Seed harvesting, processing and cleaning of serradella

Page last updated: Monday, 17 October 2022 - 12:07pm

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Harvesting yellow serradella

Grain harvesters can be used successfully to collect the pods of hard seeded yellow serradella, but the harvesting machine requires different settings than for French serradella. The pod also requires further treatment as the seed left inside the pod is hard seeded and will have germination rates of less than 10%. Yellow serradella must be dehulled and scarified in order to obtain the highly germinable seed that is best suited for normal pasture establishment. Charano, Santorini and Yelbini are favoured for pod collection with a grain harvester. They also have pods that are easier to dehull.

Harvesting yellow serradella pod
Harvesting yellow serradella pod

Setting up the grain harvester

When harvesting yellow serradella, the drum needs to be running at high rpm and the concave gap set as close as possible in order to break up the whole pods into smaller segments. Yellow serradella pods do not flow freely and can be difficult to auger. Before starting, lower the cover plates on the floor auger in the grain tank and empty the grain tank when about one-third full. The fitting of de-awning plates (as for barley) will help to break the pods into small segments. It is unlikely that more than 10% of seeds will be removed from the pods during the harvesting process. The harvested sample should be as clean as possible to assist in the dehulling process.

Treating yellow serradella pods

The harvested sample should be cleaned to separate any free seed and remove foreign weeds. Dehulling the cleaned pods can then produce additional seed. Any residual pods that still contain seeds should be retained because they will have higher germination levels than untreated pods (usually between 20-50%). These pod segments, called 'germination enhanced pod', can then be sown at a sufficient rate (dependant on germination percentage) to ensure a successful pasture establishment. Any residual hard seed will germinate over following seasons.

Yellow serradella seed and pod
Yellow serradella seed and pod

Yellow serradella harvest checklist

  • Harvest as soon as vines are dry.
  • Desiccate green weeds before harvest.
  • Finger-reel open fronts work best.
  • Crop lifters are recommended, fitted 30cm apart.
  • Set drum speed at maximum rpm.
  • Set drum concave gap as close as possible.
  • Harvest in warm to hot conditions.
  • Pods are difficult to auger.
  • Empty grain tank regularly.
  • Seed needs to be dehulled and scarified to increase germination.

Selling serradella seed

The serradella cultivars Eliza, Cadiz, Margurita and Yelbini are protected under the Plant Breeders Rights Act 1994. Under the Act there is no restriction on producing seed for personal use but only a licensed marketer can sell or trade seed and royalties apply.

Acknowledgments

The Grains Research and Development Corporation and Australian Wool Innovation contributed to this research through the National Annual Pasture Legume Improvement Program. Also the contributions from farmers who passed on their experiences are greatly appreciated.

Contact information

+61 (0)8 9368 3907