Figure 1 - available from: Agroforestry Systems
This content is subject to copyright. Terms and conditions apply.
Morphological features of Cratylia argentea. A fact sheet with images can be found at Cook et al. (2005) or http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Cratylia_argentea.htm. Scales are in centimeters
Source publication
The legume Cratylia argentea associated to Brachiaria brizantha—Toledo-grass (Bb + Ca) and Toledo-grass alone (Bb) were evaluated under grazing conditions by Holstein × Zebu heifers. Three evaluation periods during three consecutive years, were performed. We measured, daily live-weight gains of heifers (DWG, g/day); biomass dry matter (BDM, kg/ha)...
Similar publications
A study of In vivo digestibility of Brachiaria deflexa and Echinocloa colona fed Sahelian bucks supplemented with 30% cowpea haulms was conducted in the Scientific Garden of the University of Sciences and Technology of Ati in Chad by September 2018. Twelve (12) Sahelian bucks weighing around 28. 62 ±2. 97 kg, aged between 20 and 24 months were used...
Fluoride is the major worldwide problem now facing mainly through drinking
water.Several defluoridation methods have been adopted but adsorption processes have
been found to be most satisfactory. Adsorption process using plant species are
advantageous and eco-friendly. So, biosorption processes have been investigated using the plant species Brachia...
Background and aims
Understanding the fate of nitrogen (N) in maize (Zea mays L.) intercropped with tropical grass is essential to develop sustainable fertilization recommendations and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. To test the hypothesis that intercropping forage grass with maize improves yield and fertilizer N recovery in the system, this stu...
The present investigation was carried out in the Laica University "Eloy Alfaro" of Manabí, El Carmen, Province of Manabí-Ecuador, in the premises of La Granja Experimental Río Suma, in Km 30 of the road Santo Domingo El Carmen. The goal was the in vivo digestibility of four grazing grasses (Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania, Panicum maximum cv. Mombaza,...
Citations
... Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of including legume shrubs as an alternative for diet and performance improvement on ruminants [12][13][14]. Those studies found that these plants constitute a path towards sustainability, whether through direct grazing or for the enrichment of diets supplied in a trough [4,6]. ...
... The increase in N variables at the final collection period (N intake, Fecal N, Absorbed N, Urinary N), might be justified by the greater N content on Cratylia than Tifton 85 (Table 2). Valles-de la Mora [13] described greater urinary N excretion in lambs fed diets supplemented with dry leaves of Cratylia, in comparison with the group fed a basal diet with hay of Urochloa dictyoneura cv. Lanero. ...
Legumes shrubs such as Cratylia argentea have an ability to thrive in environments with low water availability and poor soil. On the other hand, forage grasses such as Tifton 85 have a greater demand for inputs to be productive. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of growing and finishing Lacaune lambs fed Cratylia argentea hay as an alternative to Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp). Twenty-four Lacaune lambs aged between five and six months (average body weight [BW] 21.50 ± 3.38 kg) were arranged in a split-plot randomized block design. The plots consisted of different Cratylia to Tifton 85 hay proportions (0, 20%, 40%, or 100%, dry matter [DM] basis) as a roughage replacement in the total diet. The subplots represented two evaluation times, entitled “initial period” and “final period”, which consisted of the early seven days of total feces and urine collection, and the last seven days of the experiment, respectively. The lambs were blocked by weight with six replicates per treatment. The results show that the level of Tifton 85 replacement for Cratylia hay in the roughage portion of the lamb diet did not influence (P > 0.05) weight gain (WG), dry matter intake or dry matter digestibility; feed conversion, feed efficiency; and the evaluated nitrogen balance variables. The digestibility coefficient of neutral detergent fiber decreased linearly as Tifton 85 replacement for Cratylia level was increased, which probably happened due to the presence of highly lignified material within the Cratylia hay. However, the alternative legume maintained animal performance of Tifton 85. In conclusion, Cratylia hay can be recommended as a potential substitute for Tifton 85 hay, which requires greater inputs for the production. Cratylia may be considered a feeding strategy for livestock production, especially for smallholder livestock systems and regions with unfavorable soil and climate.
... Studies have found advantageous animal performance [8,9] and optimal nutritive value [10,11] with Cratylia. Braga et al. [11] evaluated the ruminal degradability of Cratylia argentea, Flemingia macrophylla, and Stylosanthes guianensis harvested at 55 and 75 days and fed to growing sheep. ...
Cratylia argentea is a leguminous shrub that has the potential for use as livestock feed in tropical areas. However, time-consuming and labor-intensive methods of chemical analysis limit the understanding of its nutritive value. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a low-cost technology widely used in forage crops to expedite chemical composition assessment. The objective of this study was to develop prediction models to assess the crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and dry matter (DM) of Cratylia based on NIRS and partial least squares analysis. A total of 155 samples were harvested at different maturity levels and used for model development, of which 107 were used for calibration and 48 for external validation. The cross-validation presented a root mean square error of prediction of 0.77, 2.56, 3.43, and 0.42; a ratio of performance to deviation of 4.8, 4.0, 3.8, and 3.4; and an R² of 0.92, 0.92, 0.87, and 0.84 for CP, NDF, ADF, and DM, respectively. Based on the obtained results, we concluded that NIRS accurately predicted the chemical parameters of Cratylia. Therefore, NIRS can serve as a useful tool for livestock producers and researchers to estimate Cratylia’s nutritive value.
... Pérez-López and Afanador-Téllez (2017) reported similar effect on digestibility in the association of grasses of the genus Brachiaria with Kudzu, regarding the pasture fertilized without incorporation of the legume. In turn, Valles-de la Mora et al. (2017) reported lower fibre contents in the association Toledo with C. argentea compared to Toledo alone. The same effect has been found in temperate zones, where Tripholium spp has positively influenced the nutritional quality of forage grasses (Fonseca-López et al., 2020). ...
Livestock production in some tropical regions is characterized by the use of naturalized forages in extensive management with low production rates. The use of improved grass-legume associations represents a sustainable intensification opportunity for this type of agroecosystems. The objective was to evaluate the production in establishment of forage associations for grazing systems in the dry tropics of Colombia. In a randomized complete block design with slope as the block factor and experimental units of 2700 m2 with four replications, the agronomic and nutritional quality characteristics of six treatments were compared: Urochloa hybrid cultivar Mulato II, U. brizantha cultivar Toledo and Megathyrsus maximus cultivar Mombasa, established alone or associated with Canavalia brasiliensis, against the control Dichantium aristatum, a naturalized forage of the region. Mulato II, Toledo and Mombasa alone and in association showed greater (p ≤ 0.05) vigour, height, cover and forage production than the control. Mombasa produced 10.7 Mg ha-1 MS (Megagrams of dry matter per hectare), exceeding (p ≤ 0.05) by 74, 53 and 84 % that were recorded in Mulato II, Toledo and control, respectively. C. brasilienses promoted higher productivity in the association with Mulato II and improved nutritional characteristics in the associations with Toledo and Mombasa compared to specific monocultures and the control. The improved grasses alone or associated with C. brasiliensis were a better forage option than Dichantium aristatum. It was concluded that M. maximus and Urochloa hybrid associated with C. brasiliensis are relevant forage options for agroecologically similar regions to the Colombian dry tropics.
... La Cratylia (Cratylia argentea Desv. O. Kuntze) es una planta originaria de Sudamérica, con capacidad para adaptarse a condiciones de sequía prolongadas (>6 meses) y suelos ácidos (Valles-de la Mora et al., 2017). Además, suele poseer mayor concentración de proteína cruda en comparación con pastos tropicales (Roa-Vega et al., 2017). ...
El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el efecto de la adición del guineo cuadrado sobre la calidad nutricional y fermentativa de ensilajes de Cratylia argentea y Erythrina poepiggiana. El estudio se llevó a cabo en Upala, Costa Rica, entre abril y noviembre de 2016. Se utilizó un diseño factorial completamente aleatorizado con 4 niveles de guineo cuadrado y 2 especies de leguminosas. Los ensilajes se realizaron en bolsas plásticas de 5 kg y se almacenaron durante 50 días. Al momento de la apertura, se midieron características bromatológicas de los ensilajes, así como los indicadores de fermentación. Se detectó que el guineo cuadrado afecta los indicadores fermentativos con valores de pH entre 4.3-4.8 y de lactato 1,61-3,91% de la MS. De la misma manera, el guineo cuadrado afecta la composición nutricional con concentraciones de proteína cruda, carbohidratos no fibrosos y fibra detergente neutro, que oscilaron entre 9,40-16,66; 21,78-57,88 y 21,15-48,55% de la MS, respectivamente. El contenido de energía se incrementó conforme aumentó la cantidad de guineo cuadrado en la mezcla, la energía de los ensilados fluctuó entre 1,38-1,73 Mcal/kg MS. En conclusión, todas las mezclas con guineo cuadrado presentaron características adecuadas para ser utilizadas como suplemento de rumiantes, aunque se obtuvieron los mejores resultados en los niveles de 15 y 30%.
... Esto se debió a la inclusión del estrato arbustivo en este sistema de pastoreo, donde el botón de oro presentó un contenido de PC de 27,4%. Los valores hallados de PC para las pasturas fueron superiores a los reportados para un sistema establecido en suelos ácidos y baja fertilidad de la Amazonía colombiana con 6,13% de PC para U. humidicola y 7,61% para U. brizantha [20], pero inferiores con relación a un SSP en México, que reporta para U. brizantha un porcentaje de PC entre 11,2 y 11,8% [21]. ...
... Con relación al contenido de fibra, las fracciones de FDN (68-69,5%) y FDA (37-37,5%) para el pasto toledo, fueron menores en este estudio, comparado con lo reportado para los porcentajes de FDN (73,8-74,5%) y FDA (41,3-43,7%) en un estudio donde se comparaba el desarrollo de novillas en un monocultivo de pasto toledo y un sistema silvopastoril de pasto toledo y cratylia (Cratylia argentea) [21]. Otra investigación, reporta para el pasto toledo, un valor de 80,8% de FDN, 55,8% de FDA y una digestibilidad del 48,1%, mientras que para el humidicola, 69,5% de FDN, 42,4% de FDA y una digestibilidad del 51,9% [20]. ...
... El SSP tuvo una producción de FV y MS superior al monocultivo (cuadro 2, p ≤ 0,05), con una producción estimada de MS de 2,8 ton/ha, que resulta también superior a un reporte [21] donde para un primer pastoreo en un SSP de U. brizantha cv. Toledo y Cratylia argentea se obtuvo 1,9 ton/ha. ...
Bovine production in Colombia is characterized for its low production indicators, because pastures are of low quality and the grasslands has an extensive management. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of a silvopastoral with Tithonia diversifolia, and Urochloa brizantha cv. Toledo associated with Urochloa humidicola, on the productive parameters of BON x Zebu heifers. 24 heifers BON x Zebu with an average age of 15,81 ± 2,05 months and 183,95 ± 33,45 kg of weight, were distributed randomly in two treatments, a monoculture with Urochloa brizantha cv. Toledo associated to Urochloa humidicola, and, the silvopastoral with Tithonia diversifolia. The dry matter production and the consumption was estimated in both treatments. Also, the weight, weight gain, body height, heart girth and body length were evaluated in the animals during two rotations. Significant differences were found in the silvopastoral system for the production of dry matter, weight gain, the weight, and body height (p ≤ 0,05). It was concluded that silvopastoral systems are an alternative to improve the forage offer and the performance of heifers.
... Livestock farming in the tropical regions is confronting serious problems, low quality and irregular availability of forage being the most important. (Valles-de la Mora et al. 2016). Conventional livestock systems present low efficiency and poor costeffectiveness due to poor quality and quantity of pastures during the dry season (Piñeiro-Vázquez et al. 2013). ...
Understanding belowground morphological mechanisms of trees and grasses is a complicated task but can help in the design and management of silvopastoral systems. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the harvest intervals (i.e. 30 and 50 days) of aboveground biomass on the fine root density and vertical distribution in two silvopastoral systems (SPS): one comprising Leucaena leucocephala (legume tree) and Cynodon plectostachyus (grass) and the other L. leucocephala and Panicum maximum. We used a completely randomized design with four repetitions. We sampled fine roots by using a metal cylinder (8 cm diameter and 50 cm length) 7 days after each harvest. We washed the samples with pressurized water to separate them from the soil. The roots were digitalized at a resolution of 600 dpi to determine the diameter and specific root length by using IJ Rhizo® software. Samples were subsequently dried to quantify fine root mass. We found that the greater percentages of fine roots were between 0.4 and 0.8 mm for the legume and between 0.2 and 0.4 mm for grasses. The fine root length and mass density of P. maximum was higher (P < 0.001) compared to C. plectostachyus in both harvest intervals. However, the fine root density of L. leucocephala did not vary between SPS (P > 0.05). The effect of harvest interval was significant only in some soil layers in both SPS (P > 0.05). Most of the pasture roots were found in the upper soil layer (0–20 cm), while L. leucocephala roots were present to deeper soil layers. We conclude that P. maximum has a greater rooting capacity and a more rapid recovery than C. plectostachyus, which has greater diameters and lower root density. However, L. leucocephala presented deeper and thicker fine roots in both SPS, which is a good indication of its belowground recovery capacity to aboveground disturbances.
... Aunque hay abundante información de evaluaciones agronómicas en leguminosas forrajeras, los atributos de estas especies para el animal, son poco conocidos (Alatorre- Hernández et al., 2018). Así que, conocer las características de estas leguminosas, es esencial para mejorar la producción animal (Valles-de la Mora et al., 2017). Por tanto, el objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la composición química y la digestibilidad in vitro e in situ de Arachis pintoi, Clitoria ternatea, Macroptilium atropurpureum y Stylosanthes guianensis. ...
En México, las propiedades nutricionales de las leguminosas tropicales no se conocen ampliamente. Por tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar el valor nutricional de Arachis pintoi, Clitoria ternatea, Macroptilium atropurpureum y Stylosanthes guianensis. Se evaluaron, proteína cruda (PC), fibra cruda (FC), extracto etéreo (EE), cenizas (CEN), fibra detergente ácido (FDA), fibra detergente neutro (FDN), lignina cruda (LC), digestibilidad in vitro de la materia seca (DIVMS) y digestibilidad in situ de la MS (DISMS). Las muestras se colectaron en las parcelas experimentales del INIFAP, estado de Veracruz, México. Las evaluaciones se realizaron en el Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo. Cada especie se evaluó, con tres repeticiones y cada repetición se consideró la unidad experimental, resultando doce observaciones por variable. Las medias se separaron mediante la prueba de Tukey (p< 0.05). Arachis pintoi mostró los porcentajes más altos de PC (25.2%), CEN (9%), DIVMS (83.2%) y DISMS (88.0%) y los valores más bajos de FDN (32.8%), FDA (26.9%) y LC (5.5%). Macroptilium atropurpureum mostró los porcentajes más bajos de PC, DIVMS, DISMS y CEN (6.4%) y los valores altos de FDN (50.9%), FDA (37.6%) y LC (11.8%). Las otras leguminosas mostraron valores intermedios o bajos de todas las variables. Por tanto, con base en la composición química y la digestibilidad in vitro e in situ de la materia seca, Arachis pintoi fue la especie con el mejor valor nutricional.
... A pesar de la importancia de la ganadería en las regiones tropicales, las áreas dedicadas a dicha actividad en su mayoría están basadas en el monocultivo de gramíneas, que se caracteriza por una marcada estacionalidad que limita la disponibilidad y calidad nutricional del forraje. Éste presenta un alto contenido de carbohidratos estructurales, bajo contenido de carbohidratos solubles, contenidos de proteína menores al 7% y digestibilidades por debajo del 55% (Barahona et al., 2014;Valles-De La Mora et al., 2016). Los problemas que conlleva el monocultivo de gramíneas en la producción ganadera tropical hace fundamental implementar nuevas opciones de manejo, para mejorar la productividad e incrementar la calidad de la dieta del ganado en pastoreo, especialmente durante los periodos críticos de escasez de forraje (Casanova-Lugo et al., 2014;Murgueitio-Restrepo et al., 2016). ...
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the growth curve and chemical composition of Cratylia (Cratylia argentea). The experiment was conducted with Cratylia planted in two-line spacings of 2 or 3 meters between rows and 0,5 m between plants. Cratylia plants were evaluated in a cycle of 126 days, with pruning events every 21 days, and a total of 6 assessments for each treatment. Parameters of bromatological composition (DM, CP, NDF, ADF) of plant edible fraction (EF) and productivity (total productivity and productivity of the EF in DM) were evaluated. The study was performed in a completely randomized design with 2 treatments (spacing) and 6 replications. The variations over days were evaluated using regression analysis, and the results were compared by Fisher test (p<0,05). The models that had the best fit for productivity was exponential and logistic, whereas, for the bromatological composition it was Gompertz and polynomial. The 3 m spacing had lower productivity and CP content. The Cratylia growth rate reduced with increased plant maturity, which suggested its prune at 86 days for the 2 m spacing and 91 days for 3 m spacing. Based on the results found in this research, the 2 m showed greater yield and CP content. Both spacings presented values of CP, NDF, and ADF of 20.26, 60.29 and 40.63% for 2 m spacing and 18.97, 60.61 and 42.11% for 3 m spacing, respectively for 105 days of pruning, which was less productive for both spacings.
Cratylia argentea is a leguminous shrub with a great potential for livestock feeding in tropical areas. However, time consuming and labor-intensive methods of chemical analysis limits the understanding of its nutritive value. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a low-cost technology that has been widely used in forage crops to fasten the assessment of its chemical composition. The objective of this study was to develop prediction models to assess crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and dry matter (DM) of Cratylia based on NIRS and partial least square analysis. A total of 155 samples were harvested at different maturity levels and used for model development, whereas 107 were used for calibration and 48 for external validation. The cross-validation presented Root Mean Square Error of Prediction of 0.77, 2.56, 3.43, and 0.42; a Ratio of Performance to Deviation of 4.8, 4.0, 3.8, and 3.4; an R2 of 0.92, 0.92, 0.87, and 0.84 for CP, NDF, ADF, and DM, respectively. Based on the obtained results, we conclude the ability to predict chemical parameters of Cratylia with the current model was accurate. This way, livestock producers and researchers may use it to fasten the assessment of Cratylia’s nutritive value.
