Tropical Forage Plants

Tropical Forage Plants: Development and Use covers the research and resulting pasture development in the tropics and subtropics, which has undergone dramatic changes in the past few decades. Providing a broad, global perspective, it serves as a comprehensive resource covering a wide range of subjects pertaining to forage and animal production in th

The importance of grasslands. The classification and distribution of grasses. The world's major tropical grasslands. Performance and management of natural pasture. The case for improved pastures to replace indigenous species. Pasture improvement by introducing new species. Selection of pasture grass species, seed purchase and storage, and fertilizer needs. Pasture leys. Management of improved grassland in semi-intensive and intensive production systems. Reseeding the arid and semi-arid range. Handling difficult grasses. Grasses for special purposes. Utilization and conservation of forage. The chemical compostion and nutritive value of tropical grasses. The tropical grasses catalogue. Common names of tropical grasses. Common names of other plants. Index. Illustrations.

The grasses. Classification and distribution. Environment in relation to some aspects of grass physiology. Day length. Light intensity. Temperature. Rainfall. Soils. The structure of the grass plant. Cultivation. Establishment. Management. Association with the legumes. Herbage yields. Conservation. Nutritive value. Reproduction. The structure of floral parts. Flowering and pollination. Fertilization. Apomixis. Seed. Seed germination. Seed production. The more important species. The legumes. Classification and distribution. The structure of the leguminous plant. Nitrogen fixation by the legumes. In mixture with the grasses. Cultivation. Pests and diseases. Yields, utilization. Chemical composition, nutritive value. Palatability, toxicity. Reproduction. The flowers. Flowring, pollination. Seed production and harvesting. Breeding. The more important species.

Published in association with the International Herbage Seed Production Research Group, this volume and its companion provide the definitive resource for anyone involved in the breeding and commercial production of grass and legume seeds, whether for grazing systems, horticulture or recreation.

Collection and use of climatic data in pasture plant introduction; Obtaining a plant collection; Record taking at the colection site; Plant quarantine; Observation, description and classification of plant collections; Information storage and retieval; Evaluation; Seed production and processing; Seed technology: testing and storage; Seed release to commerce.

The development of legume use in agricultural production in the tropics lags far behind the temperate areas and extensive research over recent decades has aimed to rectify the lack of available leguminous fodder species available for heavy clay soils. This book draws together that research and explores the importance of heavy clay soils to agricultural productivity in the tropics and subtropics and the identification of adapted, productive forage legumes for these environments. Providing an invaluable example of how a global search for adapted and productive forage germplasm has been - and can be - undertaken, and allowing access to a significant body of knowledge that was acquired before the digitalization of reports, this book will be a key resource for new scientists and experienced researchers in the areas of agriculture and forage agronomy.

A definitive work illustrating how forages can sustain tropical cropping systems and be used to combat environmental problems of deterioration of soils and declining crop yields that are associated with monocropping. It is the only book to cover the management of tropical plant-soil-animal systems in one volume.