Casbah Biserrula

We recommend Casbah Biserrula. It is a deep-rooted, drought-tolerant annual legume suited to areas with 300mm+ rainfall and performs well on lighter textured soils. It tolerates acidity and moderate to high soil aluminium, though it is sensitive to high manganese.

Our catalogue recommends 5 to 7 kg/ha of Casbah as a single species, and 0.5 to 2 kg/ha in mixes, although our 2026 guide lists a slightly lower range, so check with us. Sow no deeper than 1cm, as the seed is small, and sow in autumn.

Yes. Casbah Biserrula must be inoculated with the specific Biserrula Special inoculant and lime pelleted, as standard clover inoculants won't work. Seed also benefits from scarification before sowing to improve germination. Sow shallow, no deeper than 1cm, in autumn, and lightly graze in the first year to maximise seed set.

Yes. Casbah Biserrula can cause photosensitisation in livestock during spring if it is sown as a monoculture. We recommend sowing it in mixtures, commonly with serradella and sub clover, to dilute the risk. It has a low bloat risk and is used for both sheep and cattle.

Casbah Biserrula is a strong option. With roots to about 2 metres, it stays green roughly 2 to 4 weeks longer than sub clover and is quite drought tolerant. It flowers around 100 days in Perth and suits 300mm+ rainfall on lighter soils.

Casbah Biserrula has a very high hard seed content (95 to 99%), so it tolerates false breaks and rebuilds from the seedbank after cropping. It is also a prolific seeder, and about half its seed survives ingestion by sheep. Lightly graze in the first year to maximise seed set.

We don't recommend it. Casbah Biserrula has no waterlogging tolerance. For wet ground, look at Paradana Balansa or Kyambro Persian Clover instead. Biserrula is best on free-draining, lighter textured soils where its roots can reach about 2 metres and help it stay green into late spring.

Casbah Biserrula tolerates heavy grazing, so grazing hard with stock is a safe way to control weeds. It is also somewhat unpalatable during flowering and seed set, which encourages stock to eat weeds selectively. Grass-selective herbicides are safe to use, though it is sensitive to some other herbicides.

For Casbah Biserrula, red-legged earth mite and lucerne flea are tolerated once plants are past the cotyledon stage, but we suggest a suitable insecticide in the establishment year. It is susceptible to aphids and occasionally Heliothis, so monitor the crop through spring.

They look similar, but Casbah Biserrula has heart-shaped leaflets, blue to mauve flowers and serrated papery pods. Biserrula is very hard seeded, deep rooted and tolerates heavy grazing. We stock serradellas such as Margurita, Santorini and Cadiz, and the two species are often sown together with sub clover.