Roll out the red carpet for N-fixer

Morrow has topped Barenbrug Agriseeds plant-density trials, showing its ability to withstand intense grazing.

This hardy red clover is ideally suited for North Island soils, says Barenbrug expert.

High-energy red clover delivers a double gain for farmers looking to improve both animal performance and soil nutrient management this season.

That's the advice from a pasture systems specialist as soil temperatures warm up and spring sowing approaches.

With the best nutritional value of any forage, plus the ability to naturally fix 200kg/ha nitrogen (N) a year, red clover is indispensable for legume-rich, environmentally friendly pasture, Jen Corkran says.

Now a new multistemmed red clover is available that combines high yield with improved grazing tolerance.

Morrow has been bred and tested in New Zealand by Barenbrug Agriseeds, where Corkran works as part of the pasture systems team.

Morrow comes from a tough family. Most red clovers would not last long under intensive rotational grazing on light, summer dry North Island soils.

But Morrow's parents did. Over time, they adapted, survived and stood out as good growers, even after drought, Corkran says.

Plant breeders at Barenbrug Agriseeds selected the best of these genetics for improved yield, persistence and flowering to create a multi-stemmed red clover for good production and very good persistence under grazing.

"Like all red clovers, Morrow will persist best on free-draining soils under a longer summer grazing round," Corkran says.

It has topped Barenbrug Agriseeds plant density trials, which measure how many red clover plants are left after two to three years in intensively grazed trials.

"In addition, Morrow fixes its own nitrogen, feeding it naturally into pasture systems in a slow and continual way. This will be ever more important to provide N on farm, as fertiliser comes under increasing environmental scrutiny."

Morrow can fix over 200kg N/ha per year, based on its yield (25-30kg N/ha per tonne of DM grown).

Another important benefit of red clover is the increased clover root weevil tolerance over white clover, improving species diversity and legume content in farm pastures.

For best results, Corkran recommends sowing 6kg/ha coated Morrow seed.

"Red clover doesn't spread like white clover — the number of plants you establish at sowing determines your total red clover content, so it's better to sow one paddock at 6kg/ha than two paddocks at 3kg/ha."

It has an excellent fit with a wide range of other pasture cultivars, including Shogun hybrid ryegrass, Captain CSP plantain and perennial ryegrasses such as Trojan and Viscount.

It can also be planted as a straight sward. Morrow is available now for spring sowing.