Nungarin Subterranean Clover

We recommend Nungarin Sub Clover. It is an early-maturing sub clover that flowers in early August, about 77 days after sowing at Perth, and matures its seed by late September. That makes it suited to drier areas with around 300mm or more of rain, where the season finishes early.

Nungarin Sub Clover is a hard black-seeded variety with a very high level of hard seed and good persistence. That hard seed helps it survive false breaks and dry years and regenerate over time. It suits moderately acidic, well-drained soils with pH 4.5 to 6.5.

We recommend 6 to 20 kg/ha of Nungarin Sub Clover, using the higher rate for pure stands and the lower rate in mixes. Inoculate the seed with Group C rhizobia before sowing. Nungarin is available as Certified seed. Sow shallow into moist soil at the break of the season.

Early-maturing sub clovers such as Nungarin finish early, so they do not produce much feed in late spring. That is the trade-off for setting seed reliably in short, dry seasons. If your season runs longer, a later variety such as our Dalkeith or Urana will give more spring feed.

Nungarin Sub Clover tolerates mildly acidic soils and suits well-drained loams with pH 4.5 to 6.5. It is early maturing, which suits drier wheatbelt areas with around 300mm or more of rain. Inoculate with Group C rhizobia, and consider lime if your soil pH is below this range.

We suggest mixing Nungarin Sub Clover with Dalkeith, and adding serradella such as Margurita or Santorini for sandy soils, or Casbah Biserrula for deep, acidic soils. Mixing species with different flowering times and hard seed levels spreads risk across seasons. We can build a Custom Mix to suit your paddock.

Sub clover is valuable feed for sheep and cattle, but manage two risks. Cattle can bloat on lush, clover-dominant pastures, and some older sub clovers contain oestrogens that affect ewe fertility. With Nungarin Sub Clover, keep a grass component, introduce stock gradually and talk to your vet or adviser about your flock.

Keep dry residues grazed down over summer so seedlings can emerge after the break, but avoid overgrazing that leaves the soil bare. Nungarin Sub Clover buries its seed, and its high hard seed level protects it from false breaks. Keep pressure light during flowering in August and September so plants can set plenty of seed.

Nungarin Sub Clover flowers in early August, about 77 days after sowing in the Perth area, and its seed matures in late September. This early timing is why it suits drier, short-season country. In longer seasons, it will finish well before the moisture runs out.

Izmir is seen as the direct replacement for Nungarin in lower rainfall areas. It flowers at a similar early time but has more hard seed, softens later to resist false breaks and produces more feed. Nungarin is a proven, very persistent older variety. Talk to us about which suits your rotation.