Desmodium uncinatum

SUBMITTED TO:
THANESHWAR PANDEY
PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL NUTRITION

PREPARED BY:
DIBYA PAUDEL
B.V.SC & A.H, 1ST SEM
ROLL NO: 12

TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY
INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE AND ANIMAL SCIENCE
PAKLIHAWA CAMPUS
2017
 Flower of Desmodium uncinatum

Introduction:
Scientific Name: Desmodium uncinatum
Synonyms: Hedysarum uncinatum
Family: Fabaceae (Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, and the NorthernTerritory)
Fabaceae: sub-family Faboideae (New South Wales)
Leguminosae (South Australia)
Papilionaceae (Western Australia)
Common Names: desmodium, silver leaf desmodium, silverleaf, silverleaf desmodium, silver-
leaved desmodium, Spanish clover, Spanish tick-clover, Spanish tickclover, tick clover, velcro
plant, velcro vine, velcro weed
Origin: Native to South America (i.e. Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, northern Argentina,
Paraguay and Uruguay
Description:
Large rambling perennial, cylindrical or angular stems densely covered with short, hooked hairs
which make the stems adhere to hands, clothing, etc. Leaves trifoliate, with short brown stipules
that fall off early, and with a petiole 2 to 7 cm long. Leaflets ovate, 3 to 6 cm long and 1.5 to 3
cm wide, the terminal one on a petiole 5 to 15 mm long. Leaflets are dark green on the upper side
with an area of white shiny surface near the central vein, often surrounded by a dark shiny area;
lower side is lighter green and uniform in colour, both sides hairy.
Flowers in long paired racemes on stalks up to 1 cm long. Flowers 1 cm long, widely open when
flowering, pink becoming bluish after flowering. Sickle-shaped pods easily break transversely at
maturity into four to eight segments 4 to 5 mm long and 3 mm wide, light brown at maturity,
densely covered with minute hooked hairs so that the segments adhere to clothing. Seed olive-
green, triangular-ovate, 3 mm long, 2 mm wide and over 1 mm thick (Bogdan, 1965). It
originally came from Deodora, Brazil, and was introduced to Kenya via CSIRO, Australia, as
CPI 8990.
Soil requirement: It is adapted to a wide range of soils, from sands to clay loams; is productive
on red basaltic loams and on gleyed podzolics (Mears et al., 1964) . It is not as successful on
sands as D. intortum. Does well on soils with an open texture and not so well on compact heavy
clays. Will grow at pH 5.0 (Andrew and Bryan, 1958),
do well at pH 5.5 to 6.5 and grow up to pH 7.0. Anderson and Naveh (1968) stated that it was
fairly tolerant of soil acidity in Tanzania. Does not tolerate salinity (Andrew and Robin)
Temperature requirement:
Summer-growing perennial, starting growth early in the spring. Whiteman (1968) found the
optimum temperature for growth to be 30/25°C &177; 3°C. It wilts during the high temperatures
of summer (Douglas and Luck, 1964). It is fairly cold-tolerant (Huang, 1967). Whiteman and
Lulham (1970) put the growth minimum at about 15°C. Ludlow and Wilson (1970) found that D.
uncinatum at 20°C yielded 23 percent of the dry matter it yielded at 30°C, 42 percent of the
relative growth rate and had 14 percent of the leaf area. It is susceptible to frosts but more
tolerant than siratro. Heavy frosts affect the tops, but in warm weather the plant recovers quickly
(Huang, 1967).
Response to photoperiod:
Short days induce flowering in April to May (Queensland); seed usually sets in June, before
winter frosts (Davies and Hutton, 1970). Whiteman and Lulham (1970) found that D. uncinatum
flowered in 181 days when planted in October and in 132 days when planted in September in
south-east Queensland. It is more shade-tolerant than D. intortum and Macroptilium
atropurpureum.
Tolerance of flooding:
Fairly tolerant of flooding and poor drainage. Performs better than D. intortum in low-lying land
with a water-table close to the surface.
Sowing methods: Sow using a drill, ground broadcasting, aerial seeding or sod- seeding.
Some seed cover after sowing is desirable. Very little success has been achieved by
oversowing into existing pastures. Sow in early summer at the rate of 2.2 kg./ha, no deeper than
1 cm (Suttie and Ogada, 1967). Whiteman (1969) found that December sowings gave higher
nodule weights than later sowings in February and April.
Rhizobium relationships
Use a specialized "Desmodium" group Rhizobium. The current Australian inoculum is CB 627.
It will cross-inoculate with some other species, e.g. D. intortum and Neonotonia wightii
(Diatloff, 1968), but not with others. Peak nodulation occurs 1 month before flowering
(Whiteman, 1969).
Ability to spread naturally
Seed pods attach to clothing and the coat of animals and spread widely. In suitable soils (e.g.
deep latosolic clay loams) it can spread vigorously.
Land preparation for establishment
Will perform best in a well-prepared cultivated seed bed, but will establish on roughly cultivated
land. Luck (personal communication) has established it at Cooroy, Queensland (lat. 26°S, rainfall
1 400 mm), by treating the existing pasture of Axonopus and Paspalum with Dalapon at 6 kg./ha
and sod-seeding D. uncinatum into them.

Seed harvesting methods:

The greatest amount of seed is obtained by mowing when 50 percent of the seed is ripe, allowing
it to dry in a swath for 10 to 14 days and then threshing. Wind is a danger to both Desmodium
uncinatum and D. intortum with the plants vulnerable to pod shatter while seed heads are
standing; they are protected when laid down in a swath and any seed drop will be caught in the
crop. Satisfactory yields can be obtained from direct heading in the field. Use a slower drum
speed for silverleaf desmodium-just sufficient to thresh the pods without undue seed cracking
(about 200 rpm; less than for greenleaf desmodium). Use an adjustable sieve on a fairly close
setting or a 2.5 mm punched-hole sieve.

Seed yield:
Suttie and Ogada (1967) obtained 330 kg./ha cleaned seed in Kenya. In Queensland, 220-275
kg./ha are harvested.
Number of seeds per kg:
198 000 to 220 000. Percentage of hard seed is low. Seed treatment before planting. Machine-
harvested seed usually does not need treatment to break dormancy. For inoculation, use special
"Desmodium" culture; the present Australian culture (1970) is CB 627. Lime pelleting stimulates
the growth of this species (Norris, 1958).
NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS:
D. uncinatum responds readily to fertilizers; it performs very poorly without phosphorus, potash,
sulphur and molybdenum.
 Calcium:A calcium concentration of 1.3 to 1.8 percent of the dry matter of the tops
was measured by Andrew and Hegarty (1969). Andrew and Norris (1961) found that
D. uncinatum gave 25 percent of its maximum yield in the absence of calcium,
maximum yield being at 1 000 kg./ha. D. uncinatum is one of the least efficient at
calcium extraction of the tropical legumes and is only slightly better than white clover

 Phosphorus: The critical level for P in the dry matter of the leaves at the immediately
preflowering stage is 0.23 percent (Andrew and Robins, 1969a, b). D. uncinatum
yielded 53 percent of its maximum yield at the equivalent of 250 kg./ha, the
maximum yield being achieved at the equivalent of 1 250 kg./ha of single
superphosphate.

 Copper: D. uncinatum is very efficient in extracting copper from the soil,probably

because of its deep root system. In the absence of added Cu it gave 60 percent of its
maximum yield-the best performance of ten legumes tested. The copper content of the
seed is 6.3 ppm (Andrew and Thorne, 1962). Symptoms of copper deficiency are
outlined by Andrew (1963): at an early stage of growth (approximately four weeks),
deficient plants, particularly the young growth, become pale- to greyish-green in
colour, but this is not associated with interveinal chlorosis. With increasing severity-
of copper deficiency, the youngest fully expanded leaves show marginal necrosis,
especially toward the tip of the leaflets. This is not preceded by interveinal or general
chlorosis or by necrotic spotting. Necrotic material tends to curve inwards bilaterally
and also from the tip to give a dished effect. Progressively, younger expanding
leaflets are pinched and necrotic at their tips and become completely necrotic on
expanding fully. With increasing severity of copper deficiency,. the young shoots are
damaged, malformed, fail to expand, and finally die. Following the death of the
young shoots, secondary growth starts from axillary buds, but this also succumbs.
Affected leaves abscise early, leaving stems almost devoid of leaves. No visual
symptoms occur on the roots or on the mature stems. Growth habit is changed from a
prostrate to a semierect form.

 Potash:Andrew and Bryan (1958) found that in the field at Beerwah (south-eastern
Queensland) visual symptoms of potash deficency occurred when the potash content
was below 0.50 percent of dry matter. Plants fertilized with potash contained 0.91 to
1.14 percent K and showed no deficiency. Andrew and Robins (1969c) found
deficiency symptoms when the K content of the dry matter fell below 0.72 percent.
Andrew and Pieters (1970a) have presented colour plates showing healthy leaves with
1.64 percent, and leaves from plants showing potash deficiency containing only 0.29
percent K in the dry matter. They record that deficiency commences as necrotic
spotting on the mid- to lower leaves of the plant. The spots are initially of pinhead
size, irregular in shape, and situated interveinally toward the leaflet margins. They are
equally visible on both surfaces of the leaflets, and in the early stages create a halo
effect around the entire leaflet margin except in the vicinity of the base; in more
 advanced stages, necrotic spotting occurs secondarily in the full interveinal tissue.
Areas of necrotic spotting are preceded by a light form of chlorosis while the
remainder of the leaflet is normal green in colour. Very little spotting occurs on the
silver-coloured portion of the leaflet; however, in leaves which are severely affected
by deficiency, the silver-coloured portions are not discernible. As the deficiency
increases in severity, the areas of necrosis enlarge and coalesce, particularly in the
distal marginal areas of the leaflets. At this stage, there is a general chlorosis of
affected leaves. Associated with the severe form, the lamina of the leaflet curls
inwards and there is some degree of surface puckering. Tolerance to herbicides
Fairly tolerant to 2,4-D and, even from 3/2 weeks of age, 1.65 kg. acid equivalent per hectare can
be used. Early resistance to Diquat is not as good as with greenleaf desmodium, but at 0.275 kg.
of cation per hectare it is safe to spray established swards (Bailey, personal communication) .
Vigour of growth and growth rhythm
It is not very vigorous in the seedling stage. It comes away quickly in the spring, a few weeks
earlier than D. intortum and two months earlier than Macroptilium atropurpureum (Whiteman
and Lulham, 1970); also gives an earlier response in spring than glycine. Gives vigorous growth
in early summer, again in late summer and autumn, then declines.
Nitrogen-fixing ability
Whiteman (1969) showed strong nodule development and nitrogen fixation during summer;
although a few nodules remained during the winter, they were not active in nitrogen fixation.
Hence, the amount of nitrogen fixed is governed by the length of the winter dormant period.
Suttie and Moore (1966) showed that when Pennisetum purpureum and Tripsacum laxum were
grown with D. uncinatum, their crude protein contents rose by 18 and 51 percent and that of the
mixture of grass and legume by 63 and 112 percent respectively. Henzell et al. (1966) found that
a stand of D. uncinatum in Queensland provided approximately 110 kg. N/ha/year in the
available forage, and that a similar amount was added to the soil. Suttie (1968) estimated that D.
uncinatum contributed 160 kg. fertilizer N in association with grasses in Kenya; in Malawi the
estimate was 90 kg./ha where the legume comprised 30 percent of the sward. Over a four-year
period on a nitrogen-deficient soil, Bryan (1962) obtained a mean yield of N in the plant tops of
176 kg./ha/year in grass/D. uncinatum swards in south-east Queensland. Henzell (1962) in sand
cultures found that about 80 percent of the N fixed by D. uncinatum was in the plant tops.
Richards and Bevege (1967) found that D. uncinatum had an adverse effect on exotic pines but
with native Agathis robusta and Araucaria cunninghamii it trebled the amount of surface litter,
doubled tree height and increased dry matter tenfold. Whiteman (1969) has published figures for
nitrogen fixed per plant of D. uncinatum during the season.
Response to defoliation
Whiteman (1969) showed that cutting or grazing to a height of 5 cm caused D. uncinatum to
disappear from a Rhodes grass/ Desmodium sward.
Grazing management
D. uncinatum pastures should be well established before grazing is begun. Cattle eat the young
terminal shoots, the leaves and finally the stolons if grazing is continued. As new growth arises,
the axillary buds should be protected to allow for rapid regrowth. Weed competition should be
reduced in the early stages by slashing, and grazing should commence after about 16 weeks. Top
growth should be eaten down rapidly and the stock removed for four to eight weeks between
grazings.
Whiteman (1969) showed that close grazing by sheep to a 5-cm height eliminated D. uncinatum
from Rhodes grass/D. uncinatum pasture in four years. In New South Wales, Australia, D.
uncinatum pastures have survived grazing for at least five years (Bryan, 1969) and at Beerwah,
Australia, for eight years (Bryan, 1968).
Response to fire
Will recover from moderate fires if it is well established.
Breeding system
Self-fertile; pollination is improved by tripping the flowers. Chromosome number 2n = 22
(Pritchard, personal communication). It has been successfully crossed with D. intortum (Hutton
and Gray, 1967).
Dry-matter and green-matter yields
Whiteman (1969) recorded a dry-matter yield of 4 670 kg./ha/year at Samford, south-east
Queensland. Bryan and Shaw (1964) measured 730 kg./ha/year of D. uncinatum in association
with grass which yielded 1 650 kg./ha/year over a period of four years in south-east Queensland.
In Swaziland, l'Ons (1968) obtained 3 700 kg./ha of dry matter from D. uncinatum; Risopoulos
(1966, Zaire) 15 tonnes of dry matter per hectare in a total of five cuttings. Anderson and Naveh
(1968) obtained an average yield from five sites in northern Tanzania of 7 020 kg./ha.
Suitability for hay and silage
Luck (personal communication) recorded some useful hay at Cooroy in south-east Queensland.
There does not appear to be any record in the literature of the use of D. uncinatum for silage.
Value as a standover or deferred feed
In frost-free environments, some standover feed is retained, but where frosts are severe, losses
can be heavy. Whiteman (1969) recorded a 71 percent loss of dry matter over the winter
compared with the amount present at the end of summer. The lower leaves tend to drop when the
sward becomes dense.

Feeding value
Cattle graze the plant readily and intake is good, even after frosting (Milford, 1967). Leaves and
shoots are mainly eaten (Bryan, 1966). Chemical analysis and digestibility. Luck (personal
communication) recorded a crude protein content of 15.88 percent for hay from a first cutting (12
September 1967) and 18.75 percent from the second cutting (27 September 1967). Crude fibre
percentage was 42 percent. Milford (1967) gives detailed analyses and digestibility figures for D.
uncinatum grown on a heavy black clay at Lawes and a sandy soil at Beerwah, at different stages
of growth. Mears, Murtagh and Wilson (1964) quote Holder's figure of 54.5 percent digestibility
of the crude protein, which was 15.5 percent of the dry matter.
Toxicity
None recorded from grazing. Hutton and Coote (1966) found 3.6 percent tannin in the leaves.
Bindon and Lamond (1966) found no toxic symptoms in mice fed on leaves and seeds. Minute
amounts of oestrogens have been found in Desmodium species but not enough to cause adverse
effects in the grazing animal (Bryan, 1969).
Cultivars
There is only one cultivar in commercial use-cv. Silverleaf.
Diseases
It is susceptible to little-leaf (Hutton and Grylls, 1956). In Georgia, United States, Wells and
Forbes (1963) found it susceptible to anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum dematium f.
truncata.
Main attributes
A robust grower which spreads readily and persists well in pastures, it commences growth early
in the spring and has a long growing season. It is adapted to a wide range of soils and fixes
nitrogen effectively.
Main deficiencies
It has lower digestibility and drought tolerance than D. intortum.
Latitudinal limits
Southern boundary about 30°S (Tucuman, Argentina - Burkart, 1952) extending to about 19°N at
Vera Cruz, Mexico (Bryan, 1969).€
Ability to compete with weeds
When established, it competes fairly strongly.
Pests
It can be severely damaged by the Amnemus weevil (Amnemus quadrituberculatus), the adults
of which feed on the foliage in summer and the larvae on the root tissue in winter. In two
experiments at Wollongbar, New South Wales, Mears (personal communication) found that the
annual dry-matter production of D. uncinatum and D. intortum declined from 4 400 to 6 600
kg./ha to 165 kg./ha over three years. The foliage can be sprayed with dieldrin at 1.1 kg./ha acid
equivalent, but residues may be a problem. Whitefringed weevil (Graphognathus leucoloma)
causes similar (but less) damage. Leaf-eating beetles, caterpillars and grasshoppers are common
in moist climates. DDT at 0.55 kg./ha active ingredient can be sprayed onto the foliage to control
leaf-eating caterpillars, but after spraying an interval of 30 days should elapse before the pasture
is grazed. A pod-borer attacks the pods in Brazil. Colbran (1963) recorded that the nematodes
Meloidogyne javanica and Radopholus similis attack the roots in Queensland, though damage is
not severe.
Toxicity levels and symptoms
Manganese: Andrew and Hegarty (1969) determined the toxicity threshold value for manganese
of D. uncinatum as 1 160 ppm; hence, the plant is fairly tolerant of high manganese levels in the
soil. Andrew and Pieters (1970b) recorded a colour photograph of D. uncinatum showing
symptoms of toxicity and described the symptoms. The dominant effect of manganese toxicity in
this species is chlorosis, which commences on the young shoots and newly expanded leaflets as a
light interveinal chlorosis. With increasing severity of toxicity, the degree of chlorosis increases;
in the extreme case, young leaves are devoid of chlorophyll upon expanding. Older leaves, which
show slight interveinal effects initially, continue to exhibit these through to maturity but the
thickness of the leaves increases with age (the young chlorotic leaves are very thin). Associated
with the decrease in thickness of the latter are a development of a few irregularly shaped brown
spots adjacent to the veins and also a narrow band of leaf marginal necrosis with slight inward
curling of the leaflet margins. Restricted growth of the primary shoot gave rise to axillary growth
which was affected by toxicity (in the same manner as above), resulting in a bushy habit of
growth.
Palatability
Not high; stock take some time to get used to it
Altitude response
Grows from sea level to 2 400 m in Kenya. In Zaire it occurs from 1 500 to 1 800 m. The order
of altitude response is silverleaf desmodium, Neonotonia wightii, greenleaf desmodium and
siratro. D. uncinatum is much more tolerant of high altitude than other tropical twining legumes
(Middleton, personal communication).
Compatibility with grasses
Combines well with Setaria spp., Panicum spp., Paspalum spp., Pennisetum clandestinum,
Chloris gayana and Pennisetum purpureum. Bryan (1968a, b) showed that at Beerwah in south-
east Queensland it invaded pastures of Digitaria decumbens, Chloris gayana and four species of
Paspalum.
Minimum percentage required for commercial sale
Seventy percent germination and 94.5 percent purity are the standards required in Queensland.

Reference:
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl?desmodium+uncinatum
http://www.pi.csiro.au/ahpc/legumes/pdf/silverleaf.pdf
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Gbase/data/pf000030.htm