Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Fodder: Bank  Fodder: Pasture  Management: Hay  Minor Global Crop  Staple Crop: Protein

A plant of the subtropical to tropical zones, where it is found at elevations up to 2,500 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 19 - 30°c, but can tolerate 6 - 35°c[418 ]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -2°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,800mm, but tolerates 650 - 4,300mm[418 ]. Prefers a lightly shaded position, but succeeds in full sun and quite deep shade[418 ]. It grows especially well in shaded, damp areas under trees and shrubs[295 ]. Grows best in a fertile, humus-rich loam, but tolerates most soil types and also low fertility[418 ]. Prefers a well-drained soil, but tolerant of seasonal inundation[418 ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 3.5 - 8.4[418 ]. The plant is a very effective coloniser in ungrazed areas, particularly where some form of soil disturbance has occurred[415 ]. It is well adapted to sloping, cleared land in rain forest areas. It can be an aggressive invader of annual and perennial crops in Brazil[418 ]. The plant may become a persistent weed, especially in cultivated areas such as sugarcane fields. It should be controlled in the seedling stage, as it is very difficult to remove later when the grass has reached maturity[295 ]. Yields of dry matter may be 6 - 60 tonnes per hectare[418 ]. Although plants seed readily, heads ripen very unevenly and shatter readily. Hence seed must be hand-collected. Viability of the fresh seed is comparatively low - it is increased by storing the seeds dry for 6 - 18 months[269 , 415 ]. Seed viability under natural conditions is short-lived. The plants should be allowed to reseed themselves at periodic intervals to insure stand maintenance[269 ].

Carbon Farming

• Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Alley cropping systems on the contour of slopes.
• Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
• Fodder: Pasture  Enclosed tracts of farmland mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants).
• Management: Hay  Cut to the ground and harvested annually. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
• Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.
• Staple Crop: Protein  (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.