Question

The botanical name of Berseem (Egyptian clover) is
A) Lens esculenta
B) Crotalaria juncea
C) Cyamopsis tetragonoloba
D) Trifolium alexandrinum

Answer 1

Hint: Berseem is an annual clover cultivated mostly in irrigated sub-tropical regions and used as a leguminous crop. It belongs to the family leguminosae.

Complete answer :
The Egyptian clover is also called Trifolium alexandrinum which is its scientific name. It is commonly called a Berseem clover.

Additional information:
-Berseem is an important winter crop in Egypt, where it may have been cultivated since ancient times, and was introduced into northern India in the early nineteenth century.
-It is used as fodder, mainly for cattle and milk Buffalo.
-The plant reaches 30 to 100 cm tall with erect or ascending stems.
-The single-cut, and multi-cut are the two types of berseem clover.
-It is generally frost-sensitive and should be planted only after the potential for frost has passed.
-Berseem clover can produce forage of around 8 tons in a single growing season.
-It can also be used as a cover-up suppressing weeds or as a green manure crop providing nitrogen to the crops.
-The leguminous plants are found to be rich in humus, and they help in the process of nitrogen fixation which occurs in the root nodules of the leguminous plants through rhizobium bacteria.

So, the correct answer is Trifolium alexandrinum.

Note: Berseem provides highly nutritious and tasty fodder for livestock in the winter season in repeated cuttings. It contains 17% crude protein, 25.9% crude fiber. It needs a mild temperature to germinate and further establish. It grows well on medium to heavy soil and resists salinity. The family Leguminosae is the oldest name of the family Fabaceae, which is derived from the Latin word Faba, meaning bean.