Feeding Tests with Indigofera endecaphylla Jacq. (Creeping Indigo) and Some Observations on Its Poisonous Effects on Domestic Animals

Leguminous plants have long been considered important as livestock feeds in Hawaii. They decrease the need for costly oil cakes and protein rich concentrates in milk and meat production. Indigofera endecapliylla Jacq. (creeping indigo or trailing indigo) seemed promising for a time as a high-rainfall-zone legume. Early experiments proved that it would grow well with a wide variety of associated grasses, and grazing tests showed that it was palatable and quite persistent under pasture conditions. Very little was known, on the other hand, of its feeding value for livestock. In 10 years of short-interval pasture trials with relatively small proportions of the legume, no adverse effects were noted on young cattle. However, when the concentration of the legume exceeded about 50 per cent of the forage, toxicity symptoms began to appear. A study of the effect of a strain of Indigofera endecapliylla Jacq. grown in Hawaii and tested as a feed for cows, heifers, sheep, and rabbits is presented