Urana Subterranean Clover

We recommend Urana Subterranean Clover. It is a very winter-active, high-producing sub clover suited to wheatbelt areas with 400mm or more rainfall. In WA trials it produced 10% more herbage than Dalkeith Subterranean Clover in year one and 25% more in year two. It grows on a wide range of soils, except deep sands, with pH 4.5 or higher.

Urana Subterranean Clover has higher hard seed levels than Dalkeith Subterranean Clover, which should help it persist well in cropping rotations and suits a pasture phase between crops. It flowers about 105 days after sowing in Perth, slightly later than Dalkeith, giving longer production where the growing season extends into October.

We recommend 20 kg/ha of Urana Subterranean Clover when sown on its own and 6 to 8 kg/ha in a mix. Inoculate the seed with Group C rhizobia before sowing. It can be mixed with ryegrass for extra bulk over the growing season.

Urana Subterranean Clover has very vigorous plants with a more upright habit than Dalkeith Subterranean Clover, larger leaves and more total dry matter than other early-flowering varieties. Its indeterminate habit means it keeps growing into spring when moisture is available. Sow it with ryegrass for extra bulk for grazing or silage.

Urana Subterranean Clover has slightly better resistance to redlegged earth mite, as both seedlings and adult plants, than older varieties. You should still monitor paddocks after the break and control mites if numbers build up. Urana also has moderate resistance to Race 2 clover scorch but is susceptible to Race 1.

Urana Subterranean Clover has only trace levels of formononetin, so the risk of oestrogen-related fertility problems in ewes is very low. Its strong winter production also suits lambing ewes in prime lamb systems. It suits 400mm+ rainfall areas on well-drained soils with pH 4.5 or higher, except deep sands.

We do not recommend Urana Subterranean Clover for deep sands. It suits a wide range of other soils with pH 4.5 or higher and performs best on well-drained soils in higher rainfall areas. For deep sands, consider our serradellas, such as Margurita French Serradella, Santorini Yellow Serradella or Cadiz Serradella, or Casbah Biserrula.

We suggest sowing Urana Subterranean Clover with a ryegrass for extra bulk through the growing season. Our Wimmera Annual Ryegrass or Safeguard Diploid Annual Ryegrass suit wheatbelt sheep systems. Urana's strong winter activity combines with the ryegrass to fill the winter feed gap. Sow Urana at 6–8 kg/ha in a mix and inoculate with Group C inoculant.

We don't publish breeding details for Urana Subterranean Clover, but it has become an important cultivar in Western Australian agriculture, especially where the focus is on winter productivity. It is an early-flowering variety with strong winter production, higher hard seed levels than Dalkeith Subterranean Clover and low formononetin, making it a reliable choice for the wheatbelt.

We suggest Urana Subterranean Clover. It produced 10 to 25% more herbage than Dalkeith Subterranean Clover in WA trials, has higher hard seed levels for better persistence in cropping rotations and flowers slightly later for longer production. It suits 400mm+ rainfall areas on well-drained soils, except deep sands, with pH 4.5 or higher.