Desmodium intortum

Greenleaf desmodium, Kuru vine

Rambling perennial, native to South America and cultivated as a fodder plant in other parts of the world. Cannot withstand close grazing. Artificially dried leaves have successfully been used as a substitute for lucerne meal. Tolerates moderately low temperatures. Popular as it produces a large bulk of palatable herbage; now being introduced on farms in a number of countries as a companion legume to some grass species.

As % of dry matter

DM

CP

CF

Ash

EE

NFE

Ca

P

Ref

Fresh, wet season,

4 weeks, 20 cm

Thailand

16.5

17.0

30.3

10.9

3.0

38.8

1.27

0.55

219

Fresh, wet season,

6 weeks, 40 cm

Thailand

17.2

15.1

30.2

8.7

3.5

42.5

1.40

0.47

"

Fresh, wet season,

8 weeks, 55 cm

Thailand

19.2

13.0

31.8

7.8

3.6

43.8

1.09

0.42

"

Fresh, wet season,

13 weeks, 75 cm

Thailand

25.7

10.1

35.4

7.0

3.1

44.4

"

Fresh, dry season,

4 weeks, 20 cm

Thailand

21.3

20.7

25.4

9.4

3.3

41.2

1.41

0.52

"

Fresh, dry season,

6 weeks, 40 cm

Thailand

20.2

18.3

27.2

8.9

4.5

41.1

1.24

0.74

"

Fresh, dry season,

8 weeks, 45 cm

Thailand

21.4

16.4

29.0

8.4

3.7

42.5

1.21

0.42

"

Digestibility (%)

Animal

CP

CF

EE

NFE

ME

Ref

Fresh, 75 cm

Sheep

14.0

33.0

41.0

49.0

1.37

219

Amino acid composition as % of crude protein

Aerial part

Ref

Ref

Arg

Cys

Gly

Hys

Ils

Leu

Lys

Met

Phe

Thr

Try

Tyr

Val

4.4

0.9

4.6

1.8

3.8

6.9

3.7

1.6

4.6

4.5

2.5

3.1

5.0

188