The future of Australia’s pasture production is set to be revitalised with the commercial release of Angel, the world’s first medic variety tolerant to residues from widely-used sulfonylurea herbicides. 
Launching Angel at the Hart Field Day in SA’s MidNorth, Dr Rob Lewis, Executive Director of SARDI – the SA Research and Development Institute - said the variety gives growers the ability to grow regenerating legume pastures straight out of cereals sprayed with sulfonylurea herbicides.
“Growers are trying to squeeze every bit of production per hectare and the bottom line is that Angel will lighten the load for farmers needing to both control weeds in their cereals and to regenerate a strong stand of pasture to keep the feed up to livestock,” he said.
“Trials show Angel has at least produced more than 50% extra plant and seed yield compared to varieties that can’t tolerate residues from these herbicides.” 
Dr Lewis said the variety, which took a decade to develop is a success story for Waite Campus scientists.  SARDI’s John Heap bred the variety while furthering studies at Adelaide University along with Chris Preston from the CRC for Weed Management Systems.  The variety has since undergone further development under the guidance of SARDI’s pasture unit with funding support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation.   Further agronomic research is being pursued with help from the SA Grains Industry Trust Fund.
One of Angel’s developers at SARDI, Jake Howie said SU or sulfonylurea herbicides are typically used in Australian farming systems to control weeds during the cereal phase, before a paddock regenerates or is sown to medic pasture. However, even minute residues have led to the demise of pasture in many soils.
“Until now, the dilemma of needing relatively cheap control of broadleaved weeds in crops has led to the use of SU herbicides sometimes resulting in poor pasture stands with severe stunting, poor plant and seed yields, poor persistence and low nitrogen fixation,” he said.
 “Angel restores the ability to both crop and graze through the benefits of a productive legume pasture that delivers quality livestock feed while boosting organic matter and nitrogen levels to enrich the soil.
“Growers in all Australian states will find the variety suits neutral to alkaline sandy loam to loam soils, in low rainfall areas where normally medics are the best-adapted annual legume.”
The variety is likely to draw worldwide interest and SARDI is marketing it through its recently formed Australian Pasture Alliance with Seedmark.   In Australia the variety can be bought through affiliated company, PlantTech. 
PlantTech’s, Tim Pepper says Angel is a fitting name because of the variety’s ability to safeguard the important pasture phase in a cropping regime.   
“An advantage is that Angel can take advantage of the residual weed control so a cleaner pasture is established.  Equally important, Angel can be readily controlled so it doesn’t become a weed when paddocks return to cereal cropping,” Mr Pepper said.
With limited seed supply, Australian growers will have first rights to Angel in 2008 before it is sold globally.  Growers wanting details about Angel mailed to them can ring a toll-free number: 1800 112 400.