Macroptilium longepedunculatum (Benth.) Urban
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Macroptilium longepedunculatum (Benth.) Urban
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Leguminosae
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Author: L.'t Mannetje |
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Llanos macro (En). Origin and geographic distribution The natural distribution of llanos macro is from southern Brazil to northern Mexico. It has been introduced into other tropical countries. Short-lived perennial twining herb to 60 cm high with trailing stems; vegetative parts shortly pilose, hairs of the stem retrorse to spreading. Leaf pinnately 3-foliolate; petiole, petiolule and rachis grooved above and closely ribbed; petiole 24-45 mm long; lateral leaflets ovate with asymmetrical bases, 2-4 cm x 1-3 cm; terminal leaflet broadly lanceolate to deltoid, 2.5-5 cm x 1-3 cm. Inflorescence an axillary raceme, 20-40 cm long; flowers shortly pedicelled, solitary or in pairs and threes; standard greyed orange, concave, obovate, emarginate, ca. 14 mm long; wings purple, partly adhering to the keel petals, limb orbicular, ca. 15 mm long, apex curved and slightly twisted. Pod linear, 3-7 cm x 2-3 mm, containing 10-18 seeds; valves twisted on drying. Seed small, flattened ovoid, mottled light and dark grey. A cultivar, 'Maldonado', has been released in the Northern Territory of Australia (Cameron 1992). Use M. longepedunculatum is a pasture legume for the monsoonal tropics, or used as a fodder crop to make hay, as saved standover fodder or as green manure. Properties Nitrogen concentrations range from 1.4-3.0% during the growing season but decline to 1-1.4% during the dry season. DM digestibility during the growing season ranges from 57-67%, falling to 47-53% during the dry season. Phosphorus concentrations range up to 0.23% during the growing season and from 0.06-0.13% during the dry season. Sulphur concentrations of up to 0.21% during the growing season and from 0.06-0.10% during the dry season have been reported. There are approximately 300 seeds/g (Cameron 1992). Toxicity None reported Ecology In its region of origin llanos macro occurs generally at low altitudes (up to 250 m) in areas with rainfall between 950-1300 mm per year. It is adapted to tropical monsoonal regions with strongly seasonal rainfall between 1100-1600 mm. It is not adapted to the permanently humid tropics. It is tolerant of drought, burning, waterlogging and flooding for up to three months (Ross and Cameron 1991). 'Maldonado' is a late flowering cultivar released in the Northern Territory of Australia, flowering from mid-April. It appears to be a short-day plant. There are a number of lines of M. longepedunculatum, some of which flower earlier than 'Maldonado', and some of which are amphicarpic, i.e. producing both aerial and subterranean seed (Cameron 1992). Soil requirements Llanos macro grows best on fertile soil, but will persist at low soil fertility levels after being established with minimal PK fertilizer as required. Propagation and planting Llanos macro is propagated by seed using seeding rates of 2-4 kg/ha. A clean seed-bed preparation is desirable for establishment. It can be sown as a mixed pasture or a pure stand. Seed formation is essential for long-term persistence, particularly in the year of establishment. Rhizobial requirements It nodulates freely and effectively with natural cowpea type rhizobia and does not need inoculation. Growth and development Llanos macro has a juvenile phase during which floral initiation will not take place. It flowers and seeds prolifically. Diseases and pests After periods of wet weather small patches of dead leaves (leaf blight) are caused by Rhizoctonia spp. The areas involved are only small and no control measures are required. Performance DM yields of llanos macro in well-fertilized pure swards reach 5-7 t/ha; in mixed swards, 3-4 t/ha. It produces up to 240 kg/ha of seed. It should not be severely defoliated early in the wet season. Links
Link for the genus
References Cameron, A.G. (1992); Ross B.J. and Cameron A.G. (1991)
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