PUERARIA PHASEOLOIDES Origin: Pueraria phaseoloides is native to Malaysia, although it is widely distributed throughout the world in the wet tropics. Uses: Pueraria phaseoloides is often used as a nitrogen-fixing green manure or grown as a cover crop in coffee, oil palm, citrus, and rubber plantations. Pueraria phaseoloides leaves and stems are rich in protein (about 19%) and palatable to livestock and so are used widely as animal fodder. It may also be used as a pasture crop when grown with a suitable grass such as Guines grass (Panicum maxima). The very deep and extensive root system not only provides edible tubers, but also helps minimize soil erosion. The plant's rapid growth also helps suppress and protect the soil from rapid run of water. The stem contains exceptionally strong fibers which are used in rope-making. Pueraria phaseoloides is also reported to be a trap crop for Striga gesnerioides; it stimulates high germination of the Striga without bearing a host.
