Fine stem stylo

Fine Stem Stylo flower

Scientific name

Stylosanthes guianensis var. intermedia

Strengths

• Persistent and strong coloniser on low fertility soils.

• Tolerant of heavy grazing, frost and fire because of low/buried growing points and regrows rapidly.

• Provides high quality feed when other legumes are frosted or dormant.

• Field resistance to anthracnose.

• Good palatability.

Limitations

• Low forage yield.

• Needs good drainage.

• Difficult to harvest seed.

• Specific rhizobium requirement.

Fine Stem Stylo plant

Plant description

Plant:

Perennial, low growing legume that has a well developed crown with buds above and below ground.

Stems:

Fine, many branched and covered with bristles.

Leaves:

Trifoliate with narrow pale to dark green leaflets usually with no hair on the upper surface but with a few hairs on the underside.

Flowers:

Small and bright yellow in groups of 4 to 20.

Pods:

Light brown, flattened, 1 seed per pod with a small coiled beak.

Seeds:

Kidney shaped yellowish-brown, 770000 seeds (dehulled) per kg or 380000 seeds in pod/kg.

Pasture type and use

Used in native and planted perennial grass pasture.

Where it grows

Rainfall

600 to 800mm AAR.

Soils

Sands and sandy loams.

Temperature

Optimum for growth is about 30oC. Crowns of established plants have survived at -10oC.

Establishment

Companion species

Grasses: Black spear grass, Indian bluegrass, Premier digit grass.

Legumes: Round-leaf cassia

Sowing/planting rates as single species

Not usually planted as a single species in pastures. Planting rate for seed crops is 4 to 5 kg/ha of scarified seed.

Sowing/planting rates in mixtures

1 to 2 kg/ha

Sowing time

Spring and summer

Inoculation

Rhizobium strain CB 82

Fertiliser

Grows on low P soils but responds to added phosphorus.

Management

Maintenance fertliser

Not normally used.

Grazing/cutting

Regular grazing of associated grasses favours fine stem stylo and is necessary to stop grass dominance. It can be grazed heavily over summer but a short rest period in February/March helps seed production and longevity in the pasture. Continuous heavy grazing can reduce cover and allow weeds to invade and can lead to erosion.

Seed production

Seed production is high but ripening occurs over a long period and it shatters easily. Yields from mechanical harvesting range from 100 to 400 kg/ha. Suction harvesting can give higher seed yields.

Ability to spread

Produces high seed yields and is spread through surface movement ingestion and movement of livestock.

Weed potential

Very limited. In pastures it is well grazed and in disturbed areas other (larger) plants are likely to be dominant.

Major pests

No serious pests.

Major diseases

Anthracnose, little-leaf and head blight can infect fine stem stylo but are of little consequence in a grass-legume pasture.

Herbicide susceptibility

Susceptible to some broad-leaf herbicides but tolerant of 2,4-D, 2,4-DB, Basagran and Blazer.

Fine Stem Stylo

Animal production

Feeding value

High protein forage because of its fine stem and long growing season. It can regrow rapidly after grazing and growth can extend into cooler months.

Palatability

Very palatable.

Production potential

Forage yields in pasture are generally low but can be up to 2 tonne/ha where legume density is high. Steer liveweight gain can be increased by 50 to 80 kg/head/year with high gains extending further into the cooler months than for other tropical grass-legume pastures.

Livestock disorders/toxicity

None known

Author and date

Bob Clem

January 2009