Cultivos de pastos y forrajes

Una amplia variedad de plantas se pueden utilizar como pastizales y cultivos de forraje en los trópicos. Entre ellas, algunas son particularmente importantes debido a su amplia adaptabilidad, facilidad de crecimiento, alto potencial de rendimiento y alto valor nutricional. La mayoría de ellas son hierbas o legumbres. La mayoría de las hierbas de este grupo son muy adecuadas para pastos permanentes, aunque algunas suelen ser cortadas y llevadas a los animales. Lamentablemente hay pocas combinaciones de legumbres y pastos que son compatibles en los pastos de los trópicos; sin embargo, tenemos varias legumbres adecuadas para pastos mixtos y estamos ansiosos por escuchar cómo crecen en varias áreas. Está disponible una nota técnica de ECHO sobre "Forrajes".

  1. Desmanthus Desmanthus virgatus

    Desmanthus is a nitrogen-fixing, prostrate, perennial, tropical shrub that can be used as a green manure/cover crop and as fodder for livestock. This shrub is adaptable to a range of environments and is tolerant of drought.

  2. Tick Trefoil Desmodium rensonii

    Desmodium rensonii is an erect, nitrogen-fixing, perennial shrub. This species is one of the preferred plants for the SALT (Sloping Agricultural Land Technology) technique developed in the Philippines in the 1980’s. It is an excellent hedgerow and alley cropping plant that produces good amounts...

  3. Greenleaf Desmodium Desmodium intortum

    Greenleaf desmodium is a vining, nitrogen-fixing, perennial legume adapted to tropical and sub-tropical climates. It is a good forage in mixed legume/grass pastures.

  4. Evenia Aeschynomene evenia (Aeschynomene indica L.?)

    Aeschynomene evenia is a short-lived perennial. Evenia fares well in areas that have an abundance of rain as it tolerates waterlogging and maintains its nutritive content when other grasses are declining. Seeded in very early spring in tropical pasture land, it will be well established in 2-3...

  5. Silk Tree Albizia lucida

    Albizia lucida is a nitrogen-fixing reforestation tree that grows quickly and tolerates poor soil and waterlogging. Timber from this tree is used for furniture, construction, and pulp. It can also be used as high protein fodder and a shade tree.

  6. White Clover Trifolium repens

    White clover is a low, spreading, nitrogen-fixing perennial, that provides nutritious forage and is usually grown in grass/legume pasture systems. It can also be used as a green manure or cover crop.

  7. Veza vellosa Vicia villosa

    arvejilla vellosa, arvejilla de las arenas, veza de Rusia, vicia vellosa, vezo piloso

    Nativa de Europe o Asia occidental, Vicia villosa es adecuada para climas más fríos. Es una leguminosa trepadora con vellos largos y suaves en los tallos y hojas. Las ramas, los tallos/enredaderas tienen un hábíto de crecimiento postrado (30-70 cm), pero pueden trepar (hasta 1-2 m) tallos de...

  8. Frijol caupí Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata

    Caupi (Cowpea), Caraota de ombligo negro, frijol de rienda, frijol de vara, habichuela china, judía de careta

    Vigna unquiculata es una leguminosa de grano originaria de África. Atributos como el porte (erecto, semierecto o rastrero), el color de la semilla (tonos de blanco, rosa, marrón y negro) y el tiempo de maduración de la semilla (60 a 240 días) difieren según la variedad. Las vainas aparecen en...

  9. Avena de Grano Desnudo Avena nuda

    Avena De Grano Desnudo

    La avena se cultivó por primera vez en Asia, pero no apareció en la historia registrada como una cosecha cultivada hasta mucho después del trigo.

  10. Turnip Brassica rapa var. rapifera

    Turnips are a cruciferous crop (cabbage family) grown for the edible fleshy taproot. The leaves are also a good nutritious green leafy vegetable. There are also varieties that have been developed as a forage crop.

  11. Roundleaf Cassia Chamaecrista rotundifolia

    Roundleaf cassia is a short-lived perennial, nitrogen-fixing shrub, growing up to 1 m tall. It is adapted to sandy soils and semi-arid environments. It provides good quality forage for livestock and is used as a legume in mixed grass/legume pasture systems.

  12. Centurion Centrosema pascuorum

    Centurion is a fast-growing, annual, prostrate, nitrogen-fixing, drought-resistant, nutritious forage species for the seasonally dry tropics. It is an excellent legume for mixed pastures and is also planted as a hay crop.

  13. Tree Lucerne Chamaecytisus prolifer

    Tagasaste

    Tree lucerne is a fast-growing, nitrogen fixing, shrub or small tree. It produces high yields of palatable, nutritious fodder as well as shade for livestock. It can also be used for fuelwood and bee forage.

  14. Desmodium Desmodium heterocarpon

    This species of Desmodium is a nitrogen-fixing,short-lived perennial shrub. It does well in mixed legume/grass pastures and provides good quality forage.

  15. Finger Millet Eleusine coracana

    Finger millet is a short, annual grass to 1 m in height, grown for its small grains that are usually ground into flour for porridge. More drought tolerant than maize or sorghum, finger millet is also higher in protein, fat and minerals than those crops.

  16. Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum

    Grano Sarraceno

    Buckwheat is a temperate, or high altitude tropical, annual, upright plant growing to 1 m in height. It is grown for the seeds which are used for human consumption and livestock feed. Buckwheat is also useful as a green manure or cover crop.

  17. Mani Forrajero Arachis pintoi

    Mani Forrajero, Maní Pinto, Maní Perenne

    El cacahuete forrajero es una hierba perenne nativa de Brasil que se encuentra en toda América del Sur y que forma una cola corta y densa de crecimiento. Es una leguminosa fijadora de nitrógeno que tolera un poco de sombra.

  18. Canavalia Canavalia ensiformis

    Haba De Caballo Jack Bean, Pallar De Los Gentiles, Haba De Burro, fríjol de espada, haba blanca, judía sable, poroto gigante

    Canavalia ensiformis es nativa de las Indias Occidentales y de América Central. Se parece mucho al fríjol espada, C. gladiata, y a la especie silvestre predominantemente africana, C. virosa. C. ensiformis está ampliamente distribuida en los trópicos y subtrópicos, aunque se la considera una...

  19. Haba del mar Canavalia rosea (formerly maritima)

    frijolillo, haba poroto de playa, mate de costa

    Canavalia rosea es una leguminosa trepadora tolerante a la sequía y a la sal adaptada para crecer en condiciones muy secas y cálidas. Se distribuye ampliamente en las playas y dunas en los trópicos y subtrópicos, también en el occidente y norte de Australia. Puede alcanzar longitudes de 6 m, con...

  20. Hairy Indigo Indigofera hirsuta

    Hairy indigo is a reseeding annual, nitrogen-fixing, erect, bushy plant, up to 2.5 m in height. It is used as a forage, summer fallow, green manure, or cover crop.

  21. FRIJOL LABLAB Lablab purpureus

    Frijol Lablab, Judía, Habichuela, Poroto De Egipto, Judía de Egipto, zarandaja, Frijol de Egipto

    Lablab purpureus puede crecer en un amplio rango de condiciones climáticas y tipos de suelo, dependiendo de la variedad elegida. Se cultiva ampliamente en todos los trópicos y subtrópicos y ocurre de manera silvestre en el África tropical (incluyendo Madagascar) e India. La palatabilidad del...

  22. Grass Pea Lathyrus sativus

    Grass pea is an annual, vining or climbing, drought-tolerant, nitrogen-fixing plant, up to 1 m in height, adapted to cooler temperatures, and higher altitudes in the tropics. It is a multipurpose legume, the seeds of non-toxic forms used for human consumption, and the plant used for forage,...

  23. White Lupine Lupinus albus

    White lupine is a cool season, nitrogen-fixing, bushy, annual plant up to 1.6 m in height, and adapted to higher altitudes in the tropics. It is mainly used for forage, green manure or cover crops but non-toxic modern varieties have been developed for human consumption.

  24. Siratro Macroptilium atropurpureum

    haba púrpura, jícama silvestre

    El origen exacto de este cultivo es desconocido, pero suele sembrarse desde el sur de Tejas hasta Perú. Fue llamado “Siratro” e hibridizado por primera vez a inicios de la década de 1960.

  25. White Hoarypea Tephrosia candida

    This 2-3 m (7-10 ft) high member of the pea family, White Hoarypea, was first grown in the tropical foothills of the Himalayan mountains of India. Since then it has been introduced into Southeast Asia, the West Indies, South America and some African countries. It is a nitrogen-fixing, perennial...

  26. Alfalfa Medicago sativa

    alfalfa

    Alfalfa is a low-growing, nitrogen-fixing perennial, with a strong taproot. Many varieties of alfalfa have been developed for excellent hay and forage. It has long been one of the most important forage species for livestock production.

  27. Glycine Neonotonia wightii

    Glycine is a perennial, vining, nitrogen-fixing, green manure or cover crop that may be grown to suppress weed growth, improve the soil nitrogen supply, and slow soil erosion. It is also a forage crop that can be grown in pure stands for hay or in a mixed pasture system.

  28. Frijol Terciopelo Trepador Mucuna pruriens

    Frijol Terciopelo Velvet Bean, Frijol Terciopelo, Chiporozo, guisante de Mascate, mucuna ceniza, ojo de venado

    Las formas trepadoras de Mucuna pruriens crecen con rapidez, con enredaderas que trepan y crecen de 6 – 8 m de largo. Las hojas son grandes y trifoliadas con folíolos laterales de 7–15 cm de largo, 5–12 cm de ancho. Las flores son violáceas o blancas, que resultan en vainas de 4-13 cm de...

  29. Proso Millet Panicum miliaceum

    Proso millet is an erect, tillering, annual grass, growing to 1 m in height, that is grown for the small seeds used for human consumption and livestock food. Proso millet was one of the earliest cultivated grains in the world. It is fairly drought tolerant and has a short growing season.

  30. Pearl Millet Pennisetum glaucum

    Pearl millet is an annual, tillering grass, growing to 4 m in height, and more drought tolerant than maize. The seed head is compact, cylindrical and up to 30 cm long. The grains are ground into flour for preparation of porridge, flat breads and fermented products. Pearl millet is widely grown...

  31. Shrubby Stylo Stylosanthes scabra

    Shrubby Stylo is of South American origin having spread through Brazil into most tropical countries. ECHO distributes three types of Stylosanthes: S. guianensis, S. scabra, S. hamata.

  32. Stylo Stylosanthes guianensis

    Alfalfa brasileña, pasto stylo

    Stylosanthes guianensis es una leguminosa perenne, de corta vida y porte erecto. En la madurez, el cultivo es un arbusto de porte bajo con una raíz primaria profunda y varios tallos. Las hojas son trifoliadas, y la inflorescencia es en espigas con flores de color amarillo a naranja. Las flores...

  33. Sorgo de Grano Sorghum bicolor

    Sorgo De Grano

    El sorgo fue encontrado primero creciendo en Etiopía. Ahora es un alimento diario para 300 millones de personas en África, India, la China, y otras áreas de los trópicos calientes y secos. El sorgo es el cuarto cereal más importante en el mundo especialmente donde cantidades de lluvia y altas...

  34. Crimson Clover Trifolium incarnatum

    Crimson clover is a temperate, annual, nitrogen-fixing plant that can grow to 1 m in height. This clover is grown for seed, hay, silage, pasture for most livestock, and soil improvement. It is widely grown as a winter crop to be tilled under in the spring.

  35. Red Clover Trifolium pratense

    Red Clover is a temperate legume native to moist meadows, cool, open forests and field borders of central Europe, India and south of the Russia Arctic. It is now widely cultivated around the world.

  36. Tebeneque Stylosanthes hamata

    Tebeneque

    El tebeneque es indígena en sitios semiáridos en las islas de la Cuenca de las Antillas. Se supone que también es nativa en el sur de Florida y en regiones costeras de Sud América y Centroamérica cerca al Caribe. Se reporta su presencia en Venezuela, Colombia, y porciones de Brasil. La especie es...

  37. MAÍZ Zea mays

    Maíz

    El cultivo del maíz era conocido en partes de México y Centroamérica en tiempos precolombinos. El uso del maíz (corn en inglés) se ha extendido a muchas otras regiones templadas, subtropicales y tropicales del globo en donde es conocido como maíz (maize en inglés). Entre los cereales de grano, la...

  38. Leucaena Leucaena diversifolia, L. leucocephala, L. pallida X L. leucocephala

    The genus Leucaena includes several multipurpose tree species and interspecific hybrids that can withstand almost any type or frequency of pruning or coppicing. They are native to Mexico and Central America, and now abundant in the Philippines, West Africa, Nepal, Australia and Hawaii. Spanish...

  39. Tamarindillo Aeschynomene americana

    Pega Pega, antejuela, dormilonga, hierba Rosario

    Aeschynomene americana es una leguminosa forrajera y abono verde y cultivo de cobertura anual. Considerada un “subarbusto,” A. americana puede alcanzar alturas de 1 a 2 m. Las hojas compuestas pinnadas tienen una textura fina, con 25-60 folíolos por hoja. Las hojas, que se originan en los tallos...

  40. Foxtail Millet Setaria italica

    Foxtail millet is an annual grass crop, up to 1.5 m in height, and one of the most water efficient (250-300 mm per crop), short term (60-70 days), warm weather crops which can be used as a “catch” crop, planted after another crop has failed. The grain can be cooked whole or ground into flour....

  41. Guazuma Guazuma ulmifolia

    Guasimo, Guácima

    Guazuma is a small to medium-sized tree that grows up to 30 m tall. Its leaves form a compact, rounded canopy, remaining green throughout the year except in areas with a long dry season. It is used as a source of fuelwood, shade, and fodder for livestock.

  42. Centeno Secale cereale

    zekale

    Secale cereal es una gramínea de porte erecto, anual, de clima frío, de grano. S. cereale tiene un sistema radicular fasciculadoy tallos huecos, alcanza alturas de 2 m. Las hojas azules verdosas nacen en macollas, soportadas por sistemas radiculares largos que se extienden hasta 2 m en el suelo....