Slender serradella
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Pasture type and use | Annual legume with main growth in winter and especially spring. Mainly used as a pasture plant, and suited for grazing, hay or silage. Particularly tolerant of acid soils. It has good tolerance to waterlogged conditions. |
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Area of adaptation | North West Slopes, Central West Slopes, Northern Tablelands, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands. It may suit some coastal areas. |
Min. average annual rainfall | 400 mm (southern NSW) to 450 mm (northern NSW). |
Advantages |
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Disadvantages |
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Soil requirements | Does well on shallow (40–80 cm), poorly drained, lighter to medium loam soils. Tolerant of soil aluminium up to 30% of CEC. Tolerant of low pH (Ca) up to 4.0–7.0. Suited to hard-setting (e.g. sodic) but waterlogged-prone soils. Adequate phosphorus, sulfur and molybdenum required. |
Varieties | Jebala (mid-season maturity) McFarlanes |
Sowing rate | 1–3 kg/ha. Often sown with other legumes (e.g. yellow serradella and sub clover) because of soil type variability over a paddock. Seed is very small. |
Sowing time | Autumn — late March through to early June. |
Companion species | Other winter legumes (yellow serradella, sub clover, arrowleaf clover, Persian clover, balansa clover) on variable soil paddocks, and a summer-growing perennial grass species. |
Inoculation | Group G. Lime pelleting is desirable. |
Major nutrient deficiencies | Phosphorus, sulfur, molybdenum. |
Main insect pests | Blue oat mite (some tolerance), redlegged earth mite (some tolerance), lucerne flea, vegetable weevil, jassids, Heliothis punctigera (native bud worm). |
Main diseases | Very few disease problems yet observed. Potential diseases include brown leaf spot (Pleiochaeta setosa), grey mould (Botrytis cinerea), anthracnose, and cercospora fungus. |
Management | Suited to moderate set stocking as well as rotational grazing. Can be damaged if heavily grazed following a long period of regrowth resulting in rank growth. It is important to graze down dry summer material by early autumn to around 1–1.5 t/ha dry matter to encourage good autumn germination. Do not graze too hard during flowering, especially until seed reserves are adequate. |
Livestock disorders of particular note | No problems reported. |
Additional tips | Sowing seed shallow and controlling weeds will generally ensure faster establishment. |
Further information |
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Advice on livestock health disorders was provided by Dr Chris Bourke, Principal Research Scientist, NSW Agriculture, Orange. His contribution is gratefully acknowledged.
Photo: M. Davies, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia.