Botanical Name : Desmanthes Virgatus (L.) Willd. |
Introduction |
· Hedge Lucerne Is A Native Of Tropics And Subtropics Of The New World. It Is Found Throughout The Country. It Has 22% Protein In Leaves And 10–15% In Stems. It Is Highly Productive, Yielding About 40–70 T/Ha Of Green Fodder Per Year. No Poisonous Principal Isobserved In The Foliage. Because Of Its Pithy Stem, The Harvesting Is Easier. It Is An Ideal Plant For Wasteland Development. |
Botanical Description |
· It Is A Small Shrub, 2–3 M Tall, Erect, Herbaceous, Perennial, Glabrous With Virgate Branches. Leaves Are Bipinnate, 2.4–8 Cm Long With 6-8 Pinnae 2–9 Mm Long Persistent Stipules. Flowers Are White, Solitary, Globose, Peduncled. Pods Reddish To Golden Brown Containing 20–30 Seeds And 5–8 Cm Long. |
Cultivation Practices |
· The Field Should Be Prepared With 1–2 Ploughings At The Onset Of Monsoon. In A Wellprepared Field The Seeds Are Sown @ 2–3 Kg/Ha At A Depth Of 1–2 Cm. The Sowing Is Done Preferably In Lines 30–50 Cm Apart. At The Time Of Sowing Ten Cartloads Of FYM Along With 15 Kg N, 50 Kg P2O5 And 20 Kg K2O/Ha Are Mixed With Soil. |