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Evaluating selected forage legumes for livestock and crop production in the subhumid zone of Nigeria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

S. A. Tarawali
S. A. Tarawali
Affiliation:
International Livestock Centre for Africa, Subhumid Research Site, PMB 2248, Kaduna, Nigeria
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Summary

A programme of forage legume evaluation was developed at the International Livestock Centre for Africa's (ILCA) subhumid research site in Nigeria from 1985 onwards. Evaluation included monitoring herbage and seed yields, incidence of diseases/pests, regeneration ability and persistence for three growing seasons. This was followed by an in situ bioassay to determine the direct effect of the sown legumes on maize (Zea mays L.) production in the absence of added nitrogen.

The results for selected accessions from introductions received in 1987 and 1988 are presented. Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT184 (ILCA164) and ILCA15557 and Aeschynomene histrix ILCA 12463 were promising both in terms of biomass production (up to 9·4, 3·4 and 9·6 t/ha respectively) and quality (all had crude protein values of 11% or more), and in terms of beneficial effects for maize production (all plots gave significantly more grain than those with no legume, reaching over 3 t/ha for maize grown on plots after S. guianensis ILCA15557). The use of such appropriate forage legumes to enhance both livestock and crop production in a sustainable farming system is recommended.

Type
Crops and Soils
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 123 , Issue 1 , August 1994 , pp. 55 - 60
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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