Aluminium tolerance of Mucuna: A tropical leguminous cover crop

In the humid tropics leaching of N and other nutrients to the subsoil may occur throughout the growing season. Typically, soils in this zone have a low soil pH, a high Al saturation of the cation exchange complex and low levels of Ca and P in the subsoil. Efficiency of N-use under such conditions generally is very low, due to a combination of high leaching rates and shallow root development. The ability to develop a deep root system is important in this sítuation for recovery of nutrients leached early on. ... Zie: Summary