Preliminary study of the contribution of native legumes to the nitrogen economy of natural grasslands

Abstract

The need to discover suitable native legumes of high nitrogen fixing ability was pinpointed. Potential native legumes growing in the wild in Nsukka, Nigeria were identified and the seeds were collected. Desmodium ramisissimon was found to be the common legume species in the University area and was used for germination and nodulation studies. D. ramisissimon showed good potentiality with regards to nodulation ability and was recommended for further investigation.

Key words: Nodulation, germination, nitrogen fixation, Desmodium ramisissimon.