''Onobrychis viciifolia'', also known as ''O. sativa'' or common sainfoin () has been an important forage

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 ...

in temperate regions until the 1950s. During the

Green Revolution The Green Revolution, also known as the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period of technology transfer initiatives that saw greatly increased crop yields and agricultural production. These changes in agriculture began in developed countrie ...

it was replaced by high yielding

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

and

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

species. Due to its anthelmintic properties the common sainfoin is a natural alternative to drugs to control

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

parasitism in the guts of small ruminants. This is the main reason why ''O. viciifolia'' came back to the scientific agenda during the last years.Berard N. C., Y. Wang, K. M. Wittenberg, D. O. Krause, B. E. Coulman, T. A. McAllister and K. H. Ominski, 2011. Condensed tannin concentrations found in vegetative and mature forage legumes grown in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Plant Sciences, 91: 669–675Boschma S. P., G. M. Lodge and S. Harden, 2011. Seasonal production of lucerne and other perennial legumes and herbs in a summer dominant rainfall zone. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. 54 (2): 105–114Carbonero C. H., I. Mueller-Harvey, T. A. Brown and L. Smith, 2011. Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia): a beneficial forage legume. Plant Genetic Resources: Characterization and Utilization 9(1): 70–85Heckendorn F., D. A. Häring, V. Maurer, M. Senn and H. Hertzberg, 2007. Individual administration of three tanniferous forage plants to lambs artificially infected with Haemonchus contortus and Cooperia curticei. Veterinary Parasitology 146: 123–134Lauriault L.M., R.E. Kirksey, and D.M. VanLeeuwen, 2008. Perennial cool-season forage legume performance in diverse soil moisture Treatments, southern High Plains, USA. New Mexico State University, Bulletin 796Manolaraki F., S. Sotiraki, A. Stefanakis, V. Skampardonis, M. Volanis and H. Hoste, 2010. Anthelmintic activity of some Mediterranean browse plants against parasitic nematodes. Parasitology 137: 685–696Peel M. D., K. H. Asay, D. A. Johnson and B. L. Waldron, 2004. Forage production of sainfoin across an irrigation gradient. Crop Sciences 44: 614–619Paolini V., I. Fouraste and H. Hoste, 2003. In vitro effects of three woody plant and sainfoin extracts on 3rd-stage larvae and adult worms of three gastrointestinal nematodes. Parasitology, 129: 69–77Waghorn G. C., G.B. Douglas, J.H. Niezen, W.C. McNabb and A.G. Foote, 1998. Forages with condensed tannins – their management and nutritive value for ruminants. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association 60: 89–98Waller P. J., From discovery to development: Current industry perspectives for the development of novel methods of helminth control in livestock, 2006. Veterinary Parasitology 139: 1–14Valderrábano J., C. Calvete and J. Uriarte, 2010. Effect of feeding bioactive forages on infection and subsequent development of Haemonchus contortus in lamb faeces. Veterinary Parasitology 172: 89–94Xu B. C., P. Gichuki, L. Shan and F.M. Li., 2006. Aboveground biomass production and soil water dynamics of four leguminous forages in semiarid region, northwest China. South African Journal of Botany 72: 507–516

Biological, ecological and biochemical properties

The genus ''

Onobrychis __NOTOC__ ''Onobrychis'', the sainfoins, are a genus of Eurasian perennial herbaceous plants of the legume family (Fabaceae). Including doubtfully distinct species and provisionally accepted taxa, about 150 species are presently known. The Flora ...

'' comprises 54 different species of which ''O. viciifolia'' is of greatest

agronomic Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that spe ...

importance. Two different agricultural types of ''O. viciifolia'' are known. The single-cut type is characterized by a vegetative regrowth after cutting and its origin is in Europe. A generative regrowth after cutting is typical for the second or the double-cut type. Originated in the Middle East the double-cut type grows larger than the single-cut type. Compared to other forage legumes both types are weak in competition and their regrowth after mowing is considered to be low. Also the yields of common sainfoin are significantly lower than those of alfalfa and clover.Agridea, 2012. Esparsette reich an kondensierten Tanninen. http://www.agridea-lausanne.ch/files/ftesparcette-2012-d.pdf, last visited 23.7.2012Liu Z., G. P. F. Lane and W. P. Davies, 2008. Establishment and production of common sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) in the UK. 2. Effects of direct sowing and undersowing in spring barley on sainfoin and sainfoin-grass mixtures. Grass and Forage Science, 63: 242–248Liu Z., R. N. Baines, G. P. F. Lane and W. P. Davies, 2009. Survival of plants of common sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) in competition with two companion grass species. Grass and Forage Science, 65: 11–14Moyer J. R., 1985. Effect of Weed Control and a Companion Crop on Alfalfa and Sainfoin Establishment, Yields and Nutrients Composition. Canadian Journal of Plant Sciences, 65: 107-116 In terms of symbiotic nitrogen fixation from the atmosphere, common sainfoin is not as specific as other legumes. A relatively broad range of

rhizobia Rhizobia are diazotrophic bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes (Fabaceae). To express genes for nitrogen fixation, rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen. In gene ...

genera is able to colonize the roots of ''O. viciifolia''.Baimiev Al. Kl., An. Kh. Baimiev, I. I. Gubaidullin, O. L. Kulikova, and A. V. Chemeris, 2007. Bacteria closely related to Phyllobacterium trifolii according to their 16S rRNA gene are discovered in the nodules of Hungarian sainfoin. Russian Journal of Genetics, Vol. 43 (5): 587–590 The common sainfoin is an open pollinating plant, mainly pollinated by nectar feeding insects. Therefore, ''O. viciifolia'' is a promising crop to enhance biodiversity within agro-ecosystems. This pollination biology leads to certain difficulties in breeding programs resulting in a low number of registered cultivars.Agroscope, 2011. Liste der empfohlenen Sorten von Futterpflanzen 2011-2012: http://www.agff.ch/cms/index.php?menuid=34&reporeid=85, last visited 23.7.2012http://eurisco.ecpgr.org/search/quick_search.html, last visited 1.11.2012Clement S. L., T. L. Griswold, R. W. Rust, B. C. Hellier and D. M. Stout, 2006. Bee associates of flowering Astragalus and Onobrychis genebank accessions at a Snake River site in Eastern Washington. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 79(3): 254–260 The leaves of common sainfoin contain high levels of

condensed tannin Condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins, polyflavonoid tannins, catechol-type tannins, pyrocatecollic type tannins, non-hydrolyzable tannins or flavolans) are polymers formed by the condensation of flavans. They do not contain sugar residues. They ...

s. This content can be more than five times higher than in clover species or alfalfa .

Beneficial aspects in animal production

An animal diet containing common sainfoin is able to reduce nematode (e.g. ''

Haemonchus contortus ''Haemonchus contortus'', also known as the barber's pole worm, is a very common parasite and one of the most pathogenic nematodes of ruminants. Adult worms attach to abomasal mucosa and feed on the blood. This parasite is responsible for anemia ...

'') parasitism in ruminant’s guts. Due to the high levels of condensed tannins, the fecundity of nematodes and the number of their eggs in the ruminant’s digestive system are reduced.Hoste H., L. Gaillard and Y. Le Frileux, 2005. Consequences of the regular distribution of sainfoin hay on gastrointestinal parasitism with nematodes and milk production in dairy goats. Small Ruminant Research 59: 265–271Morrill W. L., R. L. Ditterline and S. D. Cash, 1998. Insect pests and associated root pathogens of sainfoin in western USA. Field Crops Research 59: 129-134Paolini V., P. Dorchies and H. Hoste, 2003. Effects of sainfoin hay on gastrointestinal infection with nematodes in goats. http://orgprints.org/6995/01/vetrec.pdf, last visited: 24.7.2012Paolini V., F. Prevot, P. Dorchies and H. Hoste, 2005. Lack of effects of quebracho and sainfoin hay on incoming third-stage larvae of Haemonchus contortus in goats. The Veterinary Journal 170: 260–263Scharenberg, A., F. Heckendorn, Y. Arrigo, H. Hertzberg, A. Gutzwiller, H. D. Hess, M. Kreuzer and F. Dohme, 2008. Contortus and fed tanniferous sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) nitrogen and mineral balance of lambs artificially infected with Haemonchus. Journal of Animal Sciences, 86: 1879–1890 Especially in goat and sheep production systems feeding of ''O. viciifolia'' is a promising alternative or complement to synthetic drugs. Besides these anthelmintic properties diets containing common sainfoin can lead to increasing daily weight gains of small ruminants. Also milk quantity and quality of these animals are not negatively affected by ''O. viciifolia'' intake. Furthermore, various studies showed that the voluntary intake of sainfoin was comparable or even higher than the intake of alfalfa or clover species.

Cultivation of ''O. viciifolia''

To reach high levels of condensed tannins common sainfoin should be sown in pure culture. Due to its low competitiveness, weed infestation has to be controlled, especially in the first year. Normally

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

applications are not needed to reach satisfying yields. Nevertheless,

slurry A slurry is a mixture of denser solids suspended in liquid, usually water. The most common use of slurry is as a means of transporting solids or separating minerals, the liquid being a carrier that is pumped on a device such as a centrifugal pu ...

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...

applications can promote initial growth. Pests and diseases are almost never a serious problem.Turk M., S. Albayrak, C. G. Tuzun and O. Yuksel, 2011. Effects of fertilisation and harvesting stages on forage yield and quality of sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa L.). Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 17 (6): 789–794 Frost and drought tolerance of common sainfoin is higher than in other forage legumes such as alfalfa or different clover species.Meyer D. W. and M. Badaruddin, 2001. Frost tolerance of ten seedling legume species at four growth stages. Crop Sciences 41: 1838–1842 In contrast ''O. viciifolia'' is much more intolerant to water logging than other forage legumes. Therefore, clayey soils with a bad drainage should be avoided. Also acidic soils are not appropriate for the cultivation of common sainfoin.Bordeleau L. M. and D. Prévost, 1994. Nodulation and nitrogen fixation in extreme environments. Plant and Soil 161: 115–125Heinrichs D. M., 1970. Flooding Tolerance of Legumes. Canadian Journal of Plant Sciences 50: 435-438 Seedbed preparation and sowing procedure are done in a similar manner and with the same machinery as for cereal cultivation. Around 800 seeds per square meter should be sown on a weed free seedbed between spring and late summer. In the year of establishment common sainfoin can be cut twice a year. Afterwards up to four cuts per growing season are possible. Careful mowing is important to minimize disintegration losses. Common sainfoin can be stored and fed to animals in the form of

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 domesticat ...

, pellets or

silage Silage () is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants (cud-chewing animals). The fermentation and storage p ...

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants Profile
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Photo gallerysainfoin.eu
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157933 Hedysareae Forages