Is serradella or sub clover better on sandplain country?
On deep, acidic sandplain, serradella usually wins. It roots deeper, tolerates soil pH (CaCl2) down to about 4.0–4.5 and high aluminium, and stays green later into spring, while sub clover prefers loamier, less acidic soils. Serradella also has a lower bloat risk. On sandy loams and loams above about pH 5, sub clover is often the better fit.
What's the difference between French and yellow serradella?
French serradella has softer pods that thresh easily, so seed is cheaper to produce and quick to establish, and newer hard-seeded French types regenerate well. Yellow serradella has tough, very hard-seeded pods that break into segments, giving it outstanding regeneration after cropping phases on the poorest acid sands. Both suit deep, acidic sands, and both need serradella (Group S) or lupin (Group G) inoculant.
What is summer sowing of pasture legumes, and does it work?
Summer sowing means sowing unprocessed, hard-seeded legume seed or pods, usually serradella, biserrula or bladder clover, in February or early March, before the break. Summer temperatures soften the hard seed so it germinates with the opening rains, taking pasture sowing out of the busy seeding program. In DPIRD trials, February-sown serradella pods grew about as much as scarified seed sown in May.
Which inoculant does serradella need?
Serradella needs Group S inoculant, or Group G lupin inoculant, which also nodulates it. It won't nodulate with clover (Group C) or medic (Group AM) strains, and in paddocks where serradella or lupins haven't grown recently, good inoculation is the difference between a productive stand and a failure. Inoculate just before sowing, keep treated seed out of the sun, and use inoculant before its expiry date.
What pasture legume suits neutral or alkaline wheatbelt soils?
Annual medics are the natural fit for neutral to alkaline soils, from sandy loams to clays, in the low to medium rainfall wheatbelt. Barrel medic prefers pH (water) above about 6.5, while burr medic tolerates slightly more acidic loams and brief waterlogging. On soils more acidic than about pH 5 (CaCl2), sub clover, serradella or biserrula are better choices.
Why didn't my medic come back after the cropping phase?
The usual reasons are herbicide residues, a run-down seed bank or pests. Sulfonylurea (Group 2, formerly Group B) residues from the crop phase can damage medic seedlings, especially on alkaline soils in low rainfall areas. Heavy grazing during flowering, or grazing pods bare over summer, depletes the seed bank, and mites and aphids can thin seedlings. If regeneration is patchy, resow or top up.
How does a legume pasture phase help the crops that follow?
A dense serradella, medic or clover phase adds nitrogen that can cut fertiliser needs in the following cereal, and it breaks the cycle of cereal root diseases such as take-all, provided grass weeds are controlled in the pasture year. Wheat after a good legume pasture usually yields more than wheat after wheat. Hard-seeded legumes then regenerate when the paddock returns to pasture.
How do I make sure a new legume pasture comes back next year?
Let serradella or medic set plenty of seed in its first year. Graze lightly until flowering, then keep stock off through flowering and pod set, usually 6–8 weeks in spring, because that seed is next year's pasture. Over summer, graze dry pods and residues carefully so you don't strip the seed bank, and go easy on the first germination after the break.
Which pasture legumes are least likely to cause bloat in cattle?
Serradella is the lowest-risk option: it has a low bloat risk, with no bloat problems reported, which is one reason it's valued in cattle systems on sandy country. Medics, like clovers and lucerne, can cause bloat in cattle grazing lush spring growth, and occasionally red gut in sheep. With any legume-rich pasture, keep some grass in the mix and never turn hungry stock onto lush feed.
Why did my pasture legume die after early autumn rain?
It was probably a false break: rain triggers germination, then a dry spell kills the seedlings. Hard-seeded legumes such as yellow and hard-seeded French serradella, biserrula and many medics are insurance against this, because only part of their seed softens and germinates each year, leaving the rest in the soil for later rains. Soft-seeded varieties are more exposed, so sow them after a reliable break.
