Pigeon Peas as a Cover Crop: What We Learned in Our Test Plot

Watch how pigeon peas performed in our 2016 test plot. See what this legume can do for your soil and learn if it's worth growing on your operation.

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0:00 This is pigeon peas. Pigeon peas are not widely used. We don't know a lot about them.

0:04 Them yet but we're trying to learn it's actually one of the most commonly used.

0:07 Cover crops across the world, just not here in the United States, so we're not.

0:11 Real familiar with it tropical plant loves the heat very drought-tolerant.

0:17 Excellent root system as you can see here it's got a really nice deep taproot.

0:20 See where I pulled this up, there was a couple of earthworms living right there.

0:25 In this root system it is a legume, so it's going to nodulate with proper.

0:36 Thing that's really unique about pigeon peas is that grazing livestock really do.

0:43 Not like it until it begins to bloom at bloom there's a chemical change that.

0:49 Occurs in this plant that all of a sudden flips the switch on and makes.

0:53 This plant very palatable to grazing livestock but not before.