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Plan for success: Productive and persistent legumes

Page published: September 16, 2024 | Page reviewed: September 16, 2024

Why plant legumes?

Healthy legumes can significantly boost your pasture’s carrying capacity. Economically, adding legumes is the best long-term option for increasing the productivity of rundown pastures. Once established, they provide moderate amounts of nitrogen year after year.

It’s essential to evaluate your readiness before diving into planting. The success of your legume establishment hinges on more than just one rainfall event: careful planning and preparation are key.  If you haven’t made a plan yet, now’s the perfect time to start.

Fallow is key

Fallowing improves soil moisture storage and reduces competition with weeds and grass—two crucial components for successful legume establishment. In some parts of the southern region, recent winter rain has offered the valuable opportunity to build stored moisture.

Why stored moisture matters

For legumes to thrive, your soil needs at least 50cm of stored moisture (depending on soil type). This helps your seedlings survive until follow-up rainfall and supports vigorous early growth, allowing plants to build the resilience they need to endure seasonal challenges such as dry spells or frosts.

Dry and shrivelled legume seedling that did not have enough stored soil moisture to persist.
Legume seed that did not have enough stored soil moisture to persist.
Thriving legume seedling with multiple branches of leaves.
Long fallow with plenty of soil moisture.

 

Want to know more?

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries will be running one-day Productive and Persistent Legume Pasture workshops as part of the Queensland Pasture Resilience Program (QPRP). Be sure to keep an eye out for them or contact us if you’re interested in participating.

For more information on legume establishment or assistance with seed selection and paddock preparation, contact us on 132523 or email info@daf.qld.gov.au.  Also check out the following resources:

Stay tuned for the next edition, where we will take a closer look at legume sowing, including timing and sowing methods. For more information on seed quality including seed testing, seeding rates and storage, check out this article.

 

Productive and Persistent Legume Pasture workshops are a part of the Queensland Pasture Resilience Program which is a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Meat & Livestock Australia and the Australian Government through the MLA Donor Company.