FEBRUARY, 1934 SER EARN 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
WASHINGTON, De. a lansayY PO af 
CIRCULAR No. 137 
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CROTALARIA, A NEW LEGUME FOR THE SOUTH 
By RoutanD McKEE, Senior Agronomist, and C. R. ENLow, Associate Agronomist, 
Office of Forage Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry 
CONTENTS 
Page Page 
introductions See Sols. re eee ee 1 aU Se Omlertilizersee= see ee eee 9 
Goeneralidescription a= oe ee 2 | Time and method of seeding_________________ 9 
Climatic requirements______________________- AS pa til tiv abl OM ss ee en eee nS 12 
Soil and moisture requirements______________ AS VELALVeS bine fOr tOLage ses aa) bem nee 12 
PalatabllitvetOulvestoc kee a ee AP NEAYSIOL Gs Olp OL ALG Res mee eee et ge 12 
WMaluesforforagesse. fos 22 eee ee eee 5 al tEtarvesting for seed=- ==. =. Se se 14 
Species injurious to livestock________________ ig VA Olds OCCU ee ee te tee a ae 14 
Value for green manure______________________ Ge |) Imsectyenemiese=.— 2 tats. Ee ee 15 
Ornamentalkvalue 2k ee See ee Git Diseasess® see 22s ee eS ae NE oe oe eee 15 
WSerasa smotnencrope= == Se i= Nematode resistances 22 2= a se 17 
@hemicaljanaliyses seas es oe ae eee ae (an\ =D escriptioniOSpeciessa== = an eee 17 
Longevity and hard seed_____.______--__-____ Sie MO UII ATV ee eee eo ney arr eee 28 
Sourcerofsced] se = sees. ee ees OE pei teratureiCitedsose= = eee eo ee ee 29 
FNOCUI ATION === eee ea eC 9 
INTRODUCTION * 
About 600 species belong to the genus Crotalaria, and these are 
widely distributed in the several continents. Five species are native 
to the eastern United States. The greatest number occur in tropical 
and subtropical regions. This genus belongs to the legume family 
and is made up largely of herbaceous plants. 
One species (Crotalaria juncea L.) is best known for the fiber it 
produces, although it is used for other purposes. In India, the Malay 
Peninsula, and on adjacent islands several species of Crotalaria have 
been recognized as having special value for soil improvement or green 
manure. The species most commonly used are C. usaramoensis 
Baker, C. anagyroides H. B. K., C. juncea, and C. striata DC. 
These species have also been orown in other parts of the world, and 
their use seems to be extending. 
Crotalaria striata is the only species that has attained commercial 
importance in the United States. This species was first introduced 
in 1909 from eastern Africa at the request of the late C. V. Piper 
and was accessioned as 8S. P. I. No. 24119. The seed upon its arrival 
was sent to the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station at Gaines- 
ville, from which place its culture has gradually spread, and at the 
present time it is grown in that State extensively for green manure. 
1 Experimental work with crotalaria in the South has been carried on in cooperation 
with several State agricultural experiment stations. For results presented in this circular 
acknowledgment is made to the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Gainesville, 
Fla.; the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, Ga.; the Sandhills Experi- 
ment Station, Columbia, S. C.; and the Coastal Plains Station, McNeill, Miss. 
9023°—31 
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