Santorini Yellow Serradella

High performing hard seeded yellow serradella

Ornithopus compressus

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A very hard seed, yellow flowered Serradella. Santorini does not suffer leaf loss or lodge like French Serradella and as a consequence holds the lower leaves resulting in better production. Sow as pure seed where pasture required in year 1. Toughest of all Serradellas that withstands heavy grazing (Yellow Flower).

Key attributes

  • Early maturing with an upright growth habit
  • Easy grazing access for stock
  • Increased hard seed giving greater persistence
  • Strong nitrogen benefit to the following crop
  • Prolonged germination spreads establishment risk
  • Bred for acidic sandy loam soils

About this variety

Santorini is a hard seeded yellow serradella bred for acidic sandy loam soils, with an upright growth habit and early maturity, flowering at approximately 100 days from sowing at Perth.

Its upright habit is a practical advantage. It offers easy grazing access for stock, so the feed on offer is actually harvested rather than left below grazing height, and it makes seed harvest more straightforward.

The increased hard seededness gives increased persistence, and as with the other hard seeded serradellas that persistence compounds into greater total dry matter production across an extended pasture phase and greater nitrogen generation for the following crop.

An unusual feature is its prolonged germination period, spread over roughly forty days. That spread is a form of insurance: rather than committing every seedling to a single germinating rain, the stand emerges in waves, so a false break destroys only part of the cohort.

It is compatible with group S inoculant and suits the acid sandplain country where sub clover and medic will not persist.

Disease & pest resistance

Mildly resistant to red legged earth mite as mature plants (score 3/10, mildly susceptible as seedlings); tolerant of blue green aphid

Stand life

Increased hard seediness giving increased persistence, with potential for increased dry matter production over an extended pasture phase. High performing hard seeded Yellow Serradella. Particular features of Santorini are the higher plant productivity, increased hard seed content and ability to be sown into a wider range of soil types providing advantages over other Serradella options. The establishment of Santorini into a cropping phase or pasture rotation will give additional flexibility to farming systems providing the opportunity to switch between a cropping and pasture phase more easily due to the increased hard seed content.

How it's sold

FormPackStatus
Bare / de-hulled25 kgIn stock
Santorini Yellow Serradella

FAQs

What legume can handle a false break without losing the whole stand?

We recommend Santorini Yellow Serradella. It has a prolonged germination period of about 40 days, which gives some insurance against false breaks. It's very hard seeded, so it also carries a seed bank into later years. It suits acidic sands and sandy loams with pH 4.5 to 7.0.

Which pasture legume stands up to heavy grazing on sandplain?

Santorini Yellow Serradella is the toughest of our serradellas and withstands heavy grazing. Unlike French serradella, it doesn't suffer leaf loss or lodge, and holds its lower leaves for better production. Its upright habit gives stock easy access. It suits acid sandy soils in 350mm+ rainfall.

Should I sow serradella as pod or dehulled seed?

For Santorini, we recommend dehulled seed. Pod is only about 40% seed by weight and has very low germination, giving a poor result in year one, while dehulled seed can establish around 10 times as many plants per square metre. Sow 6 to 10 kg/ha as a monoculture or 3 to 6 kg/ha in a mix.

What legume will grow on acid soils with aluminium problems?

Santorini Yellow Serradella is acid and aluminium tolerant, making it well suited to highly acidic sands and sandy loams where pH sits between 4.5 and 7.0. It needs 350mm+ rainfall and tolerates some waterlogging but not inundation. Inoculate with Group G/S at sowing.

Is redlegged earth mite a problem in serradella?

It can be, especially early. Santorini Yellow Serradella seedlings are mildly susceptible to redlegged earth mite, while mature plants are mildly resistant (score 3 on a 0 to 10 scale, where 10 is worst). It's also tolerant of blue green aphid. We recommend controlling mites around establishment.

What's a good legume to put in ahead of a pasture phase in a cropping program?

Santorini Yellow Serradella suits cropping programs in preparation for a pasture phase, or as part of a pasture mix. Its hard seediness gives longer persistence and more dry matter over an extended pasture phase, plus increased nitrogen for the following crop. It mixes well with ryegrass and other acid-tolerant legumes.

What should I sow alongside yellow serradella?

Santorini combines with other legumes and ryegrass suited to similar soils and pH. We often suggest Achieve or Wimmera ryegrass, plus Casbah Biserrula, Margurita Serradella or a sub clover like Dalkeith. In a mix, we recommend sowing Santorini at 3 to 6 kg/ha of dehulled seed.

Will serradella regenerate year after year without resowing?

Hard-seeded serradellas can. Santorini Yellow Serradella has increased hard seediness, giving better persistence and regeneration from the seed bank over an extended pasture phase. Let it set plenty of seed early on to build the bank. It flowers at roughly 95 to 100 days at Perth and can be indeterminate in flowering.

Is Santorini Serradella yellow or pink flowered?

Santorini is a yellow-flowered serradella (Ornithopus compressus), unlike pink-flowered French serradellas such as Margurita and Fran2o. It's very hard seeded, mid maturing and can be indeterminate in its flowering. It's an excellent producer on acid sands and holds its lower leaves well.

Santorini vs Serramax, which yellow serradella should I choose?

Both are hard-seeded yellow serradellas for acid sands and sandy loams. Santorini is very hard seeded, the toughest under heavy grazing, and suits 350mm+ rainfall. Serramax is a newer WA-bred, early flowering variety with faster hard-seed breakdown for strong regeneration, suits 300mm+ rainfall and tolerates waterlogging.