SUNN HEMP AGF SEEDS PER KG

AGF Freyr Sunn Hemp

FreYR Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria juncea) is a fast-growing annual tropical legume suited to summer production. AGF Seeds promotes it for soil health, nitrogen fixation, cover cropping, grazing and forage production. It produces biomass rapidly in warm conditions and has good weed-suppression potential.

Key characteristics

• Type: Annual summer legume
• Growth: Very rapid under warm conditions with adequate moisture
• Soil: Adapted to a wide range of soils; preferred pH (CaCl2) 5.0–7.5
• Temperature: Germination from around 14°C, but warmer soil gives much faster establishment
• Nitrogen: Fixes atmospheric nitrogen and is useful in rotations and cover-crop systems
• Root system: Strong taproot and branching roots, contributing to soil structure and biological activity
• Weed control: Rapid canopy development provides strong competition against weeds
• Grazing: Can be grazed through to flowering
• Termination: Generally 45–60 days after sowing, around early flowering or before stems become too fibrous.

AGF planting rate

For AGF Freyr Sunn Hemp, the recommended sowing rate is:

AGF specifically recommends 10–20 kg/ha, with the higher rate where weed control is a priority. Sow at approximately 2 cm depth and inoculate with Type I Rhizobium, the same inoculant group used for cowpeas.

Practical starting point: For a good-quality seedbed with adequate moisture, 15 kg/ha is a sensible middle rate. If the crop is being used primarily for rapid ground cover/weed suppression, move toward 20 kg/ha.

There are other sunn hemp recommendations in Australia that use substantially higher rates, particularly for conventional forage/green-manure production, so the 10–20 kg/ha figure above is specifically the current AGF Freyr recommendation, rather than a universal sunn-hemp rate.