Agronomic
- Easy establishment, and rapid early growth to compete against weeds
- Effective nodulation and nitrogen fixation with naturally occurring
Rhizobium in the soil
- High productivity under repeated cutting, grazing or browsing
- Provide fodder for out of season and drought feeding
- Little or no fertiliser requirement, resistance to environmental
stresses such as cold, acid soils, pests and diseases
- Thornless, deep-rooted and long-lived
- High seed production or reliable vegetative propagation
Nutritional qualities
- High protein, digestibility and mineral contents
- Low tannin content in leaf, sufficient to provide by-pass protein
- Palatable to livestock
- Free of anti-nutritive factors
Sources: Smith (1992), Gutteridge (1998) |