Haifa White Clover

Haifa is more stoloniferous and produces a denser pasture than Ladino types. Haifa has been consistently superior to other cultivars in a sub tropical environment because of good heat tolerance, persistency and seeding ability. It appears to be adapted to comparatively lower rainfall and lower fertility soils than other cultivars, with good growth and nutritive feed values when used for forage grazing, hay or silage.

Highly persistent and heat tolerant
Large Dense leaves
High stolon density

Seed agronomy table

Min Rainfall	700
Seeding Rate	Kg/Ha
Dryland	3-4
High Rainfall / Irrigation	5-8

Enterprises for this Seed

Sheep
Beef Cattle
Horse
Hay & Silage

Strengths

High nutritive value and year round growth.
Well adapted to grazing.
Some Australian cultivars have relatively high heat tolerance.

Limitations

Vigour limited by viral diseases.
Low tolerance to summer moisture stress.

Plant Description

Plant: rhizomatous, prostrate perennial with stolons from crown rooting at nodes. Some stolons may be buried.

Stems: smooth, hairless. Stipules short, needle-point on bluntish end. Spherical seed head.

Leaves: trifoliate, leaflets oval or heart shape may have light crescent mark on upper side. Smooth, hairless.

Flowers: 30-40 white/seed head; dense clusters on long stalk; globe shaped to 2.5 cm diameter; pale pink/white, fade to brown.

Pods: small, oblong pods containing 3-4 seeds.

Seeds: brown/yellow; egg/heart-shape; ~1.6 million/kg.

Pasture type and use

Most productive perennial for high rainfall/irrigated pasture; can maintain presence through ability to recruit seedlings. Vigorous growth in spring/summer can facilitate considerable nitrogen fixation by dominant stands.

Where it grows

Rainfall: > 700 mm

Soils: Suited to a wide range of soil pH > 4.5; optimum 5.3. Tolerates low exchangeable aluminium and poorly drained soils. Well suited to peaty soil.

Temperature: Cold and frost tolerant. Optimum range, 18-30ÁC.

Establishment

Companion species Grasses: most temperate and subtropical spp. including perennial ryegrass, phalaris, tall fescue, kikuyu, paspalum, Rhodes grass and Setaria.

Legumes: strawberry clover, red clover and sub. clovers

Herbs: plantain, chicory.

Sowing/planting rates as single species: 3-8 kg/ha; sow at 5-15 mm into a clean, finely worked seed bed and roll. *ensure seed is Goldstrike treated.

Sowing/planting rates in mixtures: 0.5-2 kg/ha. *ensure seed is Goldstrike treated.

Sowing time: Autumn or spring.

Inoculation: Goldstrike Treated. The use of Goldstrike XLR8 seed treatment is recommended to reduce damage from insects at seedling stages.

Fertiliser: Correct any nutrient deficiencies, especially K, P, Mo, S, Cu, B.

Management

Maintenance fertiliser: For optimum growth Olsen soil P > 15.

Grazing/cutting: Very suitable for silage/hay. Excellent cattle pasture. Can be grazed hard but is susceptible to sustained heavy grazing by sheep in dry conditions; densely stoloniferous but varies with cultivars, small leaved cultivars are less susceptible.

Ability to spread: Recruits seedlings well; cattle effectively spread seed via dung.

Weed potential: Moderate on disturbed land free of competitive species only. Prolific seed set and some hard seed dispersed by livestock.

Major pests: Red legged earth mite, lucerne flea, corbies, cockchafers, webworm, nematodes, cutworms, budworms, reticulated slug.

Major diseases: Fungal: Clover rot (Sclerotinia trifoliorum) Wart disease (Physoderma trifolii)

Viral: Alfalfa Mosaic Virus, White Clover Mosaic Virus, Clover Yellow Vein Virus.

Mycoplasma: Phyllody.

Herbicide susceptibility: A wide range of weeds may be encountered. When choosing selective herbicides, consider the stage of growth of the white clover and what non-target companion species are present.

Animal production

Feeding value: High; nutritive value decline with maturity is considerably less than for most other species.

Palatability: Highly palatable.

Production potential: Good autumn and spring/early summer vigour; good winter active cvv are available for districts (e.g. coastal) with milder winter.

Livestock disorders/toxicity: High bloat risk if dominant in spring. May contain cyanogenic glucoside compounds; the concentration is rarely sufficient to be significant.

International Contact

For international enquiries please contact
Sean Coffey
International Business Manager
+61 4 2865 2226
sean.coffey@pasturegenetics.com