Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar
Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar
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 />
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