ABSTRACT
Only two perennial sesbanias have been widely used for agricultural purposes: S. sesban and S. grandiflora. Perennial Sesbania species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands are mostly halophytic shrubs inhabiting coastal zones. The use of natural stands of sesbanias as browse is noted for Africa, but active use of these plants as feed sources in agroforestry systems is not wide spread. Sesbania species were studied in Indonesia as components of two-tier grazing or fodder production systems. Few of the woody shrubs and small trees catalogued in the African center of Sesbania species diversity, other than the sesbans, have known agricultural uses or have been evaluated agronomically. A cropping systems research experiment using S. sesban was carried out in Maharashtra, India, where legume forage shrubs and trees were interplanted with cereals. A description of the occurrence and management of S. sesban in the Deccan of India was given in an anonymous bulletin from Bombay entitled “Shevri as a fodder crop.”
