Nitrogen fixing summer crop?

[TelesnaAg]

Is there any studies in UK to show best nitrogen fixing summer crop slash cover crop for grazing?

I am in cool southern part of oz, drier heat but not to hot in summer, usually it rains.

Most plant rape and millet here, im looking for more of a legume that does well in summer?

Vetch is accessible, clover i find just bolts to seed, peas? Grazing value from peas.

Will go in with a mix.

Ant...

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Just for 1 year ?

 

[anzani]

Lupins?

 

[Kevtherev]

How long will it be down or is it just a catch crop?

 

[TelesnaAg]

How long will it be down or is it just a catch crop?

Just the summer, then if weeds ok plant a permanent pasture in late autumn.

Will strip graze

Ant...

 

[Farmer Roy]

Soyabeans
Lablab
Burgundy Bean
Cowpeas
Mungbeans
Sun Hemp

 

[Flatlander]

Hairy vetch will fix the most N I think. Not sure about grazing them thou.

 

[ollie989898]

Large leaf white clover? Or medium leaf white clover for sheep?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Vetch and Berseem clover came out about the best ,Red Clover is another one but for one crop it won't work and neither will White Clover. Grasses and Cereal will lift nitrogen and hold it so in a way they will help as the livestock will graze and return it to the soil
For a practical crop tk graze probably oats and peas and add some berseem and Vetch ,but keep the seed rate low
If your not carefull the cost of it all would be more than your gains

And the above could be partly lost anyway ifvyou don't practice min till as dragging the roots to the surface when you cultivate will send your nitrogen into the atmosphere nit the soil where it's intended

 

[Farmer Roy]

Serradella
Lucerne

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Just to broaden this a little ,does anyone inoculate legumes other than Lucerne that seems quite standard .

With these short length crops it would encourage the root nodules to form quicker no dought

 

[TelesnaAg]

Vetch and Berseem clover came out about the best ,Red Clover is another one but for one crop it won't work and neither will White Clover. Grasses and Cereal will lift nitrogen and hold it so in a way they will help as the livestock will graze and return it to the soil
For a practical crop tk graze probably oats and peas and add some berseem and Vetch ,but keep the seed rate low
If your not carefull the cost of it all would be more than your gains

And the above could be partly lost anyway ifvyou don't practice min till as dragging the roots to the surface when you cultivate will send your nitrogen into the atmosphere nit the soil where it's intended

Cheers, the land is rerrible rough, some never been plowed as its a volcanic flat. So i will disk and level, from there no need to plow if settles and cattle dont bog it.

Its mainly grass so n levels are low. Leaving it as is , not an option.

Id like to try some vetch in a mix, its so hard to get research and hard data on comparing legumes as a summer crop.

Ill do my own blog on it.

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

Just to broaden this a little ,does anyone inoculate legumes other than Lucerne that seems quite standard .

With these short length crops it would encourage the root nodules to form quicker no dought

True depending on innoculant, some may leave soil health worse some may improve.

Its a darn good question and trials would be awesome.

Ant...

 

[TelesnaAg]

Large leaf white clover? Or medium leaf white clover for sheep?

Ive tried clovers in Portland with limted success, Camperdown is drier and less moisture in air, so harder again on plants.

Westminster barley grows like mad so does millet and rape, ive not played with vetch yet.

Ant...

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Cheers, the land is rerrible rough, some never been plowed as its a volcanic flat. So i will disk and level, from there no need to plow if settles and cattle dont bog it.

Its mainly grass so n levels are low. Leaving it as is , not an option.

Id like to try some vetch in a mix, its so hard to get research and hard data on comparing legumes as a summer crop.

Ill do my own blog on it.

Ant...

Problem is with a lot of Data you look at it gives total nitrogen returned to the soil which is not that much use when choosing a legume, as all plants lift nitrogen and return it to the soil when destroyed, or eaten by livestock
But for what iv seen most clovers are above anything else, Beans are quite low , Berseem Clover as a higher score than Crimson for some reason , but so much depends on soil Health and Weather at the time

 

[TelesnaAg]

I think a barrell medic may suit here with short maturity range, hardier than clover, more palatable than vetch. Will still throw in some morava vetch and compare.

Barenbrug Australia // Forage & Pasture > Clover & Pasture Legumes > Medics

Sultan-SU is an early flowering, aphid resistant barrel medic

barenbrug.com.au

Ant..

 

[TelesnaAg]

Lupins?

Im not sure on grazing lupins? Seed a bot harder to come by in my area. In western Australia they grow it by the million acres however OSR has eaten into those acres.

Ant...

 

[Bogweevil]

Problem is with a lot of Data you look at it gives total nitrogen returned to the soil which is not that much use when choosing a legume, as all plants lift nitrogen and return it to the soil when destroyed, or eaten by livestock
But for what iv seen most clovers are above anything else, Beans are quite low , Berseem Clover as a higher score than Crimson for some reason , but so much depends on soil Health and Weather at the time

Beans quite good, at least in Scotland, according to James Hutton Institute which has unique long-term records:

The team found that beans can incorporate more than 400 kg of nitrogen per hectare due to the symbiosis between legume crops and soil bacteria, which allows them to harness naturally occurring atmospheric nitrogen and negate the need for added synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. The crops also provide nitrogen to the production system after harvest and the residual stems, roots, and pods decay into the soil as a natural fertiliser, and general soil improver. https://www.hutton.ac.uk/news/uk’s-first-measurements-nitrogen-added-legumes-crop-production-system

But less good in Oz, although different methods used due to lack of records:

Only 114 kg of nitrogen per hectare in NSW - unclear why, but heat and drought stress might be significant (chickpeas a better option in some cases) and also inhibition of nitrogen fixing by high soil nitrate levels. UK nitrogen tends to be leached by winter rains which might not happen in drier climates. https://grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/108964/grdcfsnfix-chickpeas-high-res.pdf.pdf

 

[Kevtherev]

Still growing Balansa Out there @TelesnaAg

 

[TelesnaAg]

Still growing Balansa Out there @TelesnaAg

Not commercially no, i sold my combine, once the next drought kicks in ill be on the hunt, never have to wait to long on in oz. Chasing a 9770 sts with draperflex. Might be a big ask.

I loved growing it and will be spreading some here in a month, if i can get some started past the slugs, it will do well in the low spots of paddocks.

Not much chop as a summer crop, most impressive clover i ever did see for summer crop was arrowleaf.

I have alot of work to do levelling paddocks before considering g growing clovers for seed again, Portland i had perfect.

Ant...