STATUS OF STYLOSANTHES DEVELOPMENT IN OTHER COUNTRIES - II - STYLOSANTHES DEVELOPMENT AND UTILIZATION IN CHINA AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA

Introduction of Stylosanthes species to south-east Asia commenced in 1 949 and tended to follow the development of commercial cultivars in Au stralia, S. guianensis cultivars were introduced to humid and subhumid areas in Malaysia, Indonesia, southers Thailand, Philippines and Chin a. S. humilis, S. hamata and S. scabra were introduced to drier areas in the region such as northeast Thailand, eastern Indonesia and southe rn China. Anthracnose severely reduced growth and survival of many cul tivars used in the region. In 1976, an outbreak of anthracnose in S. h umilis prompted a change to S. hamata cv. Verano in Thailand. S. guian ensis cv. Schofield was similarly affected in many countries and was r eplaced by Cook and Graham. Later Cook and recently Graham were simila rly affected in many countries and are being replaced by S. guianensis CIAT 184. The most widely used species today are S. hamata cv. Verano , and S. guianensis cv. Graham and CIAT 184, S. hamata is used mainly in northeast Thailand for inclusion in heavily grazed pastures, In 199 5, 150 t of seed of S. hamata was produced in Thailand. S, guianensis cv. Graham and CIAT 184 are grown on more than 100 000 ha in monocultu re, often associated with perennial tree crops in southern China, It i s used as fresh feed for ruminants, or dried and processed as leaf mea l. Recently, S. guianensis CIAT 184 has gained popularity in more coun tries in south-east Asia because of its broad adaptation, potential fo r multiple uses and high productivity in acid, infertile soils. Prospe cts for increased use of this species, particularly in smallholder far ming systems, are excellent.