Scientific name
Centrosema rotundifolium Mart. ex Benth.
Synonyms
Bradburya rotundifolia (Mart. ex Benth.) Kuntze
Centrosema heptaphyllum Moric.
Centrosema rotundifolium var. angustifolium Benth.
Family/tribe
Family: Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae) subfamily: Faboideae tribe: Phaseoleae subtribe: Clitoriinae. Also placed in: Papilionaceae .
Common names
Morphological description
Perennial, creeping herb, 3 (mainly) -5 leaflets/leaf, leaflets broad-elliptical to obovate, 4-35 mm wide, 6-45 mm long. Aerial inflorescences with 2-6 violet flowers, aerial pods falcate , 25-50 mm long and 4-7 mm wide with 3-8 seeds, c. 5 mm long, 3 mm wide.
The species shows amphicarpy: In addition to aerial peduncles and inflorescences, belowground peduncles penetrate from nodes of creeping stems into the soil, branch out and produce very small flowers from which 1- (seldom 2-) seeded pods develop. In comparison with aerial seeds, belowground seeds are c. 40% larger and heavier.
Distribution
Native to:
South America : Brazil, Paraguay.
Uses/applications
Long-term pasture , ground cover (erosion control, dune stabilization).
Ecology
Soil requirements
Very sandy, well drained; medium to low fertility, acid to very acid.
Moisture
800-1,200 mm/yr, 5-8 dry months. Defoliates in dry season but regrows in rainy season.
Temperature
Warm season growth only, frost tolerance unknown.
Light
Shade tolerance unknown.
Reproductive development
Flowering and pod setting triggered by drought stress. Species is amphicarpic. Belowground reproduction cleistogamous, mostly one-seeded pods, aboveground reproduction chasmogamous , 3-5 seeded pods; 100-seed weight: 7-10g.
Defoliation
Tolerates heavy grazing.
Fire
Regrows after fire from underground xylopodium meristems and soil seed bank.
Agronomy
Guidelines for the establishment and management of sown pastures.
Establishment
More hardseededness in aboveground than in belowground seed; scarification recommended.
Fertiliser
Phosphorus for establishment recommended.
Compatibility (with other species)
Once established, very good.
Companion species
Grasses: Brachiaria humidicola and other creeping, stoloniferous grasses.
Pests and diseases
Rhizoctonia foliar blight (occasionally).
Ability to spread
Spread by both stolons and seed.
Weed potential
No information available.
Feeding value
Nutritive value
Medium to high. In 8 week old herbage (east Venezuela): CP 22-24%, P 0.39-0.45%, Ca 0.52-0.64%.
Palatability/acceptability
Consumed by cattle and horses.
Toxicity
None recorded.
Production potential
Dry matter
Low, e.g., in east Venezuela: dry season, 75-184 kg/ha in 5 months; rainy season: 2,140-2,420 kg/ha in 4 months.
Animal production
No information available.
Genetics/breeding
2n = 22. Aboveground reproduction partly allogamous .
Seed production
In comparison with aboveground, belowground seed production more than 3 times higher; harvest by sieving of topsoil (first 15 cm); yields of up to 1.5 t/ha possible.
Herbicide effects
No information available.
Strengths
- Persistence under heavy grazing.
- Amphicarpy enables a continuous replenishment of soil seed bank by belowground seed production.
Limitations
- Low dry matter production.
- Amphicarpic seed production constrains commercial seed production.
Other comments
Selected references
- Rodríguez, I., Schultze-Kraft, R. and González, S. (2001) Evaluation of Centrosema rotundifolium for sand -soil savannas in Eastern Venezuela. In: Proceedings, XIX International Grassland Congress, 11-21 February 2001, São Pedro, São Paulo, Brazil . pp. 565-566.
- Schultze-Kraft, R. and Clements, R.J. (eds) (1990) Centrosema : Biology, Agronomy , and Utilization. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
- Schultze-Kraft, R., Keller-Grein, G., Cárdenas, E. and Díaz Bolívar, F. (1994) Potencial de Centrosema rotundifolium como leguminosa forrajera. Pasturas Tropicales, 16, 2-8.
Internet links
Cultivars
Cultivars |
Country/date released |
Details |
| None released to date. |
Promising accessions
Promising accessions |
Country |
Details |
| CIAT 5260, 5721, 25148 | Venezuela | The most productive and persistent accessions. |
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