Tropical Legumes
Tropical Legumes are an important inclusion in any tropical pasture improvement program. Tropical legumes naturally have higher heat and drought tolerance, which allows for better persistence in tougher northern environments. Tropical legumes can have the largest increase on a pastures productivity, allowing for the following benefits:
- Increased Nutritional Benefits (Protein & Digestibility)
- Increase in Soil Health and Fertility, fixation of Nitrogen Lifting pasture overall productivity
- Economical & Environmental Benefits, of quicker turn off times and reduced GHG emissions
Aside from feed quality, adding legumes to diversify your pasture also has many soil health, fertility and environmental benefits. Some tropical legumes have been found to contribute to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane through the natural compounds the plants contain.
New Tropical legumes are bred and selected for a range of productivity gains which include:
- Tolerance to problem diseases
- Increased DM Yield and grazing persistence
- Increased environmental adaptability
There are a range of tropical legume species and cultivars that have specific fits into improved pasture systems.
