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 Toledo
is a new forage alternative directly derived from Brachiaria
brizantha accession CIAT
26110. In Colombia, this grass adapts well to sites with
soils of intermediate-to-high fertility and annual precipitation
above 1600 mm. Its annual forage yields are high during both
dry and rainy seasons, allowing stocking rates above 2.5 AU/hectare
and milk yields of up to 8.5 kg/cow per day, with Holstein
x Zebu cows.
 Cultivar
Veranera, Cratylia argentea CIAT
18516, is a shrub legume with great potential to improve
animal production systems, especially in the subhumid tropics.
Its forage yield is higher than that of herbaceous legumes
and it offers good quality forage at sites with prolonged
droughts, making it possible to replace energy and protein
sources used to manufacture feed concentrates, such as maize
and soybean, that are usually beyond the producers’ reach.
 Cultivar
Maquenque, Desmodium heterocarpon CIAT
13651, is a low-cost legume that can be used to recover
degraded pastures and as soil cover in perennial plantation
crops, such as rubber and palm. It adapts well to a broad
range of sites located between 0 and 1300 masl, has high biomass
production, and grows well in association with improved grasses.
Toledo’s excellent biomass production of
Toledo, Veranera’s high protein content, resistance to
long periods of drought, and potential use as supplement,
and Maquenque’s potential to improve soil quality, control
erosion, and suppress weeds are all agronomic characteristics
that will hopefully improve the performance and profitability
of agricultural and livestock production systems in Colombia.
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