Lucerne cultivars for specific situations

Often regarded as the King of Forages, lucerne is valued for its ability to generate high quality drymatter, particularly in dryland environments.

Spring is the traditional sowing season for lucerne and Andrew Johnston from Luisetti Seeds recommends growers consider soil type and fertility, ground preparation, farm management and climate before planting.

All of these factors, he says, will help determine which cultivar is right for a particular situation.

“Each situation is different and by consulting with their Luisetti Seeds’ agronomist, growers will get the best advice about cultivar selection, weed and pest control, methods of establishment and on-going management.”

Andrew says Luisetti Seeds recommends three lucerne varieties; Venus FD5, Raptor FD6 and Takahe FD4.

Venus which has a dormancy rating of five, is particularly persistent in dryland conditions and is resistant to aphids and disease. With excellent spring and summer production, Andrew says this variety is superior to Kaituna in production and persistence.

Raptor, with a dormancy rating of six, is resistant to bacterial wilt, verticillium wilt and phytophthora root rot and has multifoliate leaf expression (60% of the leaves have four to six leaflets).

Raptor grows rapidly after grazing or cutting and persists in dryland conditions.

Takahe, which has a dormancy rating of four, has been bred by Grasslands Technology for New Zealand conditions and has superior root density. It survives extremely well in dryland conditions.

Speaking at a field day in North Canterbury last year, the Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. Damian O’Connor, admitted that nitrogen loss from lucerne was a flaw with Overseer and the problem was being looked into.

Lincoln University’s Professor Derrick Moot says he has spoken with Environment Canterbury and made them aware of the problem.

“I would suggest farmers do their farm environmental plans without Overseer unless it is compulsory – and for many sheep and beef farmers it is not compulsory. Overseer still fails to recognise the rooting depth of lucerne in a grazed situation which has a profound effect on leaching potential.”

Luisetti Seeds have excellent stocks of Venus, Raptor and Takahe and can inoculate the seeds prior to planting.