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Description
A small prostrate annual legume. Life cycle is very short and does not
extend beyond the rainy season.
Habitat
In sandy areas of the Sahel, that may become invasive, particularly
in the so-called sacrificed areas around boreholes, ponds, and other
watering places where stock are used to stay. Around the boreholes of the
Ferlo region of North Senegal it may constitute a continuous mat in the
rainy season.
Temperature
It requires frost-free growing conditions.
Water
Rainfall requirements are in excees of 250 mm MAR, up to 600 and above.
In the Sudan, it occurs in a rainfall regime of 300 to 450 mm falling over
four summer months with eight months' dry season.
Soil
Common in sandy areas.
Distribution
Occurs throughout tropical Africa. It is plentiful in the sandy areas
south of the Sahara.
Nutritional Quality and
Animal Production
It provides some scant forage during the wet season and early in the
dry season. Valenza (1966) recorded that natural pastures in Senegal
consisting of Andropogon amplectens and Zornia glochidiata were
able to support one 200 to 300 kg beast per 2.5 hectares at the end of the
rains, and one beast per 7.5 hectares in the dry season. The rainfall was
under 520 mm per year. It is a ruderal and nitratophyte species, producing
an excellent quality fodder but with a low biomass and productivity,
usually individual plants are too widely spaced to provide a decent
mouthful to large stock. Feed value is excellent with 15 % CP , 0.14 % P,
0.6 % Ca ; and 7.0 Mj ME / kg MS. It may cause bloat in cattle when
absorbed in large quantities. Albeit Zornia constitutes an
excellent rainy season grazing, it is not appropriate for dry season
deferred grazing as the leaves and finer stems fall into chaff which is
blown away without any benefit for stock.
References
Boudet 1984
; Burkill 1995.
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