Effects of accession and cutting frequency on the rumen degradability of nitrogen in the foliage of sesbania sesban var. nubica

Extract

Sesbania sesban var. nubica is a tropical tree legume. Tree legumes have a number of uses which make them of interest to smallholder farming systems in the tropics. When incorporated into land use systems such as alley farming they provide a source of fuel wood for the household and forage for ruminant animals, as well as providing shade and pumping mineral nutrients from lower soil profiles to the surface where they can be used by more shallow-rooting companion crops. Sesbanias have considerable potential as providers of forage. The leaves are generally considered to be excellent sources of protein to supplement protein-deficient roughages such as straws and stovas in ruminant diets. Palatability of Sesbania foliage does not seem to be a problem and phenolic concentrations are low.