1. Mario R. Morales Medicinal Botanicals Program Mountain State University Beckley, West Virginia

2. Goats obtain nutrients and beneficial secondary metabolites from leaves of woody plants. Eating elevated herbage prevents goats from getting infested with larvae of parasitic nematodes (H. contortus) that proliferate on forage near the soil surface. However, most tree leaves are inaccessible.

3. To look for native plants that can satisfy nutritional requirements and improve health of meat goats www.umassgreeninfo.org USA native plant N-fixing, perennial, leguminous vine Contains condensed tannins, helpful for bloating relief and parasitic worm control

4. Potato bean climbs on fences and other plants making its foliage accessible to browsers away from the soil surface. We have observed deer browsing potato bean foliage and believe goats will do the same. www.umassgreeninfo.org

5. Cultural, botanical, and nutritional aspects of potato bean have been reported for tubers but not for herbage. Reynolds et al 1990 To evaluate the yield and nutritional value of potato bean herbage.

6. Material: 40 accessions from LA Location: USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Center, Alderson WV, 9 May 2006 Fertilizer: 10-10-10, 100 lb/acre Plot size: 3’ x 6’ Planting: 2 tubers, 3’-apart in middle of plot, un-replicated Mulch: 4”-thick woodchip layer Support: 5’-tall twine trellis.

7. Harvest date: 22 Sep 2006 Field data: herbage yield/plot Nutritional data: Herbage was oven-dried at 131°F, ground, and sent to Midwest Labs Inc., Omaha, NE, for feed nutrient analysis. Sub-samples from three randomly selected plots were separated into leaves and stems and fractions also sent for feed nutrient analysis.

8. AccessionHerbage Yield Lb/planttons/acre a LA-1661 b 1.53.6 LA-2190 b 1.43.3 LA-2011 b 1.33.1 LA-0807 b 1.33.1 LA-2183 b 1.23.0 LA-2161 b 1.12.7 Mean c 0.81.8 Range c 0.2–1.50.4–3.6 a Estimated, based on an area of 9 ft 2 /plant b One of six best-yielding accessions c Based on 40 accessions Herbage yield of potato bean accessions grown in Alderson, WV, in 2006

9. Components Leaves b Stems b Whole plant c Mean SDMean SDMean SDAlfalfa d CP (%)20± 1.611± 1.019± 1.818 ADF (%)30± 0.443± 2.832± 3.435 NDF (%)41± 2.453± 1.741± 2.347 TDN (%)67± 0.163± 0.966± 3.860 NE-L (Mcal/lb)0.69± 00.65± 0.010.68± 0.04 NE-M (Mcal/lb)0.67± 00.62± 0.010.66± 0.050.59 NE-G (Mcal/lb)0.40± 00.35± 0.010.40± 0.040.30 RFV148± 897± 4147± 12 a Means and standard deviations (SD) for herbage produced in Alderson, WV, in 2006 are reported on a dry matter basis. b Data from three random accessions c Data from 33 accessions d Early bloom; Stanton and LeValley, 2006 Nutritive value of potato bean herbage a

10. Components Leaves b Stems b Whole plant c Mean SDMean SDMean SDAlfalfa d S (%)0.19± 0.020.10± 0.010.18± 0.020.30 P (%)0.21± 0.030.17± 0.020.23± 0.020.25 K (%)1.52± 0.301.17± 0.131.55± 0.172.30 Mg (%)0.36± 0.160.33± 0.040.35± 0.06 Ca (%)2.06± 0.572.82± 0.022.27± 0.341.40 Na (%)< 0.01 Fe (ppm)480± 152115± 54548± 326 Mn (ppm)308± 72150± 63353± 123 Cu (ppm)6± 15 23± 19 Zn (ppm)22± 128± 739± 5418 Minerals in potato bean herbage a a Means and standard deviations (SD) for herbage produced in Alderson, WV, in 2006 are reported on a dry matter basis. b Data from three random accessions c Data from 33 accessions d Early bloom; Stanton and LeValley, 2006

11. Best accessions yielded 2.7–3.6 tons/acre for a single, season-end harvest. Alfalfa national average is 3.35 tons/acre (USDA Agriculture Statistics, 1998). The best accession (LA-1661) yielded 8 times better than the worst accession (LA-2185). Feed values approximated those of early bloom alfalfa: Crude protein: Leaves 20%, stems 11%, whole plant 19%. Digestibility: ADF 32%, NDF 41%, TDN 66%. Net Energy: NE-M 0.66 Mcal/lb, NE-G 0.40 Mcal/lb.

12. The ratio of calcium (2.27%) to phosphorous (0.23%) was 9.9:1, higher that the ratio of 1.4:1 recommended for goats (National Research Council, 1981). Copper content (23 ppm) is adequate to meet the recommended dose of 20-25 mg/kg diet DM (National Research Council, 2006). Zinc content (39 ppm) also is adequate; minimum requirements are set at 10 ppm (National Research Council, 1981).

13. Accession variability should allow progress in yield improvement. Nutritional values of potato bean herbage suggest it could be a useful component in diets of small ruminants. However, the plant’s slow establishment and growth on upland sites will not meet the needs of producers.

14. Thanks