A wide range of forages is currently being evaluated by farmers and researchers in seven countries in Southeast Asia. Broadly-adapted species have been identified for fodder banks, grazed systems, tree cropping, erosion control and improved fallows. The most promising accessions to date are Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184, Brachiaria decumbens cv Basilisk, Brachiaria humidicola cv Tully and CIAT 6133, CIAT 6780, Centrosema pubescens CIAT 15160 and Andropogon gayanus cv Kent and CIAT 621. Other forages that show promise are Paspalum atratum, Arachis pintoi, and Macroptilium gracile cv. Maldonado. Local seed supply and distribution systems are needed to ensure that these species reach their potential on farms

Binh, L H

Guodao, Liu

Horne, P M

Ibrahim,

Khemsawat, C

Lanting, E

Phimphachanhvongsod, V

Wong, C C

English

University of Kentucky

Session 1 - Conservation, Evaluation and Utilization of Plant Resources    1-51ID No. 1216FORAGE GRASSES AND LEGUMES WITH BROAD ADAPTATION FOR SOUTHEASTASIAIbrahim1, E. Lanting2, C. Khemsawat3, C.C. Wong4, Liu Guodao5, V. Phimphachanhvongsod6, L. H. Binh7, and P.M. Horne81Dinas Peternakan TK1 Kaltim, Jl. Bhayangkara 54, Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia2Livestock Research Division, PCARRD, Paseo de Valmayor, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines3Division of Animal Nutrition, DLD, Phya Thai Road, Rajthewee, Bangkok 10400, Thailand4Livestock Research Division, MARDI, GPO Box 12301, 50744 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia5Tropical Pasture Research Centre, CATAS, Danzhou 571737, Hainan, China6Department of Livestock and Fisheries, P.O. Box 811, Vientiane, Lao PDR7National Institute of Animal Husbandry, Thuy Phuong, Tu liem, Hanoi, Vietnam8Forages for Smallhoders Project, P.O. Box 6766, Vientiane, Lao PDRABSTRACTA wide range of forages is currently being evaluated by farmers andresearchers in seven countries in Southeast Asia.  Broadly-adapted specieshave been identified for fodder banks, grazed systems, tree cropping,erosion control and improved fallows. The most promising accessionsto date are Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184, Brachiaria decumbenscv Basilisk, Brachiaria humidicola cv Tully and CIAT 6133, CIAT 6780,Centrosema pubescens CIAT 15160 and Andropogon gayanus cv Kentand CIAT 621. Other forages that show promise are Paspalum atratum,Arachis pintoi, and Macroptilium gracile cv. Maldonado. Local seedsupply and distribution systems are needed to ensure that thesespecies reach their potential on farms.KEYWORDSForages tropical legumes, tropical grasses, adaptation, Southeast AsiaINTRODUCTIONLivestock are an integral part of smallholder cropping systems inSoutheast Asia. As cropping areas have expanded, feed resources forlivestock have become scarce. Planted forages are one potential way toease this pressure. However, smallholder farming systems in SoutheastAsia have one feature in common: great diversity and complexity. Adja-cent communities can frequently have completely different physical,social and economic constraints and opportunities within their farmingsystems.  n many upland areas of Southeast Asia, not only do the physi-cal conditions and farming practices in a community change dramati-cally as you move from the valley floor to the hilltops, but the ethnicgroups within each major part of that transition may also be different.As a direct result of this diversity, adoption of forage technologies iscommonly patchy at best, especially when those technologies are de-veloped in one location (such as a research station) and extended toothers.Two steps that can be taken to improve development strategies acrosssuch diversity:1. develop forage technologies, using farmer participatory researchmethods, that are robust to changes in the conditions that affecttheir performance and2. provide a range of these technologies to local communities so theycan select those most appropriate to them.A network of researchers from seven countries in Southeast Asia is usingthis approach in regional forage evaluations to identify and develop foragespecies that are broadly-adapted to the soil and climatic conditions ofthe region (Gabunada et al., 1997). This paper summarizes the findingsand highlights the most promising species, based on these newevaluations and previous experience (Stür et al., 1995).RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe main existing or potential systems of utilization of forages acrossthe region are (Horne et al., 1996):Fodder banks - forages planted in hedgerows, fencelines or intensively-managed plots around villages which are cut and fed to animals directly,or used for making conserved feed (such as leaf meal);Forages for grazed systems - both in communally grazed grasslands andmore-intensively managed commercial pastures;Forages integrated with tree crops - especially in coconut plantationsand emerging agroforestry applications;Erosion control - especially as cover crops and contour rows in uplandcropping systems;Improved fallows - especially in shifting cultivation systems, which arenow subject to reductions in fallow times and subsequent loss of soilfertility.Table 1 summarizes the species that have already been characterized ineach country as either (1) broadly adapted or (2) still being evaluatedbut showing promise of being broadly adapted. Some of the species aremore robust and broadly adapted to soils and climate than others.Desmanthus virgatus, for example, is better adapted to alkaline soilsand currently listed as broadly-adapted in Thailand and (possibly)Philippines. Large quantities of seed of Brachiaria ruziziensis have beenproduced in Thailand (Phaikaew et al., 1997) but it is best adapted tofertile soils in high rainfall areas. Panicum maximum and Pennisetumpurpureum are common in all seven countries but are limited to themore-fertile soils in wetter lowland areas and largely for cut-and-carryfeeding systems (both small and commercial scale).Despite regional differences, several forages stand out as having bothbroad adaptation and multiple uses in many countries:Stylosanthes guianensis (CIAT 184) - grows well in all soil types andclimatic conditions but is particularly suited to acid soils in the hot,humid tropics. It shows promise as a species for undersowing uplandrice and improving fallows; for cut feed and leaf meal production; forcontour hedgerows and for grazed mixtures with grasses.Brachiaria decumbens (cv Basilisk) - grows well in a wide range of soiltypes and climates but is best suited to well-drained soils in the hot,humid tropics. It is particularly suited to fodder banks (which have po-tential in most upland cropping systems) and grazed situations, and ispersistent under adverse conditions.Brachiaria brizantha (CIAT 6780) - has similar adaptation to B.decumbens cv Basilisk but is taller, usually has a higher dry matter yieldand is particularly suited to fodder banks and contour rows.Brachiaria humidicola (cv Tully and CIAT 6133) - adapted to a widerange of soil pH and fertility but is best suited to the wetter areas of thehumid tropics. Once established, it has excellent persistence under veryheavy grazing and potential for erosion control (but not as contour rowsin upland systems because of spreading habit).Centrosema pubescens (CIAT 15160) - adapted to more-fertile soils(pH>5) in the wetter areas of the humid tropics.  It has particular potentialin upland cropping systems for erosion control, fallow improvementand as a fodder bank.Andropogon gayanus (cv Kent and CIAT 621) - is well adapted to awide range of soil and climatic conditions but is particularly suited tolocations with long dry conditions and/or infertile soils where otheradapted species are not available. Can be used for both grazing andfodder banks.Session 1 - Conservation, Evaluation and Utilization of Plant Resources 1-521213. Proc. 18th Int. Grassland. Congress, Canada.Horne, P.M., W.W. Stür, F.G. Gabunada Jr., and P. Phengsavanh.1996. Prospects for introducing forages for smallholders in SoutheastAsia. pp. 10-24. In W. Stür, ed. Feed Resources for Smallholder LivestockProduction in Southeast Asia. Forages for Smallholders Project, Tech-nical Report No. 1, CIAT Working Document No. 156, CIAT, Los Baños,Philippines.Phaikaew, C., L. Guodao, A. Abdullah, M. Tuhulele, E. Magboo, B.Bouahom and W.Stür. 1997. Tropical forage seed production in South-east Asia: Current status and prospects.  Paper ID 1646. Proc. 18th Int.Grassland Congress, Canada.Stür, W.W., A.G. Cameron and J.B. Hacker. (eds). 1995. Forages forSmallholders. Proc. 3rd Meeting of the Southeast Asian Regional For-ages Seeds Project, Samarinda, Indonesia, 23-28 October 1994. CIATWorking Document No. 143, CIAT, Cali, Colombia, 149 p.Table 1Broadly-adapted and promising forage species for seven countries in Southeast Asia1Fodder banks Forages for Forages integrated Erosion Improved(cut and carry) Grazing Systems with tree crops Control fallows1. BROADLY ADAPTED FORAGESGrassesAndropogon gayanus cv Kent & CIAT621 I.L I,LBrachiaria brizantha CIAT 6780 I I I IBrachiaria decumbens cv Basilisk M,P,I,L M,P,I,L P,I L,CBrachiaria humidicola cv Tully M,P,I,LBrachiaria mutica V VBrachiaria ruziziensis T TPanicum maximum (various) M,T,P,L,C,V M,T,P,L VPennisetum purpureum (and hybrids) IStenotaphrum secundatum P,I P,I P,I P,IHerbaceous LegumesCentrosema pubescens CIAT 15160 P,I P,I P,I P,IMacroptlium atropurpureum V P.VStylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 M,P,I,C M,P,I P,I P,IStylosanthes hamata cv Verano T,LShrubsDesmanthus virgatus (various) TGliricidia sepium P,ILeucaena leucocephala P,I,V2.  MAY BE BROADLY ADAPTEDGrassesAndropogon gayanus cv Kent P,V P,VBrachiaria brizantha CIAT 6780 P,L,V P,L,V P,L,V CBrachiaria decumbens cv Basilisk CPanicum maximum CIAT 6299 VPaspalum atratum BRA9610 M,T,I,L,VPennisetum purpureum cv Mott MUrochloa mozambicensis I IHerbaceous LegumesAeschynomene americana cv Glenn V VArachis pintoi (various) M,T,P M,T,P,CChamaecrista rotundifolia cv Wynn V V VMacroptilium gracile cv Maldonado T,I,L,V T,I,L,VStylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 T,L,V T,L,V T,I,L,V T,I,L,VStylosanthes hamata cv Verano I,VShrubsDesmodium rensonii PDesmanthus virgatus (various) L,V,P I IGliricidia sepium M,L,V,ILeucaena leucocephala M1 C=Hainan Province = China;  I=Indonesia;  L=Lao PDR;  M=Malaysia  P=Philippines; T=Thailand; V=VietnamOther promising species include Paspalum atratum (in fodder banks,especially in wetter soils), Arachis pintoi (very persistent for erosioncontrol and grazed pastures) and Macroptilium gracile cv Maldonado(well adapted to poor soils in the humid tropics; potential use in fallowimprovement after upland rice).These broadly adapted species are currently being tried and evaluatedby farmers at more than 20 locations in Southeast Asia to identifythe few that are best adapted to the environment and opportunities ateach location. The challenge is now to develop local supply and dis-tribution systems of planting material so that these species can achievetheir potential on farms (Phaikaew et al., 1977).REFERENCESGabunada Jr., F.G., P.M. Horne and W.W. Stür. 1997. Developmentof forage components through farmer participatory research. Paper ID

Forage Grasses and Legumes with Broad Adaptation for Southeast Asia

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Forage Grasses and Legumes with Broad Adaptation for Southeast Asia

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