Volga was bred as a high yielding variety for low and mid rainfall areas. It is particularly suited to shorter season areas where the growing season finishes sharply. Volga has good initial establishment, is rust resistant, and earlier flowering and maturing than Blanchefleur and Rasina. Vetch flowering and maturity is ‘parallel’ with development of nodules for nitrogen fixation. Earlier maturing equates to earlier nodule development.
Key Features
- Earlier in maturity by 7-12 days than Rasina (from seeding to full flowering 90-100 days)
- Soft seeded
- Moderately resistant to ascochyta blight
- Higher yielding in both grain and hay than current varieties in <380mm rainfall
Benefits of sowing Volga
- High yielding, highly rust resistant common vetch variety
- Very good early establishment
- Improve the economic return in crop rotations in low to mid rainfall areas
- Less volunteer plants in following year due to soft seedness
- Nitrogen fixation improves soil fertility for following years crop
Performance
Volga has high grain and herbage yields and is well adapted to shorter season areas as well as similar areas to where Rasina vetch is currently grown. Volga has bigger seeds and also improved digestibility than Rasina.