Caribbean Arachis pintoi Conservation Covers Farm Trials

Overview

Coffee farms in Lares, Jayuya, San Sebastián and Utuado were visited and evaluated in December 2020 to determine if they met study requirements. Arachis pintoi (perennial peanut) was planted at six (6) coffee farms in June 2021, and the sites are being sampled and evaluated monthly. Additional farm trial sites were planted in August and September 2022 to expand the evaluation of A. pintoi for use as conservation cover for additional crop types including citrus, cocoa, coffee and breadfruit. 

2023 Update

On September 6, 2023, NRCS released an Arachis pintoi Ecological Sciences Technical Note with the farm trial methods for establishing perennial peanut. The Perennial Peanut Technical Note 002 offers information on where to plant perennial peanut, how to plant it, as well as operation and maintenance considerations, to use it as a permanent cover under coffee or other trees. According to the technical note, “where sunlight is available, perennial peanut (A. pintoi) becomes a fast-growing legume plant that is known for its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen to the soil. Since perennial peanut is low growing, it will not interfere with coffee or other tree production.”

2022 Arachis Planting

This year's Arachis planting was conducted as an On-the-Job Training (OJT) experience similar to last year's activity, where employees and farmers had a hands-on opportunity to learn how to implement this conservation practice. In 2022, data will be collected using an online platform, and staff will be evaluating three planting methods to determine their efficacy. We will be collecting data for carbon sequestration, validation of 5 planting tools, and planting cost information that will help us develop the payment scenarios for this practice in the Caribbean Area. The 2022 farm trials were planted at: 

• Finca Hector Luis: August 5, 2022, Bo Collores, Juana Diaz, PR
• Hacienda Gosen: August 11, 2022, Bo. Cerro Gordo, Moca, PR - Hacienda Gosén is a 150-acre farm that grows breadfruit, cocoa, ginger, yams, sour sop, dragon fruit, lemons, and beef cattle. NRCS is validating the use of Arachis pintoi as a conservation cover in an agroforestry system. NRCS conservationists Francisco Rivera (Agroforester), and Edrick  Marrero (State Agronomist), and Darisag De Jesús (pathways) are measuring carbon sequestration, water retention, soil compaction (right) and area cover. Data collected will benefit landowners and farmers to adapt to climate change challenges in the Caribbean Area. 
• Finca Wilfred Ruiz Pacheco: August 22, 2022, Maricao, PR 
• Finca El Remanso: August 26, 2022, Bo Rio Prieto, Yauco, PR (photo below)
• Hacienda Los Eucaliptos: September 2, 2022, Lares, PR. On this occasion we hosted a very special visit, Carole Hemmings, Global Sustainability Director for Technoserve, and shared our experience with her and the PR Technoserve team.

July - September 2021 Update

In July and August 2021, our Ecological Sciences Division staff joined the Soils Division to gather data from the A. pintoi conservation cover farm plots (see below). NRCS State Biologist Ricardo Colón and Pathways Student Gustavo Diaz collected data about vegetation and biodiversity present in a one-square-meter sampling area to evaluate wildlife diversity since the project was started on the coffee farms. NRCS State Agronomist Edrick Marrero collected data on percentage ground cover of A. pintoi and the velocity of the plants' growth to cover the area. Natural Resources Specialist Jayson Más collected data on the overall benefits of the Multistory Cropping System (A. pintoi - coffee shrubs - shade trees), specifically the cost(s) associated with practice implementation to establish future scenarios for coffee operations.

2021 Arachis Planting

In June 2021 NRCS Caribbean held three Field Days where NRCS Conservationists and Pathways student interns planted A. pintoi (perennial peanut) in a series of demonstration plots on various coffee farms to evaluate use of the plant as a conservation cover across different soil series in Puerto Rico. The Field Days provided training to field staff, Pathways students and selected farmers about using A. pintoi as a conservation cover and also helped our producers install the field trials due to a labor shortage. The Field Days were coordinated by the agency's Ecological Sciences Division (ESD) and the Civil Rights Advisory Committee (CRAC).

Planting Day 1: June 11, 2021

The first Field Day was held on June 11. Employees and students met at 7:30 am at the San Sebastián Field Office and divided the Pathways students into two groups to plant A. pintoi at a San Sebastián coffee farm and a Lares coffee farm. NRCS Conservationists provided A. pintoi project information and planting instructions to the Pathways students and farm workers; described common coffee conservation practices [No till (329), Conservation Covers (327) and Contour Farming (330)]; and answered questions about NRCS Programs and services and the Conservation Planning process.

"I had a great time meeting this new generation of NRCS' future employees - full of initiative and commitment to conservation and agriculture," said San Sebastián Soil Conservationist Michelle Catoni. "Having the opportunity to share my experiences and knowledge with them was very satisfying. They were able not only to know more about our work but also to know and experience the farmer’s hard work first-hand."

Planting Day 2: June 18, 2021

Field Day 2 was held June 18 to plant out two field trials in Utuado with ESD and State Office staff.

Planting Day 3: June 25, 2021

Field Day 3 was held June 25 to plant out two field trials in Jayuya. Staff from the Utuado, Juana Díaz & Caguas Field Offices participated.

Background

NRCS Ecological Sciences Division (ESD), Soils, MLRA office and field office conservationists visited various coffee farms in Puerto Rico in December 2020 to evaluate sites for a new farm trial project funded by the National NRCS Plant Materials Center (PMC) to establish Arachis pintoi (perennial peanut) as a conservation cover. Sites in Lares, Jayuya, San Sebastián and Utuado were visited and evaluated to determine if they met study requirements.

This project is a partnership between NRCS Caribbean Area and the National NRCS Plant Materials Center (PMC) to conduct field trials of A. pintoi as a conservation cover for coffee production. NRCS will purchase A. pintoi seedlings from local nurseries. The nurseries will deliver the plants to local farmers identified by NRCS, and the field trials will be managed and assessed by NRCS ESD and MLRA Soil Survey staff.

A series of demonstration plots will be established on farms across different soil series and evaluated for a minimum of 12 months. The plots are selected based on their coffee management scenarios, qualities and by soil series. Plant establishment success and behaviors, soil health indicators, biology and wildlife changes, and other indicators will be monitored and evaluated.

The Caribbean Area MLRA Soil Survey Office will lead two full soil characterization samplings of Pellejas and Lirios soils and conduct standard dynamic soil property sampling in the selected plots. For three years the plots will be resampled to compare the effects of the conservation cover on the dynamic soil properties and soil health. The soil groups to be studied include Pellejas, Lirios, Maricao, Los Guineos, Humatas and Mucara, which are representative of Puerto Rico’s coffee region.

A. pintoi is mainly propagated by asexual propagation by cuttings, stem pieces or vegetative mats. In Puerto Rico it is available in plant nurseries and its main use is for ornamental horticulture. A. pintoi has been selected as a conservation cover for its ability to suppress weed growth, ability to create a uniform cover, nitrogen contribution to the soil, ability to grow in a wide range of soil pH, nematode resistance and soil health benefits. Once the use of A. pintoi as a conservation cover is validated, NRCS will create practice scenarios for the plants’ use in conservation incentive programs like EQIP. For more information contact Mario Rodríguez at Mario.Rodriguez@usda.gov.

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