Persistence of Forage Legumes

Bys: Marten, G. C., Matches, Arthur G., Barnes, Robert F.

Legumes are unique among forages in that they generally have two major advantages compared to grasses: (i) only legumes can fix significant amounts of atmospheric N, thereby obviating the need for fossil-fuel-energy consuming synthetic N fertilizers; and (ii) legumes have greater nutrient intake potential by ruminants, thereby allowing more efficient animal production. More than 60% of the feed that ruminant livestock, horses, swine, and poultry consume in the USA is derived from forages. Forages supply more than 80% of the nutrients consumed in the nation's leading agricultural industry, beef cattle production. The principal forage legume in the USA is alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) (13 million ha), but substantial areas have also been sown to red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) (6 million ha), white clover (T. repens L.) (5 million ha), and other miscellaneous legumes. In New Zealand, 9 million ha of white clover-based pastures provide the main grazing resource for livestock industries. There are 23 million ha of improved pastures in southern Australia, principally based on subterranean clover (T. subterraneum spp. subterraneum) and white clover, and 4.5 million ha of sown pastures in northern Australia, of which 1 million ha includes tropical legumes such as stylo (Stylosanthes spp.) and siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum). If problems in legume establishment and persistence could be overcome, then the hundreds of millions of hectares of grazing and forage cropland in the three countries could be better used to increase efficiency of animal production, as well as conserve soil, water, and wildlife resources. Legume forages, when rotated with other crops such as corn (Zea mays L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), also serve as economical sources of N for grain crop production; therefore, enhancement of legume persistence could improve the efficiency of grain production too. This publication should prove helpful as further research is planned.

• Format: Misc.
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891182454
• ISBN13: 9780891182450
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Acsess