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Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar

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Cratylia argentea: A Shrub Legume for<br />

Lives<strong>to</strong>ck Production in the Tropics<br />

Pedro Argel 1 , Jesús Gonzalez 2 , and Marco Lobo 3<br />

CIAT, Colombia (1), and ECAG (2) and MAG (3), Costa Rica<br />

Cratylia argentea (synonyms = C. floribunda, Dioclea floribunda) is a<br />

shrub legume that are evaluated and selected by the MAG, ECAG, UCR, and<br />

CIAT for its adaptability <strong>to</strong> prolonged dry seasons and acid soils in Costa<br />

Rica.<br />

Description<br />

Cratylia argentea is a shrub that grows naturally in Brazil. Its<br />

distribution ranges, in a north-south direction, from the State of Pará <strong>to</strong> the<br />

States of Ma<strong>to</strong> Grosso and Goiás and, in an east-west direction, from the<br />

State of Ceará <strong>to</strong> Peru. The shrub is between 1.5 and 3.0 m high when it<br />

grows in the open, but becomes a climbing liana when associated <strong>with</strong> larger<br />

plants.<br />

Adaptation<br />

Cratylia argentea grows naturally at altitudes between 0 and 930 masl,<br />

although most individuals are found between 300 and 800 masl. In Costa<br />

Rica, this legume adapts well <strong>to</strong> a broad range of climates and soils,<br />

particularly <strong>to</strong> subhumid climates and <strong>to</strong> acid Ultisols, which are poor soils<br />

<strong>with</strong> high aluminum content. Even so, the plant responds <strong>to</strong> fertile soils,<br />

and the highest yields have been reported from fertile sites in the humid<br />

tropics. Nevertheless, the shrub does not <strong>to</strong>lerate poorly drained sites or<br />

heavy soils that are frequently saturated in rainy seasons. The shrub has<br />

an outstanding capacity <strong>to</strong> regrow and shows high foliar retention during<br />

dry seasons. A major reason is the development of vigorous roots that can<br />

be as long as 2 m. Thus, between 30% and 40% of the <strong>to</strong>tal DM yield can be<br />

produced during that critical period of the year—the dry season.<br />

Pests and Diseases<br />

So far, neither pests nor diseases of economic importance have been<br />

reported in C. argentea. At some sites, isolated cases of plant death have<br />

been observed during establishment. The causal agents were “jobo<strong>to</strong>s” or<br />

dung beetles (Melolonthidae sp.) in the soil, crickets, and leaf-cutting ants.<br />

For adult plants, isolated cases of death have also been reported from sites<br />

150

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