Clitoria ternatea

Local names: Butterfly pea, Aparjita

The butterfly pea (C. ternatea) is a deep-rooted, tall slender, climbing legume with five leaflets and a deep blue flower. It is well adapted to a variety of soil types (pH 5.5-8.9) including calcareous soils. It is surviving in both the extended rainfall regions and prolonged periods of drought. Propagation  is  through  seed;  the  plants  may be grown with support crops (or) staked with bamboo to facilitate hand picking of the pods.

It is a tall, slender climber and once established it becomes difficult  to eradicate because of its deep root system and heavy self seeding habits. It does very well under irrigation. Under favorable condition, butterfly pea yields up to 30 tons dry matter per hectare per year.

Nutritive value

Butterfly pea is productive  type of fodder and may be grown  with  other grasses in the pasture. The levels of  crude protein  and crude fibre  in  the leaves are 20-22% and 21-29%, respectively. Total plant protein ranges from  14-20%. Dry matter digestibility  levels vary between 60-75%. Good quality hay can be made from Clitoria. It is well accepted by livestock.

Varietities

IGFRI-S-23-1 and IGFRI-S-12 are the famous high yielding varieties available for forage cultivation in India.