Use Of Forage Legumes Research Articles

Effect of supplementation of a basal diet of maize stover with Erythrina variegata, Gliricidia sepium or Leucaena leucocephala on feed intake and digestibility by goats.

Two 4 x 4 Latin square design experiments were carried out. In experiment 1, four mature Anglo-Nubian x Fiji local goats, pre-experimental body weight 25.0 +/- 0.6 kg, 22-24 months old, were used to study the effect of supplementation of a basal diet of maize stover with Erythrina variegata (EV), Gliricidia sepium (GS) and Leucaena leucocephala (LL) on dry matter intake (DMI) and nutrient digestibility. Maize stover treated with urea was used as a control diet. E. variegata was higher in crude protein content than LL or GS. The DMI of the urea treated stover diet was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that of the diets of untreated stover supplemented with forage legumes. The DMI was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the GS diet than in the EV or LL diets. Significant (p < 0.05) differences existed between the urea-treated stover and the diets of stover supplemented with forage legumes in the digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), organic matter (OM) and energy. In experiment 2, four mature goats, pre-experimental body weight 27.0 +/- 0.3 kg, 24-28 months old, were used to measure their response when the urea-treated maize stover and the maize stover and forage legume diets were sprayed with molasses. The intake of the urea-treated stover diet sprayed with molasses was significantly lower (p < 0.05) that that of the maize stover/forage legume diets sprayed with molasses. The DMI of the diets improved with the addition of molasses. The DMI among the goats offered the maize stover/forage legume diets + molasses did not differ significantly. (p > 0.05). Statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences were obtained in this second study between the urea-treated stover and the stover supplemented with forage legumes in the digestibility of DM, CP, NDF, OM and energy. The stover supplemented with forage legumes had a higher (p < 0.05) nutrient digestibility. The present studies demonstrated that the use of forage legumes as protein supplements improved the feed quality of maize stover in the diets of mature goats. It is suggested that molasses should be sprayed on fresh leaves of Gliricicia sepium and other forage legumes that are initially rejected, in order to improve acceptance and DMI when fed to ruminant animals in confinement or in a cut-and-carry system of production.

Establishment, Development and Yield of Forage Legumes and Grasses as Cover Crops in Grain Corn in Eastern Canada

AbstractInterseeded cover crops can minimize soil erosion, increase organic matter and nutrient levels and the yield of subsequent crops. However, their performance is very sensitive to local conditions. Field experiments were conducted at two Quebec locations in 1993 and 1994 in order to evaluate the potential use of forage legumes and grasses as interseeds in corn in eastern Canada. Twelve forage species were evaluated. Fall rye (Secale cereal L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), a mixture of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam), a mixture of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and ryegrass, subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.), yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis Lam.), black medic (Medicago lupulina L.), Persian clover (Trifolium resupinatum L.), strawberry clover (Trifolium fragiferum L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.), annual alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) and berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) were seeded at two planting dates (10 and 20 days after corn emergence). The control treatments were: hand weeding, chemical weeding and non‐weeded. Early seeded forages established better and had higher biomass accumulation than the late seeded ones. In the presence of larger weed populations, the interseeded forages did not develop well due to competition with the weeds. At Macdonald crimson clover provided good soil cover while Persian clover, fall rye and alfalfa provided relatively little cover. Strawberry clover and hairy vetch did not provide early ground cover due to their late development. Forage mixtures of red or white clover and rye grass established well and achieved high populations at the end of the growing season. Fall rye provided good early ground cover but senesced by the middle of the season. The better establishment and early germination of crimson clover caused a 19% reduction in corn grain yield in 1993. In 1994 none of the cover crops caused a reduction in corn yield.

The potential contribution of selected forage legume pastures to cereal production in crop-livestock farming systems

SUMMARYThe potential of 3-year-old grazed pastures ofStylosanthes hamata, Chamaecrista rotundifoliaandCentrosema pascuorumto contribute to subsequent maize production was investigated in subhumid Nigeria in 1993. All three legume pastures had the ability to give better maize grain yields than native pasture but this was significant only forStylosanthes hamataandChamaecrista rotundifolia. For the legume species, maximum yield of maize per kg of N applied was attained at 60 kgN/ha. The subsequent yields of maize could be related to the legume species used, pasture management and the length of the fallow period.Centrosema pascuorumbehaved as an annual, and as such there was little legume present after 3 years; crop yield was therefore relatively low. Nevertheless, this species could be useful in 1-year fallow/pasture situations. Maize cropping was economically viable for legume plots only with 60 or 120 kgN/ha and not for native pasture. There were no significant differences in the time required to till or to weed legume pastures as compared with native pasture. Forage legume pastures could also have a positive effect on maize residue yields which represent a fodder resource in addition to the herbage understorey remaining after cropping, the quality of which could be enhanced by the presence of the forage legumes. The use of forage legumes for the promotion of both crop and livestock production in sustainable agricultural systems is discussed. The results of the study are used to highlight the importance of selecting the appropriate legume species, pasture management practices and duration of fallow period in relation to the prevailing farming system to maximize benefits from the legumes.

Forage legumes and cultural sustainability: lessons from history

The mutualistic relationship between leguminous plants and Rhizobium bacteria has synergistic biological effects in the fixation of atmospheric N. This fixed N in turn creates a resource base for other ecological interactions in the soil. We suggest that these synergistic effects can be extended to include human social interactions when forage legumes are used in agriculture and offer historical evidence for our hypothesis. Use of forage legumes in a rotation sequence is a cornerstone of successful sustainable agriculture as practiced in many parts of the world. The history of these practices is traced, with particular emphasis on development and use by various Anabaptist groups, whose attitude toward ecologically responsible innovation enabled them to embrace technological changes which the mainstream culture resisted. Before the widespread use of forage legumes in western Europe, agricultural production was little above subsistence level. As forage legumes became more common, soil fertility improved, resulting in surplus production and capital accumulation. Coincidentally, it was not until capital began accumulating from the surplus production resulting from widespread use of legumes as harvested hay that the Industrial Revolution began to expand. As agriculture has become more and more mechanized, use of forage legumes has decreased. Ironically, the environmental and economic fallout of the Industrial Revolution is creating selective forces for agriculture to return to these rotational practices.

Dinitrogen Fixation Technologies for Alfalfa Improvement

The energy crisis of the 1970s stimulated renewed research on the use of forage legumes as inexpensive sources of N in croping systems. New research programs were begun to improve the N assimilation of forage legumes, and to convert scientific knowledge about legume N2 fixation into technological choices that would support a profitable and sustainable agriculture. We assess the status of selected technologies that have resulted from this research. Four technologies, viz. alfalfa germplasm with enhanced activities of nodule enzymes, alfalfa germplasm unable to fix N2, alfalfa germplasm with improved N accumulation in herbage or roots, and improved rhizobial strains for inoculum have reached the developmental stage of field testing. Selection for activity of nodule enzymes resulted in experimental populations with enhanced or with reduced enzyme activity, but without differences in N2 fixation in the field. Several alfalfa germplasms incapable of N2 fixation have been released for use as non-N2 fixing controls in field experiments and in breeding programs. Nondormant alfalfa has been developed for enhanced N accumulation and storage, and one special purpose cultivar has been released. Molecular biology methods applied to inoculum improvement have yielded at least one rhizobial strain that enhanced yield in the greenhouse. These technologies can provide new cultivars for the forage legume seed industry, new controls for use in forage legume cultivar evaluation studies, and germplasm for use in testing models of soil nutrient transformations and soil management. These technologies will influence future crop management systems and soil conservation practices.

Nitrogen accumulation in kaolin mining wastes in cornwall

Nitrogen accumulation was studied in mica and sand mining wastes of Cornwall after twelve forage legume varieties were established with the use of lime and fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. In the finetextured mica waste legume productivity and nitrogen accumulation were similar to those for upland pastures in Cornwall; but legume growth was limited by summer drought on the coarse-textured sand waste. Native perennial legumes well adapted to the British climate were the most productive and showed the highest potential for nitrogen fixation. More than 500 kg N/ha accumulated during the 2-year period whenTrifolium pratense andLotus corniculatus were established on mica waste, and more than 250 kg N/ha was accumulated by these legumes on sand waste.Trifolium pratense andLotus corniculatus were persistent on both the mica and sand waste, andMedicago lupulina showed an unusually high tolerance for competition from invading and sown grass on the sand waste.Trifolium repens andT. hybridum are recommended for waste sites where grazing is a part of management. Nitrogen accumulation on mica waste was consistent with N fixation rates expected from climatic conditions. Nitrogen fixation by free-living bacteria is limited by the low organic matter content of the wastes. The nitrogen fixation potential by legumes on sand wastes has been underestimated because leaching losses were not adequately evaluated. Since nitrogen accumulation rates by earlyTrifolium pratense andT. repens were 70 percent higher than the maximum rate estimated for natural legumesi.e. (Ulex europaeus) on sand waste, the use of forage legumes should reduce reclamation time considerably. re]19760512