Multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of Africa

Ensuring that farming in the moist savannas of Africa is maintained, despite increasing population pressure and agricultural demands, necessitates the sustainable integration of crop and livestock enterprises; a role that forage legumes can fulfill. The potential of eleven herbaceous and two shrubby...

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Main Authors: Muhr, L., Tarawali, Shirley A., Peters, Michael, Merkel, U., Schultze-Kraft, Rainer, Berner, D.
Format: Conference Paper
Language:Inglés
Published: International Grassland Society 1997
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/50874
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author Muhr, L.
Tarawali, Shirley A.
Peters, Michael
Merkel, U.
Schultze-Kraft, Rainer
Berner, D.
author_browse Berner, D.
Merkel, U.
Muhr, L.
Peters, Michael
Schultze-Kraft, Rainer
Tarawali, Shirley A.
author_facet Muhr, L.
Tarawali, Shirley A.
Peters, Michael
Merkel, U.
Schultze-Kraft, Rainer
Berner, D.
author_sort Muhr, L.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Ensuring that farming in the moist savannas of Africa is maintained, despite increasing population pressure and agricultural demands, necessitates the sustainable integration of crop and livestock enterprises; a role that forage legumes can fulfill. The potential of eleven herbaceous and two shrubby species of forage legumes in an improved fallow or ley-farming system to provide dry season fodder and beneficial effects to a subsequent cereal crop were investigated. Fodder dry matter yields were highest for Stylosanthes guianensis (9.9 t/ha), Centrosema pubescens, and Aeschynomene histrix. Maize yield following S. guianensis was 138 percent higher than after natural fallow. Similar increases were obtained after Calopogonium caeruleum, Arachis pintoi and Aeschynomene histrix. Sixty accessions of A. histrix were tested for their ability to stimulate suicidal germination of Striga hermonthica and thirteen accessions were found to significantly increase germination of striga seeds; this could further enhance farmer's acceptability of this species in areas where this parasitic weed is a devastating problem.
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spelling CGSpace508742016-05-30T17:53:14Z Multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of Africa Muhr, L. Tarawali, Shirley A. Peters, Michael Merkel, U. Schultze-Kraft, Rainer Berner, D. feed legumes mixed farming tropics savannas sustainability maize striga Ensuring that farming in the moist savannas of Africa is maintained, despite increasing population pressure and agricultural demands, necessitates the sustainable integration of crop and livestock enterprises; a role that forage legumes can fulfill. The potential of eleven herbaceous and two shrubby species of forage legumes in an improved fallow or ley-farming system to provide dry season fodder and beneficial effects to a subsequent cereal crop were investigated. Fodder dry matter yields were highest for Stylosanthes guianensis (9.9 t/ha), Centrosema pubescens, and Aeschynomene histrix. Maize yield following S. guianensis was 138 percent higher than after natural fallow. Similar increases were obtained after Calopogonium caeruleum, Arachis pintoi and Aeschynomene histrix. Sixty accessions of A. histrix were tested for their ability to stimulate suicidal germination of Striga hermonthica and thirteen accessions were found to significantly increase germination of striga seeds; this could further enhance farmer's acceptability of this species in areas where this parasitic weed is a devastating problem. 1997 2014-10-31T06:21:46Z 2014-10-31T06:21:46Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/50874 en Limited Access International Grassland Society
spellingShingle feed legumes
mixed farming
tropics
savannas
sustainability
maize
striga
Muhr, L.
Tarawali, Shirley A.
Peters, Michael
Merkel, U.
Schultze-Kraft, Rainer
Berner, D.
Multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of Africa
title Multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of Africa
title_full Multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of Africa
title_fullStr Multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of Africa
title_full_unstemmed Multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of Africa
title_short Multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of Africa
title_sort multiple uses of tropical forage legumes for sustainable farming in the moist savannas of africa
topic feed legumes
mixed farming
tropics
savannas
sustainability
maize
striga
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/50874
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