Cover Crop Seeds for Tropical Plantations

Germination-tested leguminous cover crops for oil palm, rubber, and coconut estates: nitrogen fixation, erosion control, and durable ground cover, supplied by quotation for estate-scale planting.

  • 5 Varieties
  • Since 2003 Plantation supplier
  • 500+ Projects
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5 species

Sold by quotation. Each card opens the full product page.

Compare cover crop varieties

Variety Growth habit Shade tolerance Best for Lifespan
PJ - Pueraria javanica Trailing / twining Moderate Oil palm, rubber Short-lived perennial
CM - Calopogonium mucunoides Trailing / creeping Good Rubber, coconut Annual
CC - Calopogonium caeruleum Twining, woody Moderate Oil palm Perennial
CP - Centrosema pubescens Creeping Excellent Mature / heavy canopy Perennial
MB - Mucuna bracteata Vigorous climber Low New plantings, weed control Perennial

PJ - Pueraria javanica

Growth habitTrailing / twining
Shade toleranceModerate
Best forOil palm, rubber
LifespanShort-lived perennial

CM - Calopogonium mucunoides

Growth habitTrailing / creeping
Shade toleranceGood
Best forRubber, coconut
LifespanAnnual

CC - Calopogonium caeruleum

Growth habitTwining, woody
Shade toleranceModerate
Best forOil palm
LifespanPerennial

CP - Centrosema pubescens

Growth habitCreeping
Shade toleranceExcellent
Best forMature / heavy canopy
LifespanPerennial

MB - Mucuna bracteata

Growth habitVigorous climber
Shade toleranceLow
Best forNew plantings, weed control
LifespanPerennial

About this range

Which cover crop seed is right for your plantation? The answer depends on your crop (oil palm, rubber, coconut, or durian), canopy stage, soil pH, rainfall pattern, and management capacity. Chemiseed Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian supplier of legume cover crop seed and soil conditioners to plantations since 2003, supplies five leguminous cover crop species, each with documented strengths and clear limitations: Mucuna bracteata (MB), Pueraria javanica (PJ), Calopogonium mucunoides (CM), Centrosema pubescens (CP) and Calopogonium caeruleum (CC). Seed is germination- and purity-tested to ISTA and AOSA methods. We also supply SoilBoost EA humic acid soil conditioner (manufactured exclusively for Chemiseed Sdn. Bhd. and Kudzu Seeds Trading) and RB Lure rhinoceros beetle pheromone traps. We supply buyers worldwide on request, from Malaysia. Where the destination country requires one, seed consignments travel with a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Department of Agriculture Malaysia (DOA) for export. Import permits and admissibility are the buyer's responsibility. SoilBoost EA is a mined mineral soil conditioner rather than plant material, so a phytosanitary certificate is generally not the applicable document for it.

Which buyer type are you?

Plantation Manager

Oil palm, rubber, coconut, or durian estates. Need species matched to canopy stage, soil type, and hectarage. Oil palm guide | Rubber guide

Distributor / Reseller

Interested in stocking Chemiseed products in your region. Distributor application

Government / B2G

Reforestation, slope stabilisation, or public-sector procurement. Request a quotation for a tender. For road cuttings and embankments, see coir netting with cover crop seed.

Smallholder / Home Garden

Small-scale planting, erosion control, or soil improvement. SoilBoost EA 500g and 1kg packs available. View SoilBoost EA

Guides and Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which cover crop species is best for oil palm?
It depends on canopy stage and management capacity. For young oil palm with active management, Mucuna bracteata (MB) is recommended: in one 15N isotope dilution study under three-year-old oil palm on Jawa Series soil in Malaysia it drew 67 to 84% of its nitrogen from fixation (Cheah, Zaharah and Aminuddin 2010, MPOB OPB 60), and it tolerates seasonal dry spells once established. For young oil palm with limited management, a CM/PJ/CP/CC mix avoids the risk of MB smothering palms. For mature shaded oil palm, CC and CP persist better under canopy. See our Oil Palm Species Selection Guide.
What is the difference between PJ and MB?
Both are high-performing tropical legume cover crops, but they serve different roles. MB is stronger for young oil palm on mineral soils with vigorous growth and drought resilience, but demands active palm-circle maintenance. PJ suits rubber inter-rows, coconut basins, and systems where moderate growth is preferred. See our PJ vs MB Comparison.
How many kilograms of seed do I need per hectare?
Recommended seeding rates, each for the species sown alone, drilled or planted in holes: PJ 10 kg/ha, CM 10 kg/ha, CP 10 kg/ha, CC 5 kg/ha and MB 1 kg/ha (Chemiseed recommendation, 2026 catalogue). MB is not broadcast; it can also be raised in a nursery and transplanted: in MPOB's trial on deep peat, 320 seedlings/ha, two per palm point, were raised from about 500 seeds (75 g) (MPOB TT No. 501), and on mineral soil Samedani et al. (2015) planted 680 seedlings/ha. These rates are for one species sown alone. For a mixture, the quantity of each species is set on the quotation for your site: contact us with your hectarage and soil conditions.
Do cover crops increase yield?
Cover crops provide documented benefits for soil nitrogen, weed suppression, erosion control, and soil structure. Some studies report yield improvements, but yield outcomes depend on site conditions, management quality, and the comparator used. The primary value of cover crops is soil-system improvement, not guaranteed yield increases.
What is SoilBoost EA and how does it differ from fertiliser?
SoilBoost EA is a humic-acid-based soil conditioner manufactured exclusively for Chemiseed Sdn. Bhd. and Kudzu Seeds Trading. Fertilisers supply nutrients (N, P, K). SoilBoost EA is used to support the soil's ability to hold and deliver those nutrients. A meta-analysis of humic acid fertilisers (Ma, Cheng & Zhang 2024, Agronomy 14: 2763) reports averages of about +12% yield and +27% nitrogen use efficiency, but it covered humic acid products as a class and did not test SoilBoost EA; the authors also report that effects diminish outside pH 6 to 8. They are complementary to fertiliser, not interchangeable, and SoilBoost EA is not a fertiliser substitute. See our Soil Enhancer vs Fertiliser explainer.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes. We supply buyers worldwide on request, from Malaysia. Where the destination country requires one, seed consignments travel with a phytosanitary certificate issued by the Department of Agriculture Malaysia (DOA) for export. Import permits and admissibility are the buyer's responsibility. Request a quotation with your destination country, or message us on WhatsApp at +60 17-237 4058.

New: read the complete cover crops guide for species selection, seeding rates, and nitrogen fixation figures.

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