Red | Sunn Hemp

Key features
• Rapid growth and relatively short growing season requirement
• It grows best on well-drained soils with a pH from 5 to 7.5
• Used as a cover crop, sunn hemp can improve soil properties, reduce soil erosion, conserve soil water, and recycle nutrients
• Suited to the warm summer rainfall areas (or irrigation)
• Plant as soon as soil temperatures are higher than 16°C (October – November)

Sunn Hemp
Sunn hemp is an annual cover crop that can increase organic matter, fix nitrogen, grows in low fertility sandy soils, and does not harbor nematodes. It has been used extensively as a soil improvement or green manure crop in the tropics because of its ability to produce large amounts of biomass in as little as 60 to 90 days. Because of this, it has the potential to build organic matter levels and sequester carbon in a short period of time.

Legumes
Legumes drive pasture production by producing nitrogen. They must be carefully inoculated to ensure success. Adequate pasture nutrition is important for maintaining the dominance of improved species in a pasture. Nitrogen is one of the most important elements of pasture nutrition. Protein levels and the digestibility of pastures are improved by legumes, resulting in improved livestock performance.