Michel Belair - Seed Technology

High yields of premium pasture and bloat free forage. Excellent frost tolerance.

MEMPHIS is a new disease resistant, frost tolerant, high-yielding, multicut/multigraze, non-bloating Berseem Annual Clover bred for soil structure improvement and high forage/pasture productivity.

Performance BenchmarkRating of Memphis
Establishment and growthHigh
Autumn/winter seedling growthHigh
Frost toleranceHigh
Adaptation to subtropical areasHigh
Adaptation to temperate/ Mediterranean areasHigh
Leaf disease resistanceHigh
Redlegged and blue oat mite toleranceHigh
Forage production potentialHigh
UtilisationHigh
Suitability for soil structure improvementHigh
Multicut/multigraze capacityHigh
Recovery after cutting/grazingHigh
PalatabilityHigh
Bloat free statusHigh
Compatibility with Italian ryegrassHigh

Disease and mite tolerance

MEMPHIS has high seedling growth, mite tolerance, winter vigour and excellent disease resistance to support high yields of premium pasture and forage. Above; Tall, disease free mite tolerant stand. Below; mature disease free high quality forage crop.

Bloat free forage

Soil structure improvement

The strong taproot development of MEMPHIS is superior to shallow fibrous roots for improving soil structure at depth in highly compacted soils, particularly in cotton field hardpans.

Above; Memphis taproots.

Excellent frost tolerance

The high frost tolerance of MEMPHIS protects winter and spring growth in intensely frost prone inland, tableland and slope areas.

Above; A mature Memphis stand unaffected by frosts to -11°C, Inverell, NSW

Multicut/multigraze capacity

MEMPHIS has a very strong capacity for rapid stem initiation and regrowth after cutting or grazing.

Above; A Memphis plant from Murgon, Qld which has been grazed four times, demonstrating sequential shoot initiation ( ) from nodes on defoliated stems.

Establishment from broadcast seed

In the Northern Tablelands of NSW MEMPHIS has successfully established germinating rain after seed has been broadcast in summer or winter.

Above: Memphis established on the Northern Tablelands, NSW.

Green-manuring and soil infultration improvement

Above; Memphis established from seed broadcast in January 2006. Photo March 2006

Establishment from fallen seedheads

Left; Memphis germinating pods from one seedhead. March 2006

Right; Re-establishing Memphis in grassland summer/autumn 2006 Inverell.

Green-manuring and soil infultration improvement

Broadcast MEMPHIS is an excellent green manure establishing from seed broadcast into autumn stubbles following summer crops (cotton, sorghum, corn). It has the additional benefit of improving soil infiltration from it’s tap-root penetration.

Above; Seeding Memphis established after cotton rebedding Murgon 2004.

Memphis is protected by Plant Breeder's Rights. Any unauthorised commercial propagation or any sale, conditioning, export, import or stocking of propagating material of this variety is an infringement under the Plant Breeder's Rights Act, 1994.