Fenugreek

Annual herbaceous forage/aromatic/medicinal legume plant suitable for catch crops and green manure

•    Good pre-crop
•    Suitable for growing before cereals, potatoes, corn, sorghum, sunflower, hemp, flax, soya
•    An excellent companion for canola
•    Tolerates drought, high temperature
•    Vegetation period – 3.5-4 months (105-140 days until seed maturity)
•    Grass grows in 30-40 days
•    The grass is harvested once
•    Plant height – 30-60 cm
•    Leaves – trifoliate, similar to clover, ovate, with slightly cut edges
•    Flowers – small, light yellow to purple
•    Pods – long (7-15 cm), each pod contains 10-20 seeds
•    Seeds – irregular rectangular shape
•    The seeds are 4-6 mm long and 2-3 mm wide
•    The colour of the seed coat varies from yellowish to greenish-brown
•    Weight of 1000 seeds – 15-22 g
•    Possible seed yields – 1500 (150-2800) kg/ha
•    The low weight of 1000 seeds allows the use of a low seeding rate
•    Protein content in seeds – 36 %
•    Fat content in seeds – 6 %
•    Seeds are low in starch or sugar but high in dietary fiber


•    Valuable plant for catch crops
•    Easily integrated into mixes
•    Sown as early as possible when growing for green manure, immediately after harvesting the main plants
•    Helps conserve soil and reduce exposure to soil-borne pathogens
•    Biomass yield – 2 points (out of 4)
•    Installation speed – 4 points (out of 4)
•    Soil coverage – 2 points (out of 4)
•    Weed suppression – 2 points (out of 4)
•    Cold tolerance – 1 point (out of 4)
•    Drought resistance – 4 points (out of 4)
•    Improvement of soil structure – 3 points (out of 4)
•    Nitrogen fixation – 3 points (out of 4)
•    Accumulate about 100 kg/ha of nitrogen in the soil


•    Used in the pharmaceutical, nutritional and functional food industries, for production of spices
•    Has a specific aroma
•    Nitrogen fixer for natural soil replenishment
•    Reduces the impact of soil-borne pathogens
•    Can be fed to livestock, used for making hay or silage
•    Protein content in feed – 16-18 %
•    After flowering, fenugreek maintains good quality, so it can be harvested for a long time
•    The strong smell can temporarily deter animals from eating
•    Young fresh leaves have a specific bitter taste
•    Dried leaves – sweet, hay-smelling
•    Fenugreek contains animal growth promoters not found in other forage legumes and can reduce the use of artificial growth stimulants

•    Recommended for agricultural production in arid and semi-arid areas
•    It is advisable to inoculate seed with Rhizobia bacteria
•    Likes a sunny location, well-drained soil
•    Optimal pH 5.3-8.2
•    The seeds are sown in rows in May
•    Germinates at a temperature of 10-12 ºC
•    Fenugreek grows best at a temperature of 20-25 ºC
•    The optimal temperature for growth is 18-27 °C
•    These plants like moisture, while they are small, before flowering
•    In the second half of the growing season, when the seeds are forming, less moisture is needed

The varietal parameters may differ from those indicated here when the testing circumstances differ from quondam