Potential and historical Uses for bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) in organic agriculture

Summary

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. Bracken is considered a serious weed species, due to its toxic constituents and negative impacts on agriculture and conservation. Historically however, this fern was a highly prized commodity due to the many uses for cut fronds. Cutting bracken is one of the few bracken management options open to organic farmers. Many traditional uses for the material resulting from harvesting material may have potential in modern organic agriculture, putting a modern value on the plant for its sustainable use or its eradication. This poster reviews some traditional and potential uses within agriculture, investigated as part of a MPhil research project. These uses for bracken include; use as a source of fertility from raw material and ash, weed control for vegetable crops, animal bedding, cover mulch, insect repellent, seed treatment, anti-fungal agent, and biofuel.