Soil improver and green manure
Grass pea is an N-fixing legume that is often used to provide N to the main economic crop (Campbell, 1997). Grass pea has positive effects on soil structure as its deep taproot prevents soil compaction. When ploughed in, grass pea is a good green manure that returns nutrients to the soil and provides organic matter (Lazanyi, 2000).
Sustainable, low-input systems
A drought-resistant legume, grass pea is recommended in arid and semi-arid regions. It has low fertilizer and water requirements. It is possible to make silage out of a mixture of triticale/grass pea in areas where silage is usually made from irrigated maize or sorghum (Emile et al., 2008).