New red clover has staying power

29 October 2007

New red clover has staying power

Keeping red clover in your pastures is about to become easier this season, with the launch of a new, more persistent variety.

Tuscan is the first red clover developed by Canterbury plant breeding company Agriseeds.

Nine years in the making, it combines superb summer feed quality with enhanced staying power and grazing tolerance.

That makes it ideal for farmers looking to improve the nutritional value of their pasture mix during the summer.

It's also a good fit for those who are looking at using some red clover as an alternative to their traditional white clover varieties, because of pest pressure.

"Most farmers who have used red clover in their pasture mixes know what good summer feed it produces," says Agriseeds New Zealand sales manager Stephen Bennett.

"Most of them also know however that it is relatively slow to recover from grazing, especially in comparison with white clover, and it does not always persist as long as they would like!"

Tuscan sets a new standard in this respect, Stephen says, with trials showing it out-lasts other varieties, producing higher plant counts after two years of sheep grazing.

Combine that with excellent summer and autumn growth, plus higher total yield, and the result is a useful addition to pasture mixes for sheep, beef, deer and dairy systems alike.

"Like any red clover, it will persist best under less intensive stocking rates and/or extended summer grazing rotations.

"A perfect example would be using Tuscan on dairy run-offs, where you're looking for very high quality silage or grazing.

"We're also seeing it being sown with a high-powered Italian like Tabu ryegrass for a two to three year feed crop, in summer moist regions or under irrigation.

"There's a real opportunity here for farmers to improve their summer feed with this mix."

For sheep farmers, Tuscan can be mixed with perennial ryegrass like Bealey or Alto and white clovers to provide high quality lamb finishing feed.

One of the key's to Tuscan's performance is its growth habit, Stephen says.

"This is a denser, more prostrate variety than is typically the case with red clovers, so it is better able to persist under grazing pressure."

Tuscan has moderate to high levels of phyto oestrogen, which farmers need to take into account when planning autumn grazing management and mating.

For more detail contact your seed merchant.

ENDS

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