Talawakelle high-grown tea soils: biological nitrogen fixation using Desmodium ovalifolium covers?

Managing soil organic matter on steep tea hillsides around Talawakelle requires suppressing invasive weeds without using broad-spectrum chemical herbicides that destroy soil structure. Planting creeping leguminous ground covers—specifically Desmodium ovalifolium or Arachis pintoi—establishes a dense living mulch. Rhizobium bacteria colonizing root nodules fix up to 120kg of atmospheric nitrogen per hectare annually. The dense leaf carpet intercepts heavy monsoonal rain impact, preventing erosion of fertile topsoil humus, while root exudates lower soil compaction and support mycorrhizal development.