Cavalier is a medic with a relatively high percentage of soft seed compared to Santiago, which will result in more densely regenerated second year pastures. Cavalier has pest and disease tolerances, a broad range of maturity and the percentage of hard seededness provides both persistence through cropping phases and a better response to environmental variations.
Key attributes
- More soft seed than Santiago for denser second-year regeneration
- Enough hard seed to persist through cropping phases
- Pest and disease tolerances
- High herbage and seed production
- Grows well on alkaline to slightly acid soils
- Palatable at all growth stages, including dry matter
About this variety
Cavalier is a mid-maturing variety that grows well on alkaline to slightly acid soils, with an average of 13.8% soft seed in the first year. It has high herbage and seed production, and was developed to extend the role of annual medics, particularly in phase pastures. Cavalier is suited to farming systems with either a long-term or short-term phase. It is more productive and persistent in low rainfall areas than sub clover. Winter production can be slow if autumn rains are late and insufficient leaf area is produced before soil and air temperatures fall.
Adapted to a range of soil types from sandy loams to clays of moderate fertility, Cavalier is more acid tolerant than barrel and strand medics, with a greater tolerance of acidity in loamy soils, but it is not productive on deep, acid sandy soils. It is relatively tolerant of transient waterlogging and moderate salinity compared to other medics.
It is palatable at all growth stages with high nutritive value and high protein content, and is very tolerant of heavy grazing, producing excellent green feed for growing and finishing livestock. Digestibility ranges from 55-75% DMD (equates to ME energy of 8-10 MJ/kg DM) and crude protein from 17-23% depending on growth stage. A good pasture crop for all livestock and horses, it also produces good hay and silage and can be used in viticulture and horticulture. Photosensitisation in horses, occasionally red gut in sheep, and bloat in cattle can occur.
Fixes atmospheric nitrogen when effectively nodulated, benefiting cereal crops grown in rotation. As a grass-free pasture in rotation with cereals it is a disease break for various cereal pathogens including cereal cyst nematode, take-all and crown rot. It can be grown in mixtures with other annual medics or grasses including annual ryegrass, volunteer cereals or sown cereals.
Planting & grazing notes
Sown April to June. Relatively small seed, so shallow sowing (1-2 cm) is essential with press wheels, harrows or prickle chains to improve soil-seed contact and establishment. On infertile soils medics are likely to require topdressing with superphosphate and potassium. Defer grazing in the first year until plants are well established and then only graze lightly until flowering; remove stock until the medic has finished flowering and producing pods, to maximise seed-set for subsequent regeneration. Paddocks should not be crash grazed or cut for hay in the first year if the stand is expected to regenerate. In crop/medic rotation systems, it is best to defer grazing at the break of the season until the ground is covered and/or medics are well established (approx. 4-6 leaves, 2-3 cm height, over 700 kg/ha dry matter). Reduce grazing pressure if possible whilst the medic is flowering to maximise pod and seed-set. Carefully monitor grazing of dried residues over summer, as overgrazing of pods will reduce future pasture regeneration. Intolerant of some herbicide residues from the cropping phase, particularly sulfonylurea residues in low rainfall areas with alkaline soils. Inoculate seed before sowing with group AM inoculant.
Disease & pest resistance
Sensitive as seedlings to red legged earth mite, and as mature plants to lucerne flea, blue green aphid, spotted alfalfa aphid, cowpea aphid and sitona weevil. Major diseases are Phoma black-stem, rhizoctonia bare-patch and powdery mildew. Pratylenchus neglectus root lesion nematode may not build up significantly but productivity is reduced in its presence. Sensitive to boron toxicity.
Stand life
Hard seeded and once established will maintain a bank of seed reserves in the soil and will self regenerate from that soil-seed bank after short cropping phases of typically 1-3 years. Some tolerance of false breaks of season as seed softening tends to occur later in the summer/autumn period.
How it's sold
| Form | Pack | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Coated | 25 kg | In stock |