C.J. PENTNEY, P.C. WHITEMAN and S. SIVASUPIRAMANIAM

Department of Agriculture, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld. AUSTRALIA 4067

Abstract

Vigna parkeri is a prostrate herbaceous legume, producing many stolons which root readily at the nodes. It has shown promise in grazed swards and may have a role in pastures in the higher rainfall coastal zone of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. There is no registered cultivar. The V. parkeri accessions used in this study flowered in May–July, and the pods tended to shatter. It has up to 96% hard seed content, which does not change after 3 years laboratory storage. After scarification, with acid or by mechanical abrasion, good germination to 82% is achieved. Optimum temperature for germination was 25°C, and germination was delayed at temperatures above 27°C, and markedly reduced at temperatures above 35°C. There was little reduction in germination at temperatures between 12.5 and 25°C. V. parkeri formed nodules with a wide range of strains of Rhizobium. Eleven of 19 strains tested supported plant dry weight yields equal to or above 70% of that of a N control.