Agro-Ecological Adaptation and Participatory Evaluation of Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Legumes in Mid Altitudes of Sud-Kivu, D. R. Congo
M. M. D. Katunga, B. J. B. Muhigwa, K. J. C. Kashala, M. Kambuyi, N. Nyongombe, B. L. Maass, M. Peters
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo Institut National pour l’Etude et la Recherche agronomiques (INERA)-Mulungu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia.
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Nairobi, Kenya.
Université de Lubumbashi, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Université Officielle de Bukavu, Faculté des Sciences, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Université Pédagogique Nationale de Kinshasa, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2014.513218   PDF   HTML     3,294 Downloads   4,249 Views   Citations

Abstract

Livestock is traditionally managed in mixed crop-livestock production systems in Sud-Kivu, D. R. Congo. Currently, livestock production is facing numerous constraints due to wars and insecurity in the country, with looting of animals, demographic pressure on natural resources, and lack of extension services. Multipurpose trees and shrubs with adequate forage quality could help overcome dry-season feed shortage. The objective of this research was to assess the agro-ecological adaptability of selected forage tree and shrub legumes combined with farmer participatory evaluation. The study was carried out at two distinct mid-altitude sites in Sud-Kivu. Trees and shrubs were planted randomly in eleven lines, with each species/accession consisting of nine plants split into three replications. Following a standardization cut after one year of growth, regular biomass harvests were performed every eight weeks during one year; Desmodium and Flemingia were cut at 0.5 m above soil surface, while Leucaena and Calliandra at 1 m. Before every harvest, plant height was measured and number of stems counted. Fresh leaf and stem biomass were weighted, sub samples dried and leaves analyzed for nutritive value. Results from agronomic evaluation show that Leucaena diversifolia ILRI 15551 and Leucaena leucocephala had the highest yield in the rainy season on fertile soil; during dry season, Leucaena diversifolia ILRI 15551 was superior. On poor soil, Flemingia macrophylla CIAT 17403 performed best in both seasons, however, its forage quality was relatively low. Forage tree and shrub legumes chosen by farmers were, in general, the same as those superior ones in agronomic evaluation.

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Katunga, M. , Muhigwa, B. , Kashala, K. , Kambuyi, M. , Nyongombe, N. , Maass, B. and Peters, M. (2014) Agro-Ecological Adaptation and Participatory Evaluation of Multipurpose Tree and Shrub Legumes in Mid Altitudes of Sud-Kivu, D. R. Congo. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 5, 2031-2039. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2014.513218.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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