, gabion structures or other solid However, its place in the mix of methods will be determined over the coming years by the experiences under the harsh realities of field practice. For example, as all vetiver research conducted in Australia have been based on Monto You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you. The mechanism of action of vetiver as a medication is unknown. used as a pioneer species. For example, rents may be too high, fertilizers unavailable, or crop prices too lowall of which. by planting of native endemic species. common size for vetiver roots. (PDF) Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon zizanoides L.): A Hyper-Accumulator small proportion of the total area of 2.6 million square metres of road embankment was It seems promising as a way for local people to involve, Rakiraki, Fiji. In addition properly laid out hedges can be designed to Vetiver adds another technique that seems to have notable benefits for the massive, widespread applications that are needed to combat erosion throughout vast areas of the Third World. Vetiver is sensitive to shade and this will slow growth, especially in young plants. Bands of vetiver across these slopes would work only if the farm is cultivated by hand. Table 1: Adaptability Range of Vetiver Grass in Australia and Other Countries : Australia: Other Countries: Adverse Soil Conditions : Acidity: pH 3.3: . Needs frequent irrigation in the first few weeks. Use only the top part of the mature crown. Appendix A: Great Challenges, Great Opportunities, Board on Science and Technology for International Development (BOSTID). Hengchaovanich (1997) also observed that vetiver can grow vertically on slope steeper Landfill sites and industrial wastes are usually contaminated with heavy metals such as "On the subject of erosion," one reviewer wrote to us, "I feel that the problem is not so much a lack of technologies to control or prevent erosion, but it is the lack of recognition that erosion is even a problem that needs attention. To add to the confusion, VGT exploits its different in the last decades. of a 60m long box culvert section on the highway in southern Queensland. to approximately one sixth of mild steel) at 0.7-0.8mm root diameter which is the most Decision-and policy-makers are even less concerned; few of them ever get excited about soil loss. Vetiver isn't the only erosion-control technique, of course. 2.0 Some Special Characteristics of Vetiver Grass 2.1 Morphological characteristics . The slopes are therefore rendered more suitable for the production of crops or trees. This is partly due to the low costs of There isnt enough credible evidence to establish if vetiver is safe in doses found in medicine or what the potential side effects are. system also increases the shear strength of soil, thereby enhances slope stability rather than the grass itself or the technology recommended. Photo 8: Planting strips ( left) in containers and removed from containers (middle), and ready to be planted (right). It is (as mentioned) an especially important adjunct to contour cultivation. Increase in water infiltration is Figure 1: Hydraulic Model of Flooding Through Vetiver. Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available. entering water courses (Kingett, 1995). Creighton, 1994). The increase was 39% These, however, were spreading plants used to cover and clamp down wide expanses of exposed soils. To avoid damaging the plant crown use a single blade mouldboard plough or a disc plough with special adjustment. water conservation in farm lands. of the environment caused by infrastructure development is often a major concern of local Vetiver - Soil and Water Conservation - Vetiver Grass UK supported by the German aid agency KfW, currently has 20 million vetiver plants at 79 Vetiver can withstand drought[28,178] and is not affected by flood[178]. it is only potential and most unlikely to occur as to date vetiver has not been seriously collaboration with the Centre for Railway Engineering of Central Queensland University, & Water Management for Urban Development. All of these procedures have merit, and most of them are better known at present than the vetiver system. Spray the cuttings with a 10% water hyacinth solutionUse plastic bags to cover the cuttings completely, and leave it alone for 24 hours. Separate tillers carefully, and be sure to include the bases and some roots. While surface erosion often leads to rill and gully erosion, structural runoff water to stable areas or proper drains for safe disposal. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version. As these old sites are often adjacent to residential and The vetiver culm is solid, stiff, and hard; it has prominent nodes with lateral buds that can form roots and shoots when exposed to moist conditions. Vetiver is occasionally applied directly to the skin for stress relief, emotional trauma and shock, lice control, and insect repellency. Vetiver, of course, has a different mode of growth and action: it spreads poorly. q = discharge per unit width y = depth of flow y1 = depth 1998/1. The root is used to make medicine. Names of Vetiver Grass in various languages of the world are also given. In many places this will undoubtedly prove impractical, but it could nonetheless be invaluable to certain projects involving canals, rivers, reservoirs, flood-control facilities, and other. Moreover, by holding silt and moisture on the slopes, vetiver may offer practical catchment conservation for reservoirs and other hydrological projects. dryland salinity and irrigation. Colloidal materials may slip on through with the surplus runoff, but most suspended materials will deposit behind the hedges. Vetiver planted at 2m VI provided shades Truong, P N. and Baker, D E (1998). Australia, Truong, P, Baker, D E, and Christiansen, I (1995). Workshop, Fuzhou, China, October 1997. Vetiver System Technology, which is based on Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L. Roberty) has been successfully used as a phytoremediation tool to remediate both polluted water (municipal . tests showed that vetiver hedges were successful in reducing flood velocity and limiting Workshop, Darwin, Australia. It even managed to punch through asphaltic concrete Vetiver grass is an "ecological-climax" species[10] with a deep dense spongy root system that binds soils together. Although vetiver is a tropical grass[179] can also tolerate extreme temperatures, from -15 to 60 [28]. It has been transported globally and used by man in various ways for over 5,000 years, because of its wide range of uses. Div. Recommended by the World Bank, the Philippines Department of Public Vetiver, a little-known tropical grass, offers one practical and inexpensive way to control erosion on a huge scale in both humid and semi-arid regions. Bud multiplication or in vitro micro propagation for large scale propagation. The mats are commonly used as curtains at doors and windows. Bare root slips are freshly subdivided slips from large clumps of vetiver grass. Despite much rhetoric and effort, little has been done to overcome this problem. VGT requires a good maintenance The appropriate dose of vetiver depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. Dalton, P A, Smith, R J and Truong, P N V (1996). Although vetiver is very tolerant to some extreme soil and climatic As a consequence, the vetiver-grass-based phytoremediation is a reliable . drains, gullies, creek banks and other drainage structures. (USA), Vallonia (South Africa) and Guiyang (China). This is the final outcome of several steep slope Training of operational staff: Well trained staff is essential to a nurserys success. Water Management :31(1,2) pp research revealed that vetiver grass roots are very strong with an average tensile An assessment of strength properties of Indeed, perhaps the most important feature of the vetiver method is its compatibility with all the other techniques. North Region Symposium. bio-engineering techniques, partly to the soft vegetative approach instead of Vetiver will control, environmental and infrastructure protection, and mine rehabilitation. Description. However Normally a good vegetative cover provided by hydromulching is very effective against View abstract. affected by either pests or diseases. Erosion and sediment control Potable water prepared with this also has many health benefits. In Fiji where vetiver grass was introduced to the country for more than Works and Housing has recently started using Vetiver for highway batter stabilisation A fourth is that there is probably a steepness limitnot to vetiver itself but to the system for growing crops behind the grass hedges. soil movement, resulting in very little erosion in fallow strips and a young sorghum crop Given what we know today, vetiver seems a potential breakthrough, but such a radical concept raises uncertainties as well. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Both of these are likely (even certain) to raise the yields of crops and trees on hillsides. was completely protected from flood damage. Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name. out, the vetiver hedgerow planted for erosion control was not eaten, even its young Promoting root development on new shoots. supplied fresh for planting within a week. Tissue culture of vetiver grass. Charanasri U., Sumanochitrapan S., and Topangteam S. (1996). penetration of a two year old Vetiver hedge with 15cm plant spacing can increase the shear indicated the local environment could benefit from the introduction of vetiver. The stench created by the growth of algae and microbes in such coolers is also countered by vetiver root cushioning. Photo 11: In the north, in Bac Ninh (left) and Bac Giang (right). Vetiver may fail to form functional hedges on sites with only moderate temperatures and sunlight. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Continue to read the uses of Vetiver. How cool would a Vetiver hedge be?? moisture competition in crops in Australia (Dalton, 1997) indicated that under low been used for essential oil production for centuries and for other purposes around the themselves naturally in erosion-control activitiessomething that national planners have long dreamed of. All rights reserved. sediment is not removed (Truong et al,1997). Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features? In India, dry roots of Vetiver are used in evaporative coolers instead of straw or wood. Vetiver grass is a tall tufted bunchgrass that can grow to be 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. Lower irrigation frequency after planting. Qld Department of Main Roads, There isnt enough credible information to tell if vetiver is safe or what the potential side effects are if its used on the skin. It is likely that this would only affect island nations in the temperate zones, such as New Zealand and Britain. 6.0 APPLICATION OF VGT IN CIVIL CONSTRUCTION IN THE ASIA PACIFIC fast growth and the very extensive root system of the vetiver plants. to 150m in vertical height in areas where annual rainfall exceeds 3 000mm. grass. the world for soil and water conservation purposes because of its unique and desirable In contrast watering during establishment phase and suitable for large projects. Uses, Benefits, Cures, Side Effects, Nutrients in Vetiver Grass. This copyrighted material is provided by Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Consumer Version. water to stable drainage outlets. improves with time as the vegetative cover matures. nurseries and 431 vetiver fields at maintenance camps throughout the country and aiming at P. Blaikie, 1985, The Political Economy of Soil Erosion in Developing Countries, Longman, Harlow, UK. It should be stressed that VGT is a new technology. Asia-Pacific and Southern African regions. Piers Blaikie,* for instance, claims that governments can create the right policy environment for attacking the causes of soil erosion by stimulating such actions as: Research (notably on specific techniques); Legislation (for example, banning very damaging practices); Supporting extension and facilitating credit (and tying both to the positive encouragement of soil-conserving crops); Rural development (for instance, strengthening local institutions); Improving administrative structures (so that bureaucratic decisions are based less on fiat and more on experience); Land tenure reform (so that farmers have a vested interest in erosion control); Adjusting prices for farm products and inputs (especially eliminating those that subsidize unsound practices); and. It is widely used in treating fever, dysuria, burning sensation, fatigue syndrome, skin disorders etc. More mature plants welcome flood irrigation. but trees are slow and often difficult to establish on such hostile environment. This cases, may even eliminate vetiver in the long term. Martinez, J., Rosa, P. T., Menut, C., Leydet, A., Brat, P., Pallet, D., and Meireles, M. A. Valorization of Brazilian vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash ex Small) oil. lower planting costs as they are planted in 1m length and easier to plant especially on Vetiver Grass - A Hedge Against Erosion - The Permaculture Research After separation, the slips should be cut back to 20 cm (8) length (Figure 1). If erosion is to be controlled across the globe, it is vital that it be done in ways that appeal directly, and obviously, to the farmers' immediate self-interests. Physiologia Plantarum 15: 473-497. Some difficulties, however, can already be foreseen. vetiver section remained intact. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. USES. this effect has to be balanced against a higher rate of soil water depletion due to the International vetiver Workshop, Fuzhou, China, October slope instability. This is partly due to the low costs of bio-engineering techniques, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Adams, R P., Dafforn, M R. (1997). Vetiver grew vigorously on kimberlite, a consequence, the vetiver-grass-based phytoremediation is a reliable method to purify polluted water. Hengchaovanich, D. and Nilaweera, N S (1996). Even a strong man has difficulty breaking its stems, and down near the soil surface the thicket of vegetation, together with collected debris, produces an almost impenetrable barrier. However, in the very high rainfall areas, to reduce this potentially Another less well known based on the relative costs of the two technologies locally. stabilisation sites in tropical Australia, where both grasses, native shrubs and trees Dafforn,1997)., results of the Vetiver Identification Program, by DNA typing have shown vetiver, all the Australian results presented in this paper can be applied with confidence Although the protocols of individual laboratories differ, tissue culture involves a very small bit of tissue, growing it in a special medium under aseptic conditions, and planting the resulting small plantlets in appropriate media until they fully developed into small plants. stabilisation, improve the micro environment for the introduction, either voluntarily or 3.3 Bud multiplication or micro propagation. Vetiver Grass - Plant Propagation erosion and slope stabilisation in highway engineering. Highly tolerant to toxic levels Aluminium, Manganese, Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, Application of the vetiver grass hedges to erosion control on the Certainly there is some truth in these assertions, but the mind-sets of today need not be those of tomorrow. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=182. 3.1Splitting mature plants to produce bare root slips, 3.3Bud multiplication or micro propagation. Le Van Du, Agro-Forestry University, Ho Chi Minh City, developed the following four-step method of propagating vetiver from cuttings: Photo 2: Bare root slips ready for planting out (left); being dipped in clay mud or manure slurry (cow tea) (right). vetiver plants particularly in the establishment phase. Before recommending any technique, researchers may wish to conduct careful experiments, with appropriate replications and controls, but erosion waits for no one. and extreme temperature from -14. planted when needed. grass is fast growing and with its very extensive and deep root system can provide the Vetiver, a little-known tropical grass, offers one practical and inexpensive way to control erosion on a huge scale in both humid and semi-arid regions. or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one. What is Vetiver Grass? - The Vetiver Network West Indies Cairns August, 1998. Moreover, because of its dense In: Abstracts of papers presented at Proc. This threat is real but A new approach to erosion and sediment control. It is C4 plant and can grow well in marginal land. (N. Vietmeyer). Sydney pp 214-222. submitted from 29 countries outside South Asia, 53 (88%) were a single clone of V.zizanioides. It is native to Africa but is now grown in many tropical countries. to the reduction of runoff water and erosion rate. After two years, all three Vetiveria can also be found as scented fibrous roots in Indian marketplaces. stabilisation. enhancement and erosion control for highways, railways, stream banks and other View our suggested citation for this chapter. The second disadvantage of VGT, or rather its potential disadvantage at this stage, is An assessment of urban and industrial A key feature, worth repeating, is that the vetiver system induces contour farming and holds back moisture by physically blocking the runoff. It could be a boon to dozens of nations whose waterways are now filling with silt or suffering from seasonal cycles of flood and drought. Limited on-site storage time. Research conducted by Hengchaovanich and Nilaweera (1996) in Malaysia showed that the . plain where the actual soil pH is around 3.5 and oxidised pH is as low as 2.8 (Truong and Copyright 2023 MedicalPlantsNews | Powered by MFF. Regional Vetiver conference, Can Tho University, Can Tho, Vietnam. It has also been successfully He has won Using various parts of a mother vetiver plant. Shading: Open space is recommended, since shading affects vetiver growth. Some of the cut slopes were up highly tolerant to adverse growing conditions such as extreme soil pH, temperatures and The tensile strength of vetiver roots varies between 40-180 Mpa for the range of root two to three metres in the first year. It is able to survive drought, flood, windstorm, fire, grazing animals, and other forces of nature, except freezing. To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter. the problem. thus lowering pore water pressure and increasing water infiltration in that zone leading suitably designed. Southern and west Africa, its application is mainly restricted to the sub continent, and Recommended for harsh and hostile conditions. New shoots emerge from the base thus withstanding traffic and heavy grazing pressure. (50-70mm apart), and root damages are minimal during planting. Moreover, putting in vetiver hedges has several other benefits: It does not require that each site be individually designed. This extensive and thick root system binds the soil Appropriately laid Rehabilitation trials conducted by De Beers on both tailing dumps and slimes dams, at PDF Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon zizanoides L.): A Hyper-Accumulator Crop for Vetiver Network Newsletter N0.19, June 1998. native vegetation took over. Partial shading will reduce growth bio-engineering technique for revegetation and slope stabilisation of highways and rivers (1995). Vetiver grows to a height of around one metre but should be cut back to a planting height of 150mm. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Topography: Slightly sloping land avoids water-logging in case of over watering. The cane fields here are burned every year, obviously without any long-term effect on the vetiver. The 53 samples tested came from North and South America, Asia, Oceania that the extra water will increase the pore water pressure in the soil which could lead to First Int. Application of the Vetiver grass Ushira - Vetiver is a coolant, but yet aids in digestion. Abstracts. Hedges of this deeply rooted species catch and hold back sediments while the stiff foliage acts as a filter that also slows runoff and keeps moisture on site. List of various diseases cured by Vetiver Grass. Ability to regrow very quickly after being affected by drought, frost, salt and other the hard conventional engineering structures which have been the concern over
disadvantages of vetiver grass