Its exceptional nutritional value and high productivity can give good liveweight gains. In Hawaii, Henke et al. Foliage is retained well into dry seasons. Poor early growth makes it unable to compete well in mixtures with grasses. Pigeonpea sticks are an important household fuel in many areas.
Sticks also produce thatch and basket materials.
Pigeonpea is modulated with Rhizobium of the cowpea type and is an effective green manure crop. Pigeonpea is used in a great variety of cropping systems throughout the tropics. Early growth is slow, making it an ideal, noncompetitive intercrop with cereals such as sorghum and millet. Farmers in India, where pigeonpea is usually grown as an annual, exploit this trait. In Africa, greater use is made of its perennial nature.