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'Basul' (''Erythrina edulis'') is a nitrogen fixing leafy tree that is native in Andean region from western Venezuela to southern Bolivia. Nowadays it is known in Venezuela as “Frijol mompás”, in Bolivia, Peru and Argentina as “Pajuro”, “Sachaporoto del basul” or “Poroto del sacha”, in Colombia as “Chachafruto”, “Balú”, “Baluy” or “Sachaporoto” and as “Guato” in Ecuador. Although it is widely known, it’s still poorly cultivated. Future research is needed, especially in agroforestry.〔"Evaluación de impacto ambiental de un proyecto agroforestal", Caso: siembra de 150.000 árboles de Erythrina edulis, municipio Andrés Bello, estado Mérida-Venezuela〕 Besides the agricultural aspects, ''Erythrina edulis'' can also be used as a fence plant.〔National Research Council (United States). advisory Committee on Technology Innovation;National Research Council (United States). Panel on lost crops of the Incas,(1989):"Lost crops of the Incas: little-known plants of the Andes with promise for worldwide cultivation", Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press〕 Basul is a legume and so it produces protein-rich beans covered in pods which can be used for human or animal nutrition. The leaves and branches can also be used but only as fodder source. == Cultivation == ''Erythrina edulis'' is a vigorous, fast-growing precocious legume species that is known as the one of the easiest trees to grow. As it is sensitive to the cold, it grows only in the tropics in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Due to its temperature requirements (optimum between 15 and 22 °C)〔http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/dataSheet?id=5805〕 it is not suitable in Europe, North America and other temperate regions although it battens in a broad range of height (from 900-3200 a.s.l.). In their original habitat, the annual precipitation varies between 450 and 1800 mm.〔''Erythrina edulis'' grows best in well-drained soils with a sandy or clayey texture and a pH range from 5.5 to 7.〔 ''Erythrina edulis'' is a totipotent plant and thus propagates easily. Hence, stems can be cut, planted into the soil and will sprout. Propagation can also be achieved by planting mature seeds and in most cases they germinate easily. Grafting is another possibility, the advantage here is that the seed production will start earlier. The seeds must be planted very soon after harvesting because they lose their viability 8 days after harvesting. The viability can be extended to 20 days when the seeds are covered in a thin paraffin layer.〔Barrere, N., "A quick guide to useful nitrogen fixing trees from around the world", ''NFT Highlights', 1994〕 ''Erythrina edulis'' produces red flowers which are formed in a raceme and are cross-pollinated by bees, wasps and birds.〔 The ripening of the seeds is not synchronized. The harvest and processing is likely to beans. The tree can live for decades and the older it gets, the more grains it will produce. A three- to four-year-old tree can produce about 30 kg grains per year while a 20-year-old tree reaches amounts between 120 to 210 kg grains per year.〔Muñoz Florez, J.E., Leterme, P., Barrera Martin, N., " ''Erythrina edulis'', an Andean giant bean for human consumption", ''Grain legumes'', 1998〕 Thanks to the symbiosis with ''Rhizobium'' bacteria, ''Erythrina edulis'' can fix atmospheric nitrogen and therefore does not need any additional nitrogen fertilizer. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Erythrina edulis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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