Alexandria Berseem Clover

Product Description

• Seed Agronomy Table

  Seeding Rate - Dryland (kg/ha)

  8 - 10

  Seeding Rate - High Rainfall/Irrigation (kg/ha)

  10 - 15

  Hard Seed Level Description

  Low

  Waterlogging Tolerance

  Very good

  Maturity

  Mid-Late

• Seed Treatment

  Goldstrike®

• Enterprises For This Seed

  Beef and Sheep

  Dairy

  Silage and Hay

  Viticulture and Horticulture

• Strengths

  High nutritive value and is productive throughout year Some tolerance of salinity Free of oestrogen risks

• Limitations

  Poor regeneration Intolerant of heavy frost

• Plant Description
  Plant

  Erect, annual with short tap root; grows to 750 millimetres.

  Stems

  Slender, hollow, branched.

  Leaves

  Plain, trifoliate, slightly hairy on both surfaces; oval leaflets with, near the tip, serrated margins.

  Flowers

  Oval/cone shaped, approximately equal to 2 centimetres in diameter, numerous, cream.

  Pods

  Contain 1 to 2 seeds.

  Seeds

  Oval, yellow/red-brown; approximately equal to 350,000 per kilogram.

• Pasture Type And Use

  A winter-growing, annual capable of excellent early growth in autumn. Suited to seasonal irrigation.

• Rainfall

  Greater than 600 millimetres in winter/spring rainfall zone for dryland use. Mainly used with irrigation. Tolerates water with up to 1000 parts per million salt.

• Soils

  Best on neutral to alkaline soil, pH 6 to 8. Moderately tolerant of waterlogging and saline soil. Well suited to deep alluvial soil.

• Temperature

  Good heat tolerance, low cold tolerance. The least winter hardy of the cultivated clovers. It should not be grown in areas where winter temperatures commonly go as low as 6°C.

• Establishment
  Grasses

  Italian ryegrass and festulolium.

  Legumes

  Persian, medics, balansa, arrowleaf clovers.

  Sowing/Planting Rates In Mixtures

  3 to 5 kilograms per hectare. Ensure seed is Goldstrike® treated.

  Sowing/Planting Rates as Single Species

  6 to 15 kilograms per hectare. Ensure seed is Goldstrike® treated. Sow at 15 to 20 millimetres into a clean, finely worked seed bed and roll.

  Sowing Time

  Early Autumn.

  Inoculation

  Goldstrike® treated. The use of Goldstrike® XLR8™ seed treatment is recommended to reduce damage from insects at seedling stages.

  Fertiliser

  Major nutrient requirements are phosphorous and potassium. Sulphur and molybdenum may be required in some areas.

• Management
  Grazing/Cutting

  More suited to cutting/fodder conservation; quick regrowth and good aftermath - on suitable soils. Rotationally grazing in cool season when 15-20 centimetres tall; this stimulates tillering. If sown with grass must graze late winter/early spring to allow clover to contribute later. Set residues at 2-3 centimetres (winter) and 4-5 centimetres (spring) to avoid over grazing.

  Ability to Spread

  Poor recruitment; no hard seed.

  Weed Potential

  Low. Seed very susceptible to false breaks.

  Major Pests

  Red legged earth mite, blue-green aphid, spotted alfalfa aphid, heliothis, blue oat mite.

  Major Diseases

  Some cultivars susceptible to leaf and stem blight and clover scorch - Pythium, Phytophthora and Kabatialla Caulivora.

  Herbicide Susceptibility

  Glyphosate. Damaged by most broadleaf herbicides.

• Animal Production
  Feeding Value

  High; high protein content.

  Palatability

  Moderately palatable.

  Production Potential

  Good autumn, winter, spring.

  Livestock Disorders/Toxicity

  Low isoflavone content - no risk to breeding livestock. Low risk of bloat.

• Establishment Guarantee

  At S&W Seed Company Australia we're so confident about our seed genetics and seed quality, we will replace seed at half the original purchase price if it fails to establish satisfactorily in the first thirty days* Read more