A.C. CASTILLO¹, O.C. CUYUGAN², S. FOGARTY³ and H.M. SHELTON⁴

¹Research Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
²Livestock Development Council, Department of Agriculture, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
³Barrio de la Magdalena, Tequisquiapan, Quere'taro, Mexico
⁴Department of Agriculture, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Abstract

Sixteen accessions of Leucaena leucocephala, L. pallida and L. diversifolia and their interspecific hybrids were assessed for psyllid resistance, agronomic performance and forage quality in subtropical south-east Queensland. All accessions except the 4 L. leucocephala lines, L. diversifolia (K156) and its hybrid with L. leucocephala (K8) exhibited moderate–high psyllid resistance, fast seedling growth, high dry matter production and cool tolerance. However, their forage quality, as indicated by in vitro dry matter digestibility and chemical composition, was inferior to that of L. leucocephala. Condensed tannin concentration, in particular, was higher in the non-L. leucocephala lines and this was associated with lower IVDMD and higher psyllid resistance. The implications for development of these lesser-known Leucaena species for forage use are discussed.