''Galega orientalis'' is a species of flowering plant in the

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

family. It is known commonly as fodder galega and eastern galega. It is cultivated as a

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...

and

forage Forage is a plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems) eaten by grazing livestock. Historically, the term ''forage'' has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used m ...

for

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

. This species is native to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

.Frame, J
''Galega orientalis'' Lam.
Grassland Species Profiles. FAO. Its native range includes parts of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

, and

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

. It has been introduced to many other regions for use in agriculture.

Description

This species is a perennial herb with a taproot and

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

system. It produces stems up to 2 meters tall which branch near the middle. The leaves are

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

bears up to 70 lilac-colored flowers, and some

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s can produce more.Baležentienė, L. (2008)
Bio-morphological peculiarities of new cultivars of fodder galega (''Galega orientalis'' Lam.)
''Agronomijas Vēstis'' 10 82-7. The fruit pod is up to 4 centimeters long and contains up to 8 seeds each a few millimeters in length.

Biology

The plant can grow on a variety of soil types, performing best on deep, light, friable, well-drained, higher- pH soils. It is quite tolerant of winter cold, but late-season frosts can damage fresh growth. It is somewhat tolerant of

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

and flooding. It does not do as well on acidic,

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

y, or water-logged soils. It responds well to supplemental phosphorus and potassium.''Galega orientalis'' Lam.
AgroAtlas: Interactive Agricultural Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries. Like many other legumes, it fixes nitrogen. Its root nodule bacterium is ''

Rhizobium galegae ''Neorhizobium galegae'' is a Gram negative root nodule bacteria. It forms nitrogen-fixing Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or r ...

''. Growers must ensure that their seed has been inoculated with it to produce adequate plant growth. Some strains of ''R. galegae'' are more effective

symbionts Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

than others, and different strains compete on one plant. When a less effective strain outcompetes effective strains, the plant does not grow as well.Tas, E., et al. (1996)
Assessment of competitiveness of rhizobia infecting ''Galega orientalis'' on the basis of plant yield, nodulation, and strain identification by antibiotic resistance and PCR.
''Applied and Environmental Microbiology'' 62(2) 529-35. The rhizome of the plant makes it persistent in the field; the rhizome spreads, sending up new stems, and the plant can live well over ten years, even exceeding 30 years in some areas.Adamovics, A., et al. (2011)
Biogas production from ''Galega orientalis'' Lam. and galega-grass biomass.
''Grassland Science in Europe'' 16 416-18.

Ecology

The flowers are pollinated by

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

s. It produces good quantities of

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

and

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

. It makes a good honey plant.Raig, H., et al
''Fodder Galega''.
Eesti Maaviljeluse Instituut, Estonia. 2001. The plant is host to several

fungal A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

species, some pathogenic, such as ''

Ascochyta ''Ascochyta'' is a genus of ascomycete fungi, containing several species that are pathogenic to plants, particularly cereal crops. The taxonomy of this genus is still incomplete. The genus was first described in 1830 by Marie-Anne Libert, who r ...

'' sp., which causes

blight Blight refers to a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. Description Blight is a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral organ ...

, '' Fusarium oxysporum'', which causes

Fusarium wilt Fusarium wilt is a common vascular wilt fungal disease, exhibiting symptoms similar to Verticillium wilt. This disease has been investigated extensively since the early years of this century. The pathogen that causes Fusarium wilt is ''Fusarium o ...

, and the gray mould ''

Botrytis cinerea ''Botrytis cinerea'' is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as "botrytis bunch rot"; in horticulture, it is usually called "grey mould" or ...

''. Other species include '' Humicola brevis'', ''

Acremonium strictum ''Acremonium strictum'' is an environmentally widespread saprotroph species found in soil, plant debris, and rotting mushrooms. Isolates have been collected in North and Central America, Asia, Europe and Egypt. ''A. strictum'' is an agent of hyal ...

'', and '' Cladosporium cladosporioides''.Cwalina-Ambroziak, B. and J. Koc. (2005)
Fungi colonising the above-ground parts of fodder galega (''Galega orientalis'' Lam.) cultivated in pure sowing and mixed with smooth brome-grass (''Bromus inermis'' Leyss.)
''Acta Agrobotanica'' 58(1).

Uses

This plant is grown to feed livestock. Its potential value as a fodder was first suggested in 1908, and trials began near

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in the 1920s. It is productive, persistent, and nutritious, with high protein. It contains high levels of

carotene The term carotene (also carotin, from the Latin ''carota'', "carrot") is used for many related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but in general cannot be made by animals (with the exc ...

minerals In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

, and

vitamin A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an Nutrient#Essential nutrients, essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its ...

s, especially

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...

.Baležentienė, L. and V. Spruogis. (2011)
Experience of fodder galega (''Galega orientalis'' Lam.) and traditional fodder grasses use for forage production in organic farm.
''Veterinarija ir Zootechnika'' 56 78. It produces many crops of vegetation, its rhizome continuing to produce stems as it grows. It can be cut down repeatedly and taken for

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

and silage, and the stubble can be

grazed In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other f ...

. The whole plant is not generally suitable for grazing, though. It works well as a companion to a non-competitive

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

such as timothy or

fescue ''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on every ...

. In cold northern regions it is valuable because it produces vegetation earlier in the spring and continues later in the fall than some other forages. It is low in

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

concentration, making it useful as feed when its alkaloid-rich close relative '' Galega officinalis'' is not. The cultivar 'Gale', developed jointly by

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n and Russian breeders, was released in 1987. The cultivars 'Vidmantai', 'Laukiai', and 'Melsviai' have been bred in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. The plant has been investigated as a source of biogas, and it has produced a good amount in trials when mixed with grasses and manure. It has been tested as an agent of bioremediation of oil-polluted soils. Some of the bacteria it hosts can degrade soil pollutants such as

toluene Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) at ...

s.Kaksonen, A. H., et al. (2006)
Rhizosphere effect of ''Galega orientalis'' in oil-contaminated soil.
''Soil Biology and Biochemistry'' 38(4) 817-27. It is also grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

s.Bourne, V
How to grow: ''Galega orientalis''.
''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

''. June 22, 2009. The plant has also been considered a prospective

energy crop Energy crops are low-cost and low-maintenance crops grown solely for energy production by combustion (not for food). The crops are processed into solid, liquid or gaseous fuels, such as pellets, bioethanol or biogas. The fuels are burned to g ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3744787 Galegeae Fodder