Advantages of the association of grasses with legumes

In livestock ecosystems, the grassy species known as grasses are of great importance for the feeding of cattle, to maintain the biomass production of these species, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are usually used, taking into account it is an element that stimulates the growth of plants, but we also know that the indiscriminate use of these products can cause an imbalance in the ecosystems and decrease of soil biota. Currently, one of the alternatives to reduce this type of practices is the association of these grasses with legumes since they offer a variety of benefits not only for the soil but also for animals and plants.

Among the benefits that the soil can have with the incorporation of a leguminous plant is the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen carried out through a symbiosis with microorganisms (bacteria of the genus Rhizobhium and Bradyrizobium), the radical system of these plants can help the aeration of the soil and of course the association of both plant species promotes greater plant diversity which favors biodiversity within the ecosystem, translating into a healthier ecosystem.

Also within the ecosystem they have a nutritional supplement function, taking into account that the plants of this family have a high percentage of protein that logically favors the nutrition of cattle, especially because in many livestock ecosystems the pastures have low levels of protein. One of the arrangements that can be made in livestock ecosystems is known as silvopastoral systems where forage legume bushes are associated with pastures, which allows the animal to have in the same space the amount of fiber and protein necessary for its food and nutrition.

From the above mentioned it can be said that, with this association, the forage obtained is of adequate nutritional quality, with a higher fiber and protein content, this translates into a better feed for the animals and a higher productive yield, and likewise guarantees to have a greater availability of forage throughout the year, especially in the most critical times where forage levels decrease due to the considerable decrease in rainfall.

These well-managed associated systems can improve the productivity of livestock systems, since the cost-benefit ratio can be balanced, since they can reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizers, and also the use of concentrated feeds that can be very expensive. From the environmental point of view, it maintains the functional biodiversity of the system, provides shade to the animals generating a comfortable micro climate in the case of silvopastoral systems, favors the recycling of nutrients through their leaves and nitrogen fixation, among other benefits that are of great importance today.

Dear readers, in summary, we can say that these associated systems are agroecological practices that seek to imitate the processes of nature providing environmental security in agricultural production, which agrees with the much talked about sustainable development, where not only seeks to increase production but also keep in balance the agroecosystems from the ecological point of view, since, the planting of a single crop on large areas of the soil does not favor the biodiversity of the system and becomes an artificial space where large quantities of synthetic products are unloaded, which progressively degrades the ecosystem turning them into areas with degraded soils in the long term.