Forage Tree Legumes in Tropical Agriculture

Tree legumes serve a multitude of purposes in agriculture and forestry, including forage for animal production, fuelwood and timber production, soil conservation and fertility improvement. Their role and potential is being increasingly recognized for both intensive and extensive agroforestry systems, particularly in humid and semiarid regions of the tropics. This book provides an introduction to forage tree legumes for advanced students of crop science, animal nutrition and forestry. It describes the main genera and species concerned, including Leucaena, Sesbania, Calliandra, Acacia, Prosopis and many others. Chapters on the production and management of tree legumes are followed by a number looking at animal production, including topics such as nutritive value and antinutritive factors. Most of these issues are applicable worldwide, but the book also includes a number of case studies of the use of tree legumes in Queensland and Southeast Asia.