ABSTRACT
Centrosema belongs to the tribe Phaseoleae of the subfamily Papilionoideae, of Leguminosa. It is a well-known, primarily tropical, Western Hemisphere legume genus with some 35 species. Common centro is adapted to the humid tropics and subtropics. Its growth rate is drastically reduced when night temperatures fall below about 15C, and maximum growth occurs when day/night temperatures are above 30/ 20C. Belalto centro may be more productive than common centro at temperatures below those for maximum growth of common centro. In many soils, P is the nutrient most limiting for centro establishment and production. Application rates of about 75 kg P/ha often are used for centro establishment in soils suspected of being low in available phosphorus (P). Large-scale collection and evaluation of new species and ecotypes have generated a large pool of untested genotypes of Centrosema. Several attempts have been made to reduce P requirements for legume establishment.
