Sesbania sesban

Cultivation Details

A plant of the subtropics, also succeeding at higher elevations in the tropics, being found at elevations of 100 - 2,300 metres^[2]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 28°c, but can tolerate 10 - 45°c^[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c^[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 2,000mm, but tolerates m350 - 2,500m^[1]. Requires a sunny position^[1]. Tolerates saline, acidic and alkaline soils^[2]. The plant has an outstanding ability to withstand waterlogging and is ideally suited to seasonally flooded environments. When flooded, it initiates floating, adventitious roots and protects its stems, roots and nodules with spongy, aerenchyma tissue^[2]. It also shows some tolerance to moisture stress and tolerates soil alkalinity and salinity to a considerable degree^[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 4 - 9.9^[1]. A fast-growing, but short-lived plant, often dying before it is 10 years old^{[2, 1]}. It has been reported to attain a height of 4 - 5 metres in only 6 months^[2]. It thrives under repeated cuttings and coppices readily, with many branches arising from the main stem below cutting height^[2]. Cutting frequencies are generally 3 - 4 cuts/annum, but up to 8 cuts are made in some areas^[2]. Yields have ranged from 4 to 12 tonnes/hectare dry matter per year, depending on location^[2]. Cutting height can also influence yield, with cutting heights of 50 - 76 cm favouring plant survival and productivity^[2]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby^[3]. The rhizobium requirements vary. There is a host-strain interaction, and different accessions of the plant require different strains of bacteria^[2].