Astragalus cicer L.

Symbol: 
ASCI4
Group: 
Dicot
Family: 
Fabaceae
Description: 

Herbaceous, perennial legume with an upright growth habit, spreading by rhizomes. Well adapted to the intermountain west, northern Great Plains, and northwestern part of the corn belt. Used primarily for pasture and soil conservation in combination with cool-season grasses, but is sometimes harvested for hay. Performs well in a wide range of soils but best on moderately coarse soils.

Identification Characteristics

Type: 
Legume

Climate and Soil Suitability Zones

Climate Tolerances: 

Suitable to the intermountain west and north-central Great Plains. [Winter hardy through USDA Plant Hardiness zone 3a; Jan mean minimum of -40 °F, -40 °C); American Horticultural Society Heat Zones 1-6 (<60 days above 86 ˚F (30 C)].  

Requires 18-35 inches (460 -890 mm) of precipitation or irrigation.  

Soil Tolerances: 

Tolerant of strongly acid to moderately alkaline soils (pH 5.1-8.4). Suited to all drainage classes except very poorly drained. Moderately tolerant of saline conditions (3-6 dS/m). Intolerant of water soluble aluminum (persistence reduced at 0.5 ppm Al3+ and pH 4.2).

Cultivars

‘HiPal’, a 16-clone synthetic released by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station in 2001; ‘Lutana’, released in 1970 cooperatively by the Bridger, Montana Plant Materials Center, the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station. ‘Monarch’, a 40-clone synthetic cultivar with improved seedling emergence over 

Lutana; ‘Windsor’ is a 15 clone-synthetic released by the USDA-ARS, the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station and the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station in 1993; ‘AC Oxley II’ a synthetic cultivar developed by the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre released in 2001.  

Quality and Antiquality Factors

Quality Factors: 

Protein levels equal or exceed other legumes. High leaf to stem ratio. Retains leaves during drying and baling. Non-bloating legume. 

Anti-quality Factors: 

Not as palatable to grazing heifers and sheep as alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, red clover, or sainfoin. Photosensitivity has been observed in grazing livestock. 

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