Common Name:

General Information

Sesbania rostrata is an erect, robust, softly woody annual plant that can become a short-lived perennial under favourable conditions[, ]. It grows from 1 - 3 metres tall[].
S. rostrata occurs naturally throughout tropical Africa. It is cultivated, mainly on experimental scale, in West Africa and East and South-East Asia[]. In cultivation, S. Rostrata is almost always associated with wet rice[]. The plant has become attractive as a green manure plant for lowland rice farming systems in Asia, because of its ability to fix large quantities of nitrogen under waterlogged soil conditions[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Mauritania to Sudan, south to Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Madagascar.

Habitat

Marshes, floodplains, on muddy river banks and the edges of pools, but has also been recorded in open savannah[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	2.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,600 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 35°c[]. It grows best at temperatures above 25°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 600 - 5,000mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. The plant occurs naturally on periodically flooded or water-logged, deep clayey alluvial soils, it can tolerate flooding to a depth of 1 metre[, ]. It can be grown on freely drained, moist soils in cultivation, but will then require more rainfall than it obtains in nature[]. Adapted to poorly drained and flooded soils of at least moderate fertility[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7.5, tolerating 5 - 8.5[]. The plant can grow in more acid conditions (down to a pH 4.3), but nitrogen fixation is less efficient[]. Establishment on heavy clays can be difficult[]. Plants are tolerant of low to moderate salinity[].
Under favourable conditions, the plant grows very fast, reaching a height of 2 metres within 60 days, and accumulating 8 - 11 tonnes above-ground dry matter per hectare[].
This is a quantitative short-day plant, with a critical photoperiod of 12 - 12.5 hours[].
It has been proposed to plant S. Rostrata on field bunds. Prunings of these plants would provide cuttings for vegetative propagation, or be a source of readily available green manure. These plants could also be a source of seed[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].
It is only necessary to apply a solution of an appropriate Rhizobium strain in locations where this plant has not been grown before. Spontaneous inoculation in the field is generally adequate for a high rate of nitrogen fixation. Although Rhizobium strains to stem inoculation are highly specific, they are easily established in the soil, as they can be transferred via the seed-coat[].

Edible Uses

The leaves are eaten in some areas[].

The seeds are used in the preparation of a fermented food[].

Medicinal

The plant is used medicinally[]. No more information.

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen even under waterlogged soil conditions and is used as a green manure in wet rice cultivation[, ]. If established as an intercrop in rice at the same time as the rice, it out-competes the crop, but is suppressed by the rice if sown 30 - 60 days after the crop[]. When grown as a green manure crop, it is allowed to grow for 45 - 65 days depending on its growth rate. When it is left to grow longer than about 55 days, the lignin content increases which decreases the decomposition rate of plant biomass[]. During the short-day season, it may be left to grow longer as it starts flowering early, resulting in a lower growth rate. The green manure crop is ploughed in just before the rice crop is sown or transplanted[]. Initial decomposition is rapid, with 30 - 45% of the leaf material decomposing in 10 days after incorporation[]. Decomposition then slows down considerably, reaching 50% after 35 days, while the half-life of stems and root-stubble is about 110 days[].
It has shown potential for incorporation in alley-cropping system[].

Other Uses

A fibre is obtained from the stems[].

The dry stems are used as a fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - pre-treatment to soften the hard seed coat reduces germination time and increases germination rate[]. Treatment of the seed with concentrated sulphuric acid for 30 minutes improves the germination rate to more than 90%.[] Subsequently, the treated seed should be washed with ample water to avoid overheating[]. Abrading the seed, or a hot water treatment, also improve germination, but are much less effective[]. The seed is sown in situ, usually broadcast[].
Vegetative propagation by stem cuttings is possible, as the nodulation sites on the stems consist of adventive root primordia[]. The use of cuttings instead of seed results in a quick establishment of the crop and may double the N accumulation in a 6-week growth period, or reduce the growth period by 2 weeks[].

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: what is lesser, 17 or 71?