A collection of 64 accessions of the South American pasture legume Aeschynomene histrix Poiret was
characterized in 1995 at Ibadan in south-west Nigeria in order to test the potential of the accessions
as forage plants in subhumid areas and as a trap crop for the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica (Del.)
Benth. All accessions had a low biomass production during the first 8 weeks after sowing but soon
variations in the collection became apparent. Morphologically, accessions could be classified as
having prostrate, decumbent, semi-erect and erect growth habit. The semi-erect to erect accessions
grew vigorously and had high dry matter yields. The most frequent disease was Rhizoctonia foliar
blight, for which, in general, prostrate accessions had a higher severity. In contrast, plants with semi-
erect to erect growth habit were more susceptible to a wilting disease probably caused by Fusarium
spp. With an average crude protein content of 16% and 48-h in sacco dry matter and protein
digestibilities of c. 50%, fodder quality of 13-week-old plants was similar to that of other tropical
forage legumes. As a result of a laboratory experiment to test the potential of A. histrix to act as a
trap crop for Striga hermonthica, 13 accessions showing a significant influence on in vitro Striga
hermonthica seed germination were identified. Twenty promising accessions were selected for further
evaluation. These accessions showed good biomass production and/or high tolerance to diseases
and/or significant influence on Striga hermonthica seed germination. Such material has the potential
to contribute to both livestock-forage and improved fallow systems with the aim of increasing the
sustainability of agricultural production in West Africa.