83
October 2014
have the ability to improve the soil quality, it also provides a high
value crop of outstanding forage quality during this period of soil
reclamation.
It has no nitrogen requirements and is able to fix its own nitrogen
from the atmosphere which is converted to good quality plant pro-
tein, as well as substantial amounts of residual soil N for the suc-
ceedinggrain crops.
The grazing management of this species can be tricky, however;
mixing lucerne with other common sub-tropical grasses, such as
Eragrostis curvula
and
Digitaria eriantha
, can provide grazing of a
highqualitywithout serious anti-quality factors.
For more information, contact Dr Wayne Truter at
wayne.truter@
up.ac.za
, Prof Chris Dannhauser at
Dr Hen-
drik Smith at
orMr Gerrie Trytsman at
References
Crocker, G., 2003. Lucerne boosts cereals in crop rotations, AgnoteDPI-429. Tam-
worth, Australia.
1: Agood standof hay.
2: A lucerne flower.
3: The ideal stage to cut hay.
4: Too late for hay, but good for grazing toprevent bloat.
“
Lucerne is also
well-known as the
king of hay.
“
1
3
4
2
