Value of endemic legumes for livestock production on Caatinga rangelands

Abstract

Rangelands and other native pastures occupy a large area of the planet, with greater temporal and spatial botanical composition and productivity variability. Despite the continuous and historical use of these areas, including overgrazing and fire exclusion, endemic legume species persist in some semiarid rangelands. The objective this work was to review current knowledge of legume use, especially those of the Brazilian Caatinga rangeland. Studies that measure the qualitative and quantitative variations of native legumes are essential for ruminant feed supplementation, to the sustainability of animal production, as well as for economic and environmental improvements in rangelands. Caatinga vegetation of northeastern Brazil consists of deciduous shrubs and small trees which mostly lose their leaves at the beginning of the dry season. The legume family contributes to the greatest number of endemic species but little is known about their productivity or nutritive values. Livestock select Orelha de onça [Macroptilium martii (Benth.) Marechal & Baudet] and Mororó (Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Steud.) and these should, during rangeland clearing, be preserved. In addition, although Caatinga legumes have great crude protein content, their biological fixation of atmospheric N has yet to be thoroughly studied. On the negative side, some native Caatinga legumes have great levels of neutral detergent fiber-bound N (NDFN) and condensed tannin. As a result, animal performance in Caatinga is often poor, notably in the dry period. Forage legumes also provide several environmental services such as N input via BNF and rehabilitation of degraded land.

Recovery of degraded pasture using biosolids and Moringa oleifera: Review

“…mostrou que a pastagem associada a leguminosa é uma alternativa viável para mantença e melhoramento das condições físicas do solo (Ferreira et al, 2018). Muir et al (2019) fizeram uma avaliação dos conhecimentos relacionados ao uso de leguminosas em áreas de pastagens da Caatinga e concluíram que o uso de leguminosas aumenta os níveis de proteína bruta das pastagens, assim como o nitrogênio, favorecendo a recuperação de áreas degradadas.…”

Effects of browse legume species addition on nutritional composition, fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability of Opuntia cladodes silage

“…Studies have revealed that protein supplementation enhances the nutritional value of Opuntia-based diets offered to ruminants to improve their productivity. 8 Browse legumes are generally higher in nitrogen composition 9,10 but with variable digestibility rates depending on the composition of the bioactive compounds 11,12 . Co-ensiling Opuntia cladodes and high-protein legume browse hay offers an alternative feeding strategy to ensure sustainable provision of high-quality feed throughout the year, including during winter and dry periods.…”

Morphology, accumulation and survival of Desmanthus under different planting densities and harvest heights

“…Native forage legumes can be used to recover unproductive areas, increase the nitrogen (N) supply in the soil, in addition to promoting diversity (Dubeux et al, 2017; Muir et al, 2019). Desmanthus ( Desmanthus pernambucanus [L.] Thellung) is an autogamous sub‐shrub legume originating from Northeastern Brazil (Costa et al, 2017).…”