Agronomic evaluation of eleven Leucaena lines at Tumbi, Tabora, western Tanzania

Abstract

Two trials were carried out over five growing seasons in western Tanzania to investigate (a) forage production and quality of eight lines of Leucaena leucocephala, one of L. diversifolia and one of L. esculenta and (b) the effect of cutting height (25, 50 and 75 cm) on forage production of nine lines of L. leucocephala and one of L. diversifolia. The locally naturalized lines, T1 and K1, were consistently better in yield, out-producing the commercial L. leucocephala cultivars Cunningham, Peru and K8 in three or four out of the five seasons' harvests. Mean daily dry matter yields for all lines decreased as the dry season progressed. Mean yields were 54.9, 28.6 and 12.8 kg/ha/day in the rainy season, late rainy season/early dry season and late dry season, respectively. The concentrations of N (2.3 to 3.1%), P (0.13 to 0.17%), K (0.7 to 1.3%), Ca (0.6 to 1.6%) and Mg (o.4 to 0.6%) in the edible forage declined as the dry season became pronounced but were at levels sufficient for animal production except for P levels, which were low. Three distinct yield groups emerged from responses to cutting height: cv. Cunningham produced the greatest yields of edible forage at 25 cm cutting height; cv. Peru, cv. K8, Korog, T1, CpI 90790 and CPI 58394 at 50 cm; and CPI 58398, CPI 84511 and CPI 85132 at 75 cm.