Category: plant

Vetiver Systems and Climate Change

Climate change is a hot topic and a lot of people and agencies are trying to focus on how to adapt to the changes that are likely to occur. We know that temperatures will increase, climatic events are likely to…

Private Sector at work with Vetiver in Madagascar

Readers should be interested in the following email from Coppin Yoann in Madagascar. It just shows what individuals can do to produce vetiver plant material on a large scale. I would say that he is the sort of person who…

Tales from Madagascar

It is always good to start the new year with some good news about vetiver. We know it is difficult to get things done in Africa, but Criss Juliard’s account from the field in Madagascar gives hope that when a…

“Vetiver Banks” Set Up in Thailand

From the Pacific Rim’s Vetiver Network’s Newsletter #46 October 2008 Several agriculture-related, non-conventional Banks have been set up in Thailand, e.g. Buffalo Bank; Wild-flower Seed Bank; Paddy Rice Bank; Rice Grain Bank; Crop Seed Bank, etc. The main difference between…

Vetiver System must be applied correctly

I received an email from Yoann Copin in Madagascar who is working with a large mining operation. He would like to know if anyone has had experience stopping/slowing soil erosion using either lawn grasses or bamboo. I would like to…

Vetiver System and Fire

The recent fires in California remind us of the devastation caused to property and to the local ecology. Often the fires are so hot that most of the ground vegetation is completely burnt off. Recovery is slow and in the…

A vetiver hedgerow is a biological “weir”

What is so special about a vetiver hedgerow?  Why does a vetiver hedgerow spread water so well?   In recent comments on vetiver and bananas it was observed that vetiver enhances moisture availability to adjoining plants.  Why?   Let me…

USDA/NRCS Endorsement

Robert Joy the Species Coordinator at USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center, Hoolehua, Hawaii has worked with Vetiver for a good many years  and has produced a Plant Guide “SUNSHINE VETIVER GRASS, Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty, Plant Symbol = CHZI”.  This is a very welcome  contribution in the…

VETIVER ROOT – What does it look like in Brazil?

Every now and then something comes up to remind us what an interesting and wonderful plant Vetiver is. Recently Fernando Cost Pinto of Brazil dug up this 4 meter plant to display at Congresso Sobrade 2009 this month. The 300 participants had never…