Adaptation of Australian self-reseeding forage legumes to three environments of Sardinia.

The important role of annual self-reseeding legumes is well known and their use in livestock systems is consistent with low input agriculture trend. Australian commercial varieties of self-reseeding legumes mainly derive from Mediterranean basin germplasm. They have been selected for environmental conditions of southern Australia where they are cultivated. Each year a large amount of seed of Australian varieties is imported to southern Europe. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate their adaptation and yield capacity to local environmental conditions. A two years trial was performed in three Sardinian sites with different pedoclimatic characteristics, with the aim to compare the agronomic performances of Australian self-reseeding legume varieties belonging to Biserrula, Ornithopus, Medicago and Trifolium genera. Earliness of flowering, forage yield and variety persistence in the second year were evaluated. Varieties of Trifolium spp. had the best productive performances, coupled with the highest persistence in subterranean clovers. Varieties of Biserrula and Ornithopus spp. proved to be not well adapted to the three sites and showed low herbage mass production.