Browse Varieties
Parabinga
Parabinga (Medicago truncatula) was selected as a superior replacement for Cyprus and demonstrates a semi-erect growth habit. Its main attributes are increased pod size, better persistence in drier, more marginal rainfall zones, and improved resistance to aphids compared to Cyprus or Harbinger. Parabinga will provide good herbage production and pest resistance for low to medium rainfall areas with alkaline soils. It will provide an effective disease break, while providing high quality feed for either hay or grazing purposes and is able to fix nitrogen, which is valuable for subsequent crop rotations. Barrel Medics are better suited to permanent pastures than Snail Medics, and have a very high level of hard seed. This ensures good persistence even through cropping phases of a rotation.
- Name: Parabinga
- Category: Medics
- Rainfall: 250–400mm
- pH: 5.7–8.5
- Maturity: Parabinga demonstrates early maturity, flowering approximately 88 days after sowing. This makes Parabinga one week later than Caliph and 10 days earlier than Paraggio and Jester Barrel Medics
- Soil Type: Parabinga is suited to a wide range of soil types from sandy loams to clay loams
- Sowing Rate: 4-10 kg/ha (Pure) 1-4 kg/ha (Mixes)
- Pest Resistance: Parabinga has moderate resistance to Blue-Green Aphid (Acyrthosiphon kondoi) and low resistance to Spotted Alfalfa Aphid (Therioaphis trifolii), but is susceptible to Cow Pea Aphid (Aphis craccivora). Like most other Medics, Parabinga is susceptible to Red Legged Earth Mite (Halotydens destructor), Lucerne Flea (Sminthurus virdis), Sitona Weevil (Sitona discoidea), and potentially Root Lesion Nematode (Pratylenchus neglectus). Appropriate control prior to sowing or soon after germination of these insects is required for successful establishment.
- Features:
- Early maturing – 88 days to flower
- Very high levels of hard seed
- Moderately resistant to Blue-Green Aphid
- Low resistance to Spotted Alfalfa Aphid
- Disease Resistance/Tolerance:
Parabinga is generally free of foliar diseases but can occasionally be affected by Black Stem Fungus (Phoma spp.) in under-grazed lush stands. Parabinga, as with other Medics, suffers from Rhizoctonia (Rhizoctonia solani).
- Variety Management/Agronomy:
Parabinga demonstrates high levels of hard seed (80–90%) and is able to regenerate well in the year after seed set or after a cropping phase. This allows Parabinga to build up a good reserve of seed in the soil over time, thus enhancing persistence, particularly in cereal rotations. The levels of hard seed in the soil will soften over a 5–10 year period, which is an extremely important characteristic of Medic’s ability to survive over a long period of time in marginal rainfall districts. However, this can limit the level of germination in the year after first sowing as little of the hard seed has sufficient time to break down.
Grazing
During establishment, defer grazing until plants are well established, lightly graze prior to flowering and then remove stock to allow seed set. Summer grazing needs to be managed carefully in the first year, as over grazing will reduce future regeneration.