Some ecophysiological aspects of Arachis pintoi
1994
Fisher, M.J. | Cruz, P.
The problems of growing tropical C grasses and C3 legumes in association are discussed, and from this basis we explore some of the physiological attributes that contribute to the success of A. pintoi as a pasture legume. It is tolerant of shade and relatively tolerant of water deficits. Although it develops leaf area index rapidly following defoliation, it appears better suited to grazing or use as a cover crop than to cutting. Its radiation use efficiency was not affected when it was grown in mixtures with grasses compared with pure swards, as it is well adapted to growth in those associations. Under grazing, A. pintoi performed well in mixtures and its proportion increased from 20 percent to 40-50 percent of the forage over 3 years, largely independent of forage allowance for the grazing animals. Although regrowth primarily depended on residual leaf area, regrowth was apparently reduced by waterlogging both during growth and grazing. The plant establishes more rapidly from seed than from stolons, although it is frequently planted vegetatively because seed is hard to harvest from the soil. A. pintoi comes close to being an ideal pasture legume ideotype, although there are some reservations about its suitability as a species for ley systems.
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