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A Travel Report on 35th Californian Alfalfa and Forage 
Symposium at Visalia, California, USA

Person Traveling
Luke Kirkby, Production Manager, Premier Seeds Forbes, NSW, 2871

RIRDC Publication Number 06/115

September 2006

Background
Premier Seeds Lucerne seed production in the Riverina area of NSW has increased from 4ha in 2004 to nearly 275ha in 2005. Plantings in 2006 are estimated to potentially increase the area to 1,000ha. The majority of this increase in production is expected to occur in rows on raised beds. These raised beds will be installed into current border check and bankless channel irrigation systems to undertake this production Lucerne seed production is not new to this area but in general little has been done for many years. One may ask the question as to why little seed production is done in the Riverina? Basically, Lucerne seed production is not suited to the border check irrigation systems used in this region. This is principally because a) soil types are not suitable (selfmulching clays) and b) paddocks do not have enough fall for quick drainage (A normal grade in the Riverina for border check is between 1:1,500 – 1:2500, Bankless channel field generally have from zero to 1:5000 grade. The recommended grade for Lucerne production is 1:800) (Beecher et.al 1997).

Traditionally in Australia, Lucerne seed has been grown using border check on sands (SE SA: grades may vary between 1:1,300 – 1:3,500 depending on soil type)(Pengelly, D.

2006, pers. Comm., February 2006) or on clay loams in NSW (Forbes: grades may vary between 1:600 and 1:1,500 )( Green, M. 2006, pers. Comm., February 2006). So, given this, why would farmers attempt growing Lucerne seed in the Riverina? Many farmers are converting their irrigation fields to raised beds. The most common would be 6ft wide.

Under raised bed irrigation systems Lucerne plants do not suffer from being under water for extended periods where they would be if they were under a border check system .

The use of a row cropping production system to produce Lucerne seed has rarely been used in Australia. Soil types in our traditional growing areas also are not suited to the use of raised beds. In the SE of South Australia the soils are predominantly non wetting sand. Beds are not suited to such soils as their ability to maintain the bed formation or structure is limited under irrigated situations. In the Forbes district, the red clay loams do maintain their bed structure but do not ‘sub’ consistently enough to water the whole bed. The soil types used for Lucerne seed production in the San Joaquin valley of California are similar to soil types found in the Riverina where rice production exists, thus the use of a similar production system should enhance the ability of growers in the Riverina to produce Lucerne seed with high yields.

To maximize the benefits of Lucerne seed production under a row cropping system it is critical we enhance our management skills to ensure maximum benefit from the cropping system can be achieved.

New technology is an important part of Agriculture in Australia. New technologies such as Round Up Ready Lucerne (RURL) and Salt Tolerant Lucernes may play an important part in Australia’s agricultural industries in the future. Getting a full understanding of such technologies which are available during their early development is critical.
 

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Last updated: August 2006
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