Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) for livestock feed on small-scale farms

ILRI
International Livestock Research Institute
www.ilri.org
headquarters
PO Box 30709, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Phone: 254 20 422 3000
Fax: +254 20 422 3001
e-mail: ilri-kenya@cgiar.org
principal site
PO Box: 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Phone: +251 11 617 2000
Fax: +251 11 617 2001
e-mail: ilri-ethiopia@cgiar.org
Better lives through <strong>livestock</strong>
<strong>Pigeon</strong> <strong>pea</strong> (<strong>Cajanus</strong> <strong>cajan</strong>) <strong>for</strong> <strong>livestock</strong> <strong>feed</strong>
on small-scale farms
Objective
To provide high quality <strong>feed</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>livestock</strong> in
lowland arid areas
Description
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Short lived perennial shrub with deep
root system
Food legume
Leaves have high <strong>feed</strong>ing value <strong>for</strong>
<strong>livestock</strong>
• Very drought tolerant and suited to semiarid
areas but has wide adaptability
(0–2000 masl)
• Good <strong>for</strong> restoration of soil fertility and
intercropping with cereals (sorghum,
millets) and legumes (cow<strong>pea</strong> and
groundnut)
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Adapted to a wide range of low fertility
soils
Limits of use
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Not adapted to areas over 2000 m with
frost
Does not tolerate heavy grazing or low
coppicing
Not suited to waterlogged areas
Not palatable to cattle in the immature
stage
Management
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Field preparation
Ploughed field or sown in holes under zero
tillage
Establishment
For insect and disease control, treat seed with
insecticide and fungicide. Direct sowing at
the rate of 3–5 kg/ha with 3 cm depth or
transplant seedlings in hedgerows at 1 m
spacing between plants and 2 m spacing
between rows.
Fertilizer
Apply DAP at 100 kg per hectare or manure
at the rate of 10–15 t/ha.
Weeding
Slow seedling establishment phase. Weed
once 4 weeks after establishment and at
regular intervals throughout the first year.
Asia office
New Delhi 110 012, India
P +91-11 2560 9800
P +91-11 2560 9815 (direct)
F +91-11 2584 7884

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Harvesting
Cut at 0.8 m after grain harvest. <strong>Pigeon</strong> <strong>pea</strong>
does not persist if heavily grazed and can
be harvested twice per year under rainfed
conditions.
Per<strong>for</strong>mance
It grows well intercropped with Rhodes
grass (Chloris gayana), Star grass (Cynodon
dactylon) and Mollasses grass (Melinis
minutiflora). Under grazing conditions, it
makes vigorous growth during the first year
and then declines and it usually requires
replanting every 4 to 5 years. Expect 10–
15 tonnes dry matter per hectare per year
increasing to 20 tonnes per hectare with
application of fertilizer. Leaf material has
high nutritive value and palatability and
generally has crude protein levels of 10–
15%.
Seed production
Most of the seed pods are picked by hand in
the tropics. The seed pods ripen irregularly
and do not shatter easily. Seed yield is about
900–1500 kg/ha.
In<strong>for</strong>mation leaflet on <strong>livestock</strong> <strong>feed</strong>s and <strong>feed</strong>ing
technologies <strong>for</strong> small-scale farmers developed through
collaboration between ILRI and its partners
June 2010
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Utilization
The grain is used <strong>for</strong> human food and also
<strong>for</strong> <strong>livestock</strong>. Straws, husks and screenings
are useful roughages. Allow the plants to
develop well be<strong>for</strong>e grazing and then lightly
graze to a hedge at the desired height. The
plant stems are brittle and easily broken, so
grazing should not be continuous. <strong>Pigeon</strong>
<strong>pea</strong> is harvested <strong>for</strong> hay. Harvest not more
than the upper third of the plant to avoid
the woody base. Also, <strong>Pigeon</strong> <strong>pea</strong> hay is
an effective substitute <strong>for</strong> more expensive
industrial concentrates. Feed it along with
low quality roughages to improve their
utilization and to increase protein intake. It
can be made into silage, can be used as a
cut-and-carry <strong>feed</strong> and is palatable.
For further in<strong>for</strong>mation, contact:
Fodder Adoption Project
fodderadoption.wordpress.com
Forage Diversity Project
International Livestock Research Institute,
PO Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: a.duncan@cgiar.org or j.hanson@cgiar.org