Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
March 14, 2002

Medic – a legume popular in Australia – may help Prairie cereal farmers boost protein while reducing input costs.

A new three-year study at the University of Manitoba will investigate these and other benefits of incorporating medic plants into prairie crop rotations, says lead researcher Dr. Martin Entz. This research is supported in part by the Endowment Fund, administered by Western Grains Research Foundation.

“Self-seeding cover crops such as medic offer a flexible, low risk, home-grown way to improve farm productivity,” says Entz. In addition to the crop’s nitrogen-fixing benefits, the study will investigate medic’s potential to stabilize soil salinity, reduce excess water problems, control volunteers and post-harvest weeds, and allow for late-season grazing.

Medic and other legumes represent untapped potential for farmers to improve their bottom line, says Entz. Approximately 10 million acres in the Prairie region can support significant legume plant growth during, and especially after grain crop harvest. And adoption of no-till has increased the late-season soil water supply.

Four years of previous research in Manitoba has shown that cover crops in continuous grain systems consistently reduce the need for nitrogen (N) fertilizer by 10 to 65 lbs./acre/year, says Entz. Assuming an N fertilizer cost of $0.25 to $0.30 a pound, this could mean a value of millions annually for prairie farmers in the black soil zone.

Medic is a self-regenerating, low-growing legume that farmers can underseed to wheat and other cereals. In the new study, researchers will examine its performance in a winter wheat-oat-flax rotation.

The crop easily establishes in flax, and can flower and produce seed within 35 days of emergence, says Entz. Seed does not have to be produced each year, as one seed production can last up to three years. “Medic regenerates from the soil seedbank throughout the cropping season. The spring medic flush is killed with pre-seeding burn-off or tillage, while the in-crop flush is killed with in-crop broadleaf herbicide. The June flush is maintained and forms the basis for fall growth and seed production.”

In one component of the research, scientists will evaluate 36 lines of self-seeding medics and subterranean clovers, to identify the best performers.

Although medic is relatively new to the prairies, it is widely used as a cover crop in over 10 million acres in southern Australia, says Entz. “By documenting medic’s benefits, we can help Canadian producers make an informed decision about using these plants to improve grain production economics.”

Western Grains Research Foundation’s Endowment Fund has contributed over $17 million to nearly 200 crop research projects in Western Canada since its inception in 1983.