Forage legumes for improved fallows in agropastoral systems of subhumid West Africa. I. Establishment, herbage yield and nutritive value of legumes as dry season forage

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dc.creatorMuhr, L.
dc.creatorTarawali, Shirley A.
dc.creatorPeters, Michael
dc.creatorSchultze-Kraft, Rainer
dc.date1999
dc.date2013-04-03T11:38:00Z
dc.date2013-04-03T11:38:00Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-27T16:58:35Z
dc.descriptionA short-term improved fallow system based on forage legumes is suggested for crop-livestock farming systems in subhumid West Africa targeted to enhance soil fertility and dry season feed for cattle. At two sites, 13 legume species were compared with the natural fallow vegetation, the nutritive value of which typically fails to meet cattle requirements during the dry season. Establishment, dry matter yield and nutritive value of leguminous herbage in the year of establishment were evaluated as well as regeneration of legumes after a cropping phase. Only a few species yielded more dry season herbage than the natural fallow, but most had considerably higher nitrogen concentrations (0.6-2.4 percent of dry matter) and in sacco dry matter digestibility (19-65 percent) than the natural fallow vegetation with 0.7-1.0 percent N and 28-30 percent DMD. In the mid dry season, Stylosanthes guianensis, Centrosema pubescens and Aeschynomene histrix had the highest yields of 10 t/ha DM of standing herbage plus shed leaves at one of the sites. the same species also showed good self-regeneration after a maize crop but were surpassed by other species with respect to nitrogen concentration and digestibility. The observed properties of the forage legumes are discussed with respect to their relative importance for the targeted fallow system, and management alternatives are considered.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/27816
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/138562
dc.languageen
dc.rightsOpen Access
dc.sourceTropical Grasslands;33(4): 245-256
dc.subjectfeed legumes
dc.subjectagropastoral systems
dc.subjectsubhumid zones
dc.subjectherbage yield
dc.subjectnutritive value
dc.subjectdry season
dc.subjectdigestibility
dc.subjectdrought resistance
dc.titleForage legumes for improved fallows in agropastoral systems of subhumid West Africa. I. Establishment, herbage yield and nutritive value of legumes as dry season forage
dc.typeJournal Article

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