Common Vetch

We recommend our Common Vetch. It suits drier areas and systems that need early grazing or grain, with 300mm+ annual rainfall and 200–350mm growing season rainfall. It is a short-season, early-maturing legume that is extremely palatable at all growth stages and gives very high feed value.

In areas under 350mm rainfall, sow our Common Vetch at 40–45 kg/ha. Our tech sheets suggest 50–60 kg/ha in 400mm+ areas. In a mix, use about two-thirds vetch to one-third ryegrass or cereal. Sow 4–6cm deep, as you would cereals, between mid-April and the end of June.

Common Vetch needs Group E inoculant. Its strong root system nodulates early, fixing enough nitrogen for the plant and building up significant amounts for the following crop. At sowing, 50–75 kg/ha of Triple Super is generally beneficial though not essential. Soil pH (CaCl2) of 5.0–8.5 suits it.

Yes. Vetch infected with rust can cause abortion in pregnant ruminants, so don't graze a crop if rust appears. Check our Common Vetch regularly, especially in mild, humid conditions. Rust-resistant cultivars reduce the risk, and otherwise vetch is excellent, highly palatable feed for sheep, dairy and beef cattle.

Lightly graze Common Vetch about 6–8 weeks after sowing, once it is well established. It tolerates some grazing from about 15 nodes (30cm high) until flowering starts. Regrowth depends heavily on soil moisture, so rotate or strip graze to allow recovery.

Cut Common Vetch for hay or silage at flowering to early podding. Vetch hay has tested at 16–28% crude protein, 50–82% digestibility and 7–11 MJ metabolisable energy, which is excellent for growing and finishing stock. After spray-topping, dry plant and pod residues also provide useful summer grazing.

Common Vetch is an excellent break crop. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen, improves soil fertility, structure and organic matter, suppresses weeds and breaks cereal disease cycles, which benefits the yield and quality of the following cereal. Soft-seeded varieties pose no risk of volunteer plants in later crops.

Common Vetch suits sandy loams to clays of moderate fertility and prefers neutral to alkaline soils. Our tech sheets say it is not well adapted to waterlogging, so choose well-drained paddocks. On wetter ground, consider Joey Triticale or a waterlogging-tolerant clover such as Paradana Balansa.

In early growth, watch Common Vetch for redlegged earth mite and lucerne flea. Later, watch for cowpea and bluegreen aphids, and for native budworm (Heliothis) at flowering and podding. Diseases include rust, ascochyta blight and chocolate spot. Vetch is sensitive to sulfonylurea residues and most broadleaf cereal herbicides.

Common Vetch suits drier areas with 300mm+ rainfall and systems that need early grazing or grain. Popany Vetch matures later, at 130+ days, and is best suited to higher rainfall areas of 450mm+, giving valuable late-season feed for grazing, hay, silage and green manure. Choose by rainfall and when you need the feed.