ABSTRACT
Stylo is an important pastures and forage species. It is a tropical legume shrub or herb widely grown for forage throughout the tropics and subtropics. It is drought tolerant and can be harvested during the whole year, though it grows only when sufficient water is available. It contains 12-18% crude protein, 0.61-1.72% ca., 0.10-0.12% phosphorus, and 7.0-14.2% ash. It often needs supplementary phosphorus to achieve best animal performance. Sodium levels are much higher than those for many other tropical legumes and may be 1-2% of dry matter in leaf and stem. The green forage production ranges from 200 to 300 quintals/ha, while the dry forage is 100-200 quintals/ha depending on the soil fertility. It generally produces 350-400 kg seeds/ha but from well-managed pasture, seed production reaches up to 1000 kg/ha.
