Seeds (Medicago sativa) – 1 g

This improved Saudi berseem clover is the legume that built Egypt's winter forage tradition. The lush, upright stand carries soft green foliage topped in late spring to early summer with round white to yellowish-white flower heads, a little later than crimson clover. It is largely self-pollinated yet richly attractive to honeybees, so it doubles as a nectar source. Multi-cut by nature, it rewards you with tender, high-quality regrowth cut after cut, making it the go-to choice for fresh fodder and quality hay across the Delta.

Planting

Sow shallow: broadcast or drill no deeper than 10 mm, with the USDA guide suggesting around 6 mm, since deep sowing sharply cuts emergence. Roll the soil before and after sowing for firm seed-to-soil contact. Plant into warm soil at a constant minimum near 7 degrees C; germination is rapid, around 7 days with steady moisture. Broadcast at roughly 1.5 g per square metre, or about 9-16 kg per hectare when drilled. In Egypt, sow late September to October in the Delta for the best stands and seed yield, extending into November where needed; avoid summer sowing.

Fertilizing

Inoculate the seed with Rhizobium trifolii so the crop fixes its own nitrogen, supplying roughly 110-220 kg N per hectare. Avoid nitrogen fertilizer, which suppresses nodulation and fixation. Keep soil pH above 6.0, ideally 6.5-7.5, liming acidic ground, and feed generous phosphorus and potassium guided by a soil test; boron may help on sandy or low-CCE soils.

Care

Berseem demands full sun and steady soil moisture, performing poorly when dry; under irrigated fodder roughly 10-15 irrigations per season, about weekly early on, are typical. Take the first cut about 50-60 days after sowing, then re-cut every 30-40 days, leaving stubble and selecting low-growing-point types for repeated cutting. Watch for aphids, mites and Lygus bugs, plus stem and root rots; this cool-season annual is killed by hard frost below about -4 degrees C.