Prima Gland Clover

Early maturing, pest tolerant

Trifolium glanduliferum

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Early maturing with good regenerative abilities. Tolerant of redlegged earth mite and blue green aphid.

Key attributes

  • Tolerant of redlegged earth mite and blue green aphid
  • Early maturing with good regeneration
  • Hard seed protects against false breaks
  • Mild tolerance of waterlogging
  • Adaptable to a wide range of soil types
  • Easy to harvest for conservation

About this variety

Prima Gland is an aerial seeding, self-regenerating annual pasture legume. It is erect or semi-erect and extensively branched, forming dense swards to about 40 or 50cm tall, with an early maturity and a high level of insect tolerance.

Prima is used in rotation with crops for grazing and hay and plays an important role in pasture mixtures for a number of soil types and rotational systems, where rainfall falls mainly in autumn, winter and spring with relatively little summer rain. It produces high quality forage in terms of crude protein, dry matter digestibility and metabolisable energy, which declines with age, and is moderately palatable. Crude protein levels at 50% flowering may be over 20% and digestibility about 75%. Within 4 weeks, these values may drop to about 14% and 65% respectively.

Planting & grazing notes

Sow as close to the autumn break as possible, no more than 0.5cm deep, and roll after sowing. Seed must be inoculated with group C inoculum, the same strain as is used for sub-clover. Sow with 100 to 150 kg/ha superphosphate, or super/potash if on sandy soils. Suitable companions are Italian ryegrass, sub clover, biserrula, serradella and rose clover. Seed harvested on-farm should be scarified prior to sowing, to improve first year germination. No adverse reaction to any of the common selective grass herbicides has been observed. It can take mildly waterlogged soils but not infertile sands, and tolerates light frosts to -4 or -5°C. Prima is susceptible to competition from more vigorous species during establishment. It can be heavily grazed in winter, but restrict grazing during flowering to protect seed set. As with many temperate legumes, it could be expected to cause bloat in cattle. Gland clover contains low levels of coumarins (lower than those in lucerne) which can be converted to dicoumarol in mouldy hay; care should be taken not to feed mouldy hay to livestock.

Disease & pest resistance

Resistant to redlegged earth mite, blue green aphid and cowpea aphid. Moderately susceptible to spotted alfalfa aphid and lucerne flea. Not susceptible to clover scorch disease that affects sub-clover.

Stand life

A hard seeded, self-regenerating annual with excellent regeneration when grazing is restricted during flowering. Stocking rate should be reduced at flowering time, particularly in the first year. This will allow the clover to set large amounts of seed building up a soil seed bank, which is necessary for regeneration in subsequent years. Many seeds of gland clover survive passage through sheep and are spread in the dung.

How it's sold

FormPackStatus
Bare25 kgIn stock
Prima Gland Clover

FAQs

What clover is resistant to redlegged earth mite and aphids for a low rainfall pasture?

We recommend Prima Gland Clover. It is resistant to red-legged earth mite, blue-green aphid and cowpea aphid, and it is early maturing, flowering around 100 days in Perth. It suits low to medium rainfall areas with winter-dominant rain.

How much Prima gland clover do I sow and how deep?

We recommend sowing Prima Gland Clover at 4 to 6 kg/ha as a pure stand, or 1 to 2 kg/ha in a mix. Sow no more than 0.5cm deep and roll after sowing for good seed-soil contact. Inoculate with Group C inoculant, the same strain used for sub clover, and sow as close to the autumn break as possible.

When is the best time to sow a small-seeded annual clover?

For small-seeded clovers like our Prima Gland Clover, sow as close to the autumn break as possible. Sow shallow, no more than 0.5cm, and roll afterwards for good seed-soil contact. Sow with 100 to 150 kg/ha superphosphate, or super and potash on sandy soils.

Which pasture legume copes with alkaline and acid soils and a bit of waterlogging?

Prima Gland Clover suits a wide range of soils from sand to heavy, with a minimum soil pH of about 4.5 (CaCl2), and it tolerates mild waterlogging. It is not suited to poor, infertile sands. It is an early maturing annual that flowers around 100 days after sowing in Perth.

How should I graze gland clover?

Prima Gland Clover can be grazed heavily in winter, but reduce stocking at flowering, especially in the first year, so it sets plenty of seed. It is only moderately palatable and can be outcompeted by vigorous species during establishment, so manage early grazing carefully.

Is gland clover safe to feed as hay?

Prima Gland Clover can be used for hay and has low coumarin levels, lower than lucerne. However, coumarin can convert to dicoumarol in mouldy hay, so avoid feeding mouldy hay. It could also cause bloat in cattle, as with many temperate legumes.

Which clover handles frost in the wheatbelt?

Prima Gland Clover tolerates light frosts down to about -4 to -5°C, so it suits frost-prone wheatbelt paddocks. It is an early maturing, hard-seeded annual that regenerates well in cropping rotations. We recommend it for areas with 350mm or more rainfall, on sand to heavy soils with a pH of 4.5 or more (CaCl2).

What legume regenerates well after cropping and handles false breaks?

Prima Gland Clover has a high level of hard seed for protection against false breaks and excellent regeneration. It is easy to harvest for seed and conservation, and it suits rotations with crops for grazing and hay. It is not susceptible to clover scorch.

What can I sow with a gland clover in a pasture mix?

Prima Gland Clover is compatible with other annual legumes including sub clover, biserrula, serradella and rose clover, and with grasses like Italian ryegrass. From our range, Casbah Biserrula, Hykon Rose Clover and Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass all fit. Use 1 to 2 kg/ha of Prima in mixtures.

Prima gland clover vs Casbah biserrula, which is more productive?

We don't publish a head-to-head yield comparison, but Casbah Biserrula is very productive, with the capacity for high seed yields, and suits lighter textured, acidic soils in low rainfall areas; it has no waterlogging tolerance. Prima Gland Clover suits sand to heavy soils with mild waterlogging, flowers around 100 days and resists redlegged earth mite and blue green aphid.

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