Cultivation of "lajjabati lata"
mimosa pudica, a sensitive plantThis plant used to grow mainly in the rural areas. Normally it grows in jungles. But, nowadays, it is being cultivated in mango orchards to reduce the cost of cultivation and to increase soil fertility. The plant has also great medicinal value.
Nirmal Kumar Saha, an officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Madhupur upazila, told The Independent that he had developed an orchard of Amrapali and Madraji varieties of mangoes in front of Madhupur Agriculture Training Centre. The orchard was established in 2001. Due to excessive weeds the beauty of the garden was in peril. Taka 960 (1 US dollar= Tk 60) was spent as labour cost to weed out the orchard.
For this reason, he cultivated Thai variety of Lajjabati lata mimosa pudica last year to reduce the cost. He was successful in cultivating mimosa pudica. Mimosa pudica is a Thai variety of Lajjabati lata. Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has imported the variety for the country. It is gathered that there are many positive aspects of cultivating mimosa pudica. If mimosa pudica is cultivated weed can not grow in the land. As a result, it reduces the cost of labour. It produces nodules in the roots that receive nitrogen directly from the air to the soil. It also increases the water holding capacity of the soil. It can also be used as green manure which increases the fertility of the soil. It can be used as a medicinal plant, especially for the women suffering from menstruation-related diseases. Besides, DAE has popularised African Dhoincha to increase soil fertility, green manure and also for perching of birds.
The agriculturists are of the opinion that mimosa pudica can be cultivated in pineapple, banana, sugarcane and rubber plantations. These plantations need shadow. The plantations have weed menace. Mimosa pudica farming helps grow more crops. The cost of cultivation of this new variety is less. Now many farmers are demanding seeds of mimosa pudica, an agriculture officer told this correspondent recently (The Independent, 22. 09. 03).