Pueraria lobata

Kudzu

Woody perennial vine with leaves resembling those of grapes. Grows vigorously, in one summer, producing shoots 10 m long. Mainly propagated from cuttings or rooted cuttings as the plant seldom gives any seeds. Cannot easily be cut and cured for hay because of its long stems. Newly established plants tolerate little trampling and must be grazed with care during the first two years. Adapted to subtropical and warm temperate climates and able to withstand winter frost. Grows in moderately humid climates on fertile well-drained soils, but can also withstand protracted drought. A good stand takes a long time to establish but is very long-lived. Highly palatable and can be used as a substitute for lucerne. Excellent for silage, especially if mixed with grass.

As % of dry matter

DM

CP

CF

Ash

EE

NFE

Ca

P

Ref

Fresh leaves,

Zimbabwe

19.6

21.5

7.8

3.9

47.2

19

Fresh stems,

Zimbabwe

5.7

46.2

5.6

1.0

41.5

"

Hay, South Africa

13.3

40.3

9.3

2.5

34.6

1.83

0.10

489

Silage, Zimbabwe

13.3

31.1

11.6

4.2

39.8

19

Digestibility (%)

Animal

CP

CF

EE

NFE

ME

Ref

Hay

Sheep

65.6

43.9

26.3

63.7

1.86

489

Amino acid composition as % of crude protein

Aerial part

Ref

188

Arg

Cys

Gly

Hys

Ils

Leu

Lys

Met

Phe

Thr

Try

Tyr

Val

4.0

1.1

4.5

2.7

3.9

6.7

4.4

1.8

4.2

4.2

2.4

3.3

4.5

References

19, 188, 489

Abstracts