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Inga seeds and planting

What Inga or Guamo seeds look like and how to prepare them for alley cropping

This is important to understand about Inga alley cropping practices. Inga seeds cannot be stored. They are recalcitrant — that means they won't survive drying, freezing, or storage, so they have to go from pod to soil within days (Cruz, E.D. 2021).

This is why Inga reforestation is farmer-network work, not seed-bank work: the supply chain has to be alive.

After the fruits are harvested the seeds must be processed (pulp removal and washed) then sown right away to avoid pest damage.

Fresh Inga edulis seeds (guamo, ice cream bean) — the recalcitrant tropical legume at the core of Inga alley cropping. Seeds cannot be dried or stored; they must be planted within days of harvest. Used in SexyTrees reforestation and agroforestry methodology for nitrogen fixation, phosphorus cycling, and acid-soil tolerance.
Inga edulis also known as Guamo seeds used for Inga alley cropping. Note: We can't remember if this is our image! But its such a good example we're using until told otherwise!
Hand holding several dark Inga edulis seeds with long pale radicles already emerging — viviparous germination characteristic of this nitrogen-fixing Amazonian legume — held above a cleared planting site in Putumayo, Colombia. Foundational species for alley cropping in Savimbo's SexyTrees pilot reforestation sites.
Distinctive purple-black kidney-shaped seeds with the long tap root already emerging are classic Inga edulis vivipary (the seeds germinate inside the pod before falling)

When to plant

Planting should be done at the start of the rainy season or at most by the middle of it. (Eniel David Cruz Pers. Comm May 8, 2026)

Seedlings vs direct sowing

We've heard differing opinions about cultivating seedlings vs direct sowing.

  • Embrapa recommends seedlings for planting for better quality plants — more uniform — compared to direct seeding. (Eniel David Cruz Pers. Comm May 8, 2026)

  • Jose Abel recommends direct planting for efficiency, scale, and farmer adoption. (Jose Abel Pers. Comm Feb, 2026)

We've tried both and are still weighing our preferred options 🧐 in ongoing A/B testing plots. There is no doubt that direct planting was easier to undertake, but we have to decide which works best on our sites, and have discussed it with the farmers so they are informed of the risks and benefits.

Instructions for seedlings

Seedlings are ready to be planted at 60 cm height. Any taller and the root system can become root-bound. (Eniel David Cruz Pers. Comm May 8, 2026)

Instructions for direct sowing

Direct seed planting shouldn't be buried more than 5 cm deep (Eniel David Cruz Pers. Comm May 8, 2026).

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