Abstract
Cratylia argentea is a multi-purpose shrub with potential as a source of protein for livestock, but is rarely used in production units. This study aimed to monitor the establishment of a stand of this plant in a sandy Ultisol (Red-Yellow Argisol), in an area of 4,000 m2 on a rural property in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil, comparing 2 planting methods: (i) transplanting seedlings (78 in total); and (ii) direct seeding (3,820 seeds in 1,910 pits). The existing pasture was sprayed with glyphosate before planting C. argentea. Subsequently, herbicide and mechanical methods were used to control weeds, while fertilizer was applied and the area was mulched. In the first year after planting, activities performed and inputs were recorded along with costs in order to create a reference model for those intending to cultivate this species in the humid tropics. At 10 months after planting, average height of plants was 162 cm (range 70‒240 cm) with no effect of planting method. Ninety-seven per cent of plants established from seedlings survived, while 81% of pits established from direct seeding in the field had surviving plants. The cost of establishing a hectare of C. argentea was US$ 1,654.17, with 85.8% of the cost for labor and only 14.2% for other inputs, although costs of producing seedlings and hand-planting them were not considered. Studies to develop planting systems using less labor seem warranted.
Highlights
Cratylia is a neotropical genus from the Fabaceae family and is widely distributed in South America, especially in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and northeastern Argentina
A cultivar of C. argentea has been registered in Brazil (BRS Ceci), commercial seed is not yet available and the seeds used in the experiment were provided
This was not surprising as plants established from seedlings were 4 months older than plants established from seed sown in the field
Summary
Cratylia is a neotropical genus from the Fabaceae family and is widely distributed in South America, especially in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and northeastern Argentina. In Brazil, Cratylia argentea (Desv.) Kuntze is found in various environments such as Cerrado, Amazon and Caatinga. The species has potential as a source of forage for both ruminants and non-ruminants, with emphasis on its low concentration of tannin (Sarria and Martens 2013; Silva et al 2017; Valles-De la Mora et al 2017; Pereira et al 2018) It forms a symbiotic relationship with nitrogenfixing bacteria (Calazans et al 2016; Mattar et al 2018), an advantageous characteristic, considering the potential reduction in the acquisition of chemical fertilizers and the importance of N in animal nutrition. The species is recommended for silvopastoral systems (Valles-De la Mora et al 2014), which are commonly established in some areas of the humid tropics
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