Lucerne (syn. Alfalfa)
A deep rooted, perennial legume, Lucerne is ideally suited to light, free draining soils with a pH of 7. The plants usually have a protein content of around 18% and their higher fibre levels complement items like maize silage in a ration.
Lucerne has a very good yield potential of 13 tonnes of dry matter/ha/year over the first 2 years.
The crop is usually sown between April and August at a depth of 1 c.m. and a rate of 8-10 kilos per acre. The thicker the sowing rate, the thinner the stems. Lucerne is usually treated as a 5 year conservation crop and cut 3-4 times. It is important to leave a minimum 10 c.m. stubble to speed regrowth and not scalp the plant.
All our Lucerne seed is now pre treated with inoculum for ease of drilling and maximum efficiency.
Technical Specifications
A deep rooted, high yielding perennial legume
About Your Countryside
Your Countryside is DLF's diverse range of species and specialist mixtures, including Game Cover, Environmental Stewardship, Root Crops and Cover Crops. If you are struggling to find something to suit your needs, please contact your local technical expert who will be able to assist and advise you on your specialist mixture.
Contact the forage team
Agricultural & Specialist Seeds Team:
Telephone: 01506 894820
Email: forage@dlf.co.uk
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Environmental Seeds
DLF has a range of straights and mixtures that support the environment, whether that's through building habitats, improving soil conditions & water infiltration.
GFE Options
GFE is a grant scheme available to all eligible farmers in Wales. The scheme supports the growing and utilisation of crops, which can result in improvements in the environmental performance of a farm business.