Plant Materials Program “The Plant Materials Program and its cooperators have contributed the bulk of the material and technology now used in ecosystem

restoration and are our foundation for meeting conservation challenges of the future.”

-- D.T. Booth and T.A. Jones, Native Plants Journal

The Elsberry Missouri Plant Materials Center is 

developing technology to increase the diversity of 

legumes and forbs in native grass mixtures. 

Legumes for Resource Conservation 

Programs 

Legumes play a major role in production 

agriculture and resource conservation. Legumes 

can serve to enhance conservation tillage systems, 

improve soil quality, reduce nitrogen requirements 

on row crop and pasture land, enhance wildlife 

habitat, enhance pasture and hay land quality and 

reduce soil erosion in cropland and critical areas. 

Conservation tillage and nitrogen management 

have enormous implications for farm energy 

conservation. Recent increases in fuel prices have 

not only increased the cost of tillage, but also the 

price of fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizers. 

Legumes can provide part of the nitrogen needs 

for row crops as well as pasture and hay land. In 

the United States, nitrogen fertilizer accounts for 

nearly 25% of a farm energy budget. 

In parts of the United States, legumes are planted 

with grasses to improve livestock performance 

and extend the grazing season. 

Perennial native legumes are included in native 

mixtures to increase species diversity, restore 

range condition and enhance wildlife habitat. In a 

perennial grass and legume mixture, legumes not 

only supply their own nitrogen, but they also 

supply approximately one third of the nitrogen 

needs of the grasses growing with them. Other 

herbaceous legumes are used in critical area 

planting mixtures to revegetate disturbed sites 

such as roadsides and surface mined lands. 

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation 

Service Plant Materials Program and cooperating 

agencies are major contributors of many legume 

selections that are planted on private and public 

lands for the conservation of natural resources. 

Of the 73 legumes cooperatively released through 

the Plant Materials Program, 44% are plants 

native to North America and 56% are from 

introduced and naturalized sources. 

In addition to conservation plant releases, the 

Plant Materials Program has active legume studies 

underway that focus on developing the cultural 

techniques necessary to ensure successful 

establishment of the legume species we are 

working with. 

Legumes released by the plant materials program 

can be categorized under four major uses: 

conservation tillage; wildlife habitat; pasture, hay 

and rangeland; and disturbed site rehabilitation. 

Cover crop planting of ‘AU Sunrise’ crimson clover 

in a future no-till cotton field in Mississippi.
The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

About Us 

The USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program consists of a 

network of 27 Plant Materials Centers (PMCs) and Plant 

Materials Specialists located throughout the United States. 

For over 70 years, PMCs and Specialists have provided 

essential and effective plant solutions for critical habitats, 

environmental concerns, management practices, and key 

farm and ranch programs. 

For more information, visit: 

http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov 

Helping People Help the Land... 

August 2007 

 

Legumes to address resource conservation 

concerns: 

Conservation Tillage, Green Manure and 

Cover Crops 

• ‘Americus’ hairy vetch 

• ‘AU Ground Cover’ caley pea 

• ‘AU Sunrise’ crimson clover 

• ‘AU’ Early Cover’ Hairy vetch 

Wildlife Habitat 

• ‘Quail haven’ reseeding soybean 

• ‘Kanoka’ roundhead lespedeza 

• Alexander germplasm showy ticktrefoil 

• ‘Timp’ Utah sweetvetch 

Pasture, Hay and Rangeland 

• ‘Meechee’ arrowleaf clover 

• ‘Overton R18’ rose clover 

• ‘Kaneb’ purple prairie clover 

• Antelope Germplasm white prairie clover 

• ‘Lutana’ cicer milkvetch 

• sainfoin 

• alfalfa 

Critical Area Planting 

• ‘Crockett’ herbaceous mimosa 

• Hondo Germplasm velvet bundleflower 

• ‘Comanche’ partridge pea 

• ‘Sabine’ Illinois bundleflower 

‘Quail haven’ reseeding soybean is a vining legume 

that produces abundant seed for northern bobwhite 

quail and turkey. 

‘Kaneb’ purple prairie clover is included in range 

mixtures with other legumes and forbs in the central 

plains states.