A shade tolerant grazing legume with high palatability

Cardillo centro is a tropical perennial legume, with trailing-climbing-twining characteristics with a strong taproot system. Cardillo centro can be used in a grazing system or as a stand-alone sward for a legume protein bank. Rotationally graze for high quality, palatable feed that responds well to fertiliser. As Cardillo centro roots at the nodes it will provide strong ground cover under appropriate soil moisture conditions. 

Cardillo centro completes most if its growth during the warm season. This adaptable plant will grow in coastal tropical regions and cooler elevated Tableland conditions (growth from sea level to 1600m)

Pasture seed sowing rate (sole): 4-6kg/ha
Pasture seed sowing rate (mixed): 1-4kg/ha

Soil

Cardillo centro will grow on a wide range of soil types including well-drained soils and clay soils of medium to high fertility.  Cardillo displays minor adaption to acidic soils that are lower fertility with a pH of 5-6.5.

Sowing and establishment

Cardillo centro, although slow to establish, will form a pure stand 4‒8 months after sowing with groundcover that is 40‒50cm thick. To achieve this, ensure good soil preparation and appropriate moisture conditions. It can be established through full cultivation or broadcast sowing. When broadcast sowing, increase establishment success by ensuring sowing rates are increased and avoid placing the seed too deep.

Cardillo centro pasture seed should be sown at rates of 4-6kg /ha as a sole pasture and 1-4kg/ha in a mixed sward. In a Signal grass pasture, aim to have 1-3 established plants per m² for optimal results. 

When sown with correct rhizobia strains the potential nitrogen fixed per hectare can range from 70‒280 kg/ha/year within a mixed pasture sward. Identify and fix nutrient deficiencies by conducting a soil test prior to sowing. As a legume, Cardillo centro is sensitive to phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and molybdenum deficiencies. 

In nutrient deficient soils, an application at sowing of 10‒20 kg P/ha is recommended (50-100kg/ha DAP) and other nutrients as indicated by soil analysis.

Cardillo centro commonly produces between 12tDM/ha in a pure sward and 1-3tDM/ha/year in a mixed pasture. For optimal results in the humid tropics, mix with grasses It can persist under good grazing and fertiliser management. High nutritive values are possible and can range between 17-26% crude protein, commonly producing between 12tDM/ha and 1-3t/ha/year in a mixed pasture. For optimal results in the humid tropics, mix with grasses in a rotationally grazed system.

Grazing management

Cardillo centro can be sensitive to overstocking and will struggle to persist if over stocked or set stocked for long periods of time due to its high palatability. It is recommended to rotationally graze Cardillo centro. 

Animal production

When mixed with grasses, 260‒600 kg/ha/year liveweight gain (LWG) is reported in the humid tropics of Australia. With potential daily LWG of 400‒600 g/animal under proper grazing management; carrying capacity in the humid tropics can be 900‒1,000 kg LW/ha.

Envirogro Seed Treatment

The Envirogro^® seed treatment process is now a tailored seed treatment offering to aid in the establishment and productivity of tropical and subtropical seed varieties. Envirogro is a species-dependent, tailored process that produces the highest quality tropical and subtropical seed through improved seed cleaning, seed dehulling/scarification (where the species requires it) and a customised coating process to improve live seed numbers per hectare.

Envirogro benefits
• Improves seed flowability and ballistic properties
• Improves seed quality and purity for a higher return on investment
• Produces a clean, uniform seed
• Removes weed seed, waste material and contaminants
• Increases bare seed counts through improved cleaning
• Coated with insecticide, polymer and talc/lime (no Rhizobia inoculant applied to tropical legumes)