Tephrosia vogelii
| Tephrosia vogelii | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Tephrosia vogelii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Millettieae |
| Genus: | Tephrosia |
| Species: | T. vogelii |
| Binomial name | |
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Tephrosia vogelii Hook.f. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Cracca vogelii (Hook. f.) Kuntze |
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Cracca vogelii (Hook. f.) Kuntze
Tephrosia vogelii, the Vogel's tephrosia,fish-poison-bean or Vogel tephrosia (English), tefrósia (Portuguese) or barbasco guineano (Spanish), is a flowering plant species in the genus Tephrosia.
It is a herb or small tree that is native to tropical Africa and has also been used in tropical America as well as South and Southeast Asia. It is commonly used to deter pests and diseases, specifically fleas and ticks on animals. It is not suitable for livestock or human consumption because it is not highly nutritious and can be poisonous for fish and some other animals. Since it is a nitrogen-fixing plant, it can be intercropped with other plants and used as a source of green manure.
Tephrosia vogelii is commonly known as the “fish bean”, “fish-poison bean”, or “vogel’s tephrosia”. It is a small tree used by farmers in numerous countries in Africa to get rid of pests on livestock, control pests in cultivated fields as an organic pesticide, improves soil fertility, as a medicine for skin diseases and internal worms, and for storage of crops. The use of “Tephrosia leaf extract as a low cost acaricide is spreading to farmers in central Kenya” and has been very successful in terms of its results.
Tephrosia vogelii is a soft, woody herb with dense foliage. It stands 0.5–4 m tall, and contains stems and branches with short and long white or rusty brown hairs. Long, narrow leaves branch out from stems, as well as sack like shapes that contain the seeds of the plant for reproduction.
Tephrosia vogelii is native to tropical Africa. It was introduced as a cover crop in tropical America as well as South and Southeast Asia. In 1908, it was introduced to Java and is now grown and found throughout regions of Malesia. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Tephrosia vogelii is a wild growing plant. Traditionally in Kenya, it has been used by Samburu and Massai pastoralists to get rid of ticks on their livestock. Recently, it has been investigated for its use within smallscale dairy herds in Mashonaland Central Province in Zimbabwe. Striking similarities have been found between Tephrosia extract and Triatix dip, which is the most common conventional acaricide. Research has revealed that there is no difference between the two, and Tephrosia has been recommended for smallscale farmers in regions where veterinary drugs are not readily available.
When it comes to its growing conditions, Tephrosia vogelii comes with many benefits. Firstly, it only takes three months to mature. It is also good as a shade or boundary crop and can be planted between rows of other plants or around the circumference. Planting of Tephrosia should be done at the beginning or middle of the rainy season in the region.
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Wikipedia