Discussions on Desmodium ovalifolium,
a creeping cover crop for tropical climates
(10/8/05 - 10/10/05)

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postings: 2
countries: Nicaragua, Philippines
agencies/institutions/organizations: Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Farm and Resource Management Institute at Leyte State University

From: Zosimo de la Rosa
Sent: Saturday, 08. October, 2005
To: MULCH-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Creeping cover crop for tropical climate

Deal All:

I am wondering whether all those mentioned cover crops [in the recent] cooler climates discussion may also thrive or tolerate if planted in tropical climate. . . and can also be a good cover crop under plantation trees and orchard? By the way I have known and personally tried Desmodium ovalifolium - a good creeping legume which thrive best in tropical climate like the Philippines. It can tolerate 50 to 80 percent shade and therefore a good cover crop for orchard and fruit trees and also a good species to minimize soil erosion; suppress Imperata cylindrica and possibly potential control for Chromolaena odorota infestation in most pasture areas . . .
Anticipating for your needed reactions and information regarding your experiences on D. ovalifolium . . .

Thank you,

Moroy de la Rosa
SRI Regional Program Coordinator- Region 8
Farm and Resource Management Institute
Leyte State Univeristy,Visca
Baybay, Leyte, Philippines

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From: "Axel Schmidt"
To: <MULCH-L@cornell.edu> (MULCH-L)
Subject: RE: Creeping cover crop for tropical climate
Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2005
Organization: CIAT

Dear Moroy de la Rosa,

CIAT did a few years ago a project on Desmodium ovalifolium, as a result a new cultivar (cv. Maquenque) was realesed in Colombia in 2002. You can download information from http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/forrajes/index.htm (it is available in English/Spanish).

I fully agree with your assessment of D. ovalifolium as a cover crop, and as it produces a lot of seed, it is easy and not expensive to establish. If you want to use it as a pasture legume, however, you have to take into account possible GxE interactions on quality (tannins), but CIAT 13651 cv. Maquenque is low in tannins across various environments, a least in Colombia.

If you have any further need for information, please let me know.

Cheers, Alex

Dr. Axel Schmidt
Multipurpose Forages for Central America
Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)
Apartado Postal LM-172
Managua, Nicaragua

Email: a.schmidt@cgiar.org
ciatnica@cablenet.com.ni
Web: http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/forrajes