Radio Transcript

Welcome to Agritalk.

This week we are going to be talking about the trial of a new biennial legume.

Sulla or Hedysarum coronarium is a biennial legume which originates in the Mediteranean basin, areas like Greece, Italy and Northern Africa.  Dr Carolyn De Koning believes that the new Australian varieties of Sulla could change the face of pasture production in Southern Australia. 

Sulla has many benefits it seems, including being a good alternative for hay production, it has very good feed value, and seems to hold onto its leaf quite well once it has been made into hay. The reports so far are also good that it will turn into an excellent silage source.

Dr De Koning is currently doing grazing trials.  ‘In the first year of growth the plant seems to do little in the way of growing, and is expending its energy putting down a tap root.  It can be lightly grazed during this time.  It is in its second year that Sulla really shines.  The second year stand gets away quite early, and the potential that this holds for finishing prime lambs is exciting’.

Sulla can be established in Autumn or Spring and has vigourous early winter growth when other pastures struggle.  It is non bloating, offers high yields and excellent quality fodder, is drought tolerant, summer dormant and even has properties which may help protect livestock against internal parasites.

Dr de Koning believes Sulla’s major role will be as a productive dryland fodder crop, as it has the capacity to make good quality hay with no or minimal irrigation.

So why haven’t we used Sulla before? Sulla had been trialed earlier in the 1940’s and 1950’s, it probably failed back then due to lack of suitable rhizobia, sulla rhizobia doesn’t occur naturally in Australian soils.  Only in the past decade have suitable rhizobia bugs been found, since then it has shown its potential.

Two new varieties - Wilpena and Moonbi -are the product of years of research by Dr de Koning’s pasture team, supported through the National Annual Pasture Legume Improvement Program.  Early next year, Wrightson Seeds Australia will commercially release them.

For more information on this or any other edition of Agritalk Radio, please go to www.ruralsolutions.sa.gov.au, just click on news then radio.  You will find a  full transcript and lots of handy links.

Extra Information that didn't go to air

Herbicide tolerance

 The pre-emergent herbicides, Spinnaker, Simmazine, Treflan and Stomp have minimal impact on sulla.  However, Dual Gold at 2L drastically reduced dry matter yields later in the season.  There are also a range of post-emergent herbicides (Basagran, Spinnaker, Broadstrike, Raptor  and Brodal) that appear safe to use on sulla, some had caused phytotoxic effects shortly after spraying but the sulla had grown out of this damage.  Bromoxynil, 24DB and Jaguar had devastating effects on sulla.  However, herbicide recommendations can not be made at this stage, no herbicides as yet have been registered for use on sulla in Australia.  Sulla is susceptible to some strains of Rhizoctonia.  Root –rots in general may cause problems.   However, sulla does appear tolerant of high Boron soils and is tolerant of the aphids Blue Green and Spotted Alfalfa.

Information kindly supplied by Dr Catherine De Koning