Cultivar Releases

Sericea Lespedeza:

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‘AU Grazer’, released in 1997, is the first sericea lespedeza cultivar tolerant to grazing. This cultivar has higher survival and more vigor under grazing conditions than other sericea lespedeza cultivars. Stems are fine and pliable.

‘AU Donnelly’, a cultivar of low-tannin sericea lespedeza was released in 1987. AU Donnelly has more early spring growth and is higher yielding throughout the season than AU Lotan, the only other low-tannin cultivar available to farmers. AU Donnelly averages 6% higher in digestible dry matter and 10% higher in crude protein than AU Lotan at the hay stage. Tannin content is about the same in AU Donnelly as in AU Lotan.

Older cultivars released:

• Serala

• Serala76

• Interstate

• Interstate76

• AU Lotan

 

Hairy Vetch:

‘AU Merit’, released in 1999, is a hairy vetch cultivar that, on the average, has a forage yield 4-12% higher than common hairy vetch and flowers 7-13 days earlier than the common type.

‘AU EarlyCover’, is the only early flowering hairy vetch cultivar commercially available. It was released in cooperation with Mr. Charles M. Owsley and Mr. Malcolm Kirkland, USDA-NRCS, in 1994.

Cooperated in the release of the hairy vetch cultivar ‘Americus’ by the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-Soil Conservation Service in 1993.

 

Crimson Clover:

‘AU Sunrise’, released in 1997, is the earliest maturing crimson clover cultivar in the market. It was selected and released in cooperation with Mr. Charles M. Owsley and Mr. Malcolm Kirkland, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, formerly known as Soil Conservation Service.

 

Caley Pea:

‘AU GroundCover’, is the only caley pea (Lathyrus hirsutus) cultivar available in the market. It was released in cooperation with Mr. Charles M. Owsley and Mr. Malcolm Kirkland, USDA-NRCS, in 1994.

 

White Clover:

Older cultivars released:

• Regal

 

Common Vetch:

Older cultivars released:

• AU Olympic, common vetch (Vicia sativa L.), was released in 2003 by Auburn University and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. It is resistant to root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne arenaria) and soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines). Testing at Brewton, Tallassee, and Winfield, AL, in the seasons 1998-99 and 2002-02 showed that forage dry matter yield of AU Olympic was consistently higher than Cahaba White. In 1999, the forage dry matter yield of AU Olympic was 21 percent higher than Cahaba, and in 2002, 12.8 percent higher. It flowers on the average about the same time as Cahaba white.

• Cahaba white

• Vantage

• Vanguard

• Nova II