Freyr Sunn Hemp

Soil Health, Nutrition and Productivity

Freyr Sunn Hemp fits into a sound soil health program, through impacting three key elements of a healthy soil: biology, structure and chemistry.

Agronomic information – Sunn hemp Crotalaria juncea

Sowing time/conditions

Summer sowing – needs warm soil to grow well. Germ Temp 14 degrees, however, warmer soil improves results
Soil ph (CaCl) 5 – 7.5
Very heat tolerant but needs plenty of water to thrive.
Legume – use Type I Rhizobium inoculant (same as cowpeas).

Sowing rate: 10-20 kg/ha, higher rate if weed control important. Medium seed size.

Sowing depth: 2cm

Termination: 45-60 days after sowing (early-mid flowering or before) while stems are still tender. Herbicide or mechanical termination. Mulch or mow before incorporation.

General comments:

– Doesn’t set seed so no volunteering problems in following crops.
– Not a host of root knot nematodes.
– Good in a mixed planting with sorghum.

Resources

Find below a list of resources to help growers learn about Sunn Hemp, please note that information is shared to try and enhance knowledge for Sunn Hemp growers and has not been created or vetted by AGF Seeds.

AgriFutures Australias Sunn Hemp Strategic RD&E Plan (2022-2027)

An industry overview undertaken by Agrifutures Australia it provides an overvew of the industry and has some important information about the use cases, growing information and performance characteristics of sunn hemp

Click here