Multi species cover cropping a banana plantation: contributed by Dave Hunter (2019)

For the first few years we farmed bananas conventionally with a crop cycle of four or five ratoons with a cucurbit break crop of pumpkins or melons. This was followed by a yearlong fallow of legumes and grasses and brassicas. Typically Lablab or Cow pea in summer and Fenugreek or Barrel medic and oats or barley or wheat and a forage brassica in winter. This meant a two year clean break from bananas. The summer and winter fallow crops were meant to break the disease cycle and increase soil fertility by being ploughed in as green manure. 

Although this was considered best practice at the time it still didn’t lead to the increase in soil carbon we were looking for. It wasn’t until I heard Simon Mattsson speak about multi species cover cropping and zero tillage after his first Nuffield Scholar’s trip, that I realised that weeds didn’t need to be as big a problem as I had thought. Current thinking is we need a minimum of eight different species in the soil for the Mycorrhizal fungal network to function. I would say now, we are regenerative farmers concentrating on building soil carbon while increasing the biological diversity above and below the ground.  

Weeds, as well as other introduced legumes, forbs and grasses are all just part of a robust healthy system. The problem weeds for us are mainly vines that climb over the crop and have a smothering effect, this is just as relevant in Sugar Cane production. 

I have been a member of our local Landcare movement for about 28 years. In the early years I learned a great deal by going to other farms (not just other banana farms) and field days and workshops. In 2007 I won the Rural Press Landcare “Primary Producer” award, largely for revegetation work we had done on our property since taking it over. For the last four, going on five years, I have been the Chairman of Pioneer Catchment Landcare (PCL) based in Mackay. In that role I have tried to give all the assistance PCL could muster in the formation of Central Queensland Soil Health Systems as an independent, all-inclusive research and regenerative farming organization.

If we all farmed this way there would be no need for the proposed Reef Regulations because with 100% ground cover 100% of the time infiltration rates are increased and soil erosion is almost nonexistent which means any fertilizer put on stays in the paddock. A consequence of this is not as much fertilizer is needed in the first place which leads to big savings in the cost of production.