Gama Medic (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

Medicago rugosa Desrousseaux (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paragosa,' 'Paraponto,' 'Sapo' (Weitkamp and Graves, 1988).

There are one or two seeds per bur; these burrs are large (3 to 4.5 mm long and 2 to 3 mm broad); there are about 55,500 seeds per kg. (Quinlivan et al., 1986).

'Paragosa' seed are dark yellow, curved to almost hooked, one per coil, and sides of the seed are comparatively rounded. There are abpit 160,000 per kg (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paragosa' is reputed to be relatively soft seeded and to have a higher number of seed to pod than barrel medic (Quinlivan et al., 1986).

'Paraponto' seed are dark yellow, curved to almost hooded, one per coil in the inner coils of the burr. There are about 80,000 per kg. This variety is relatively large seeded (12.5 mg per seed) (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Sapo' seeds are slightly larger than 'Paragosa', but smaller than 'Paraponto', with about 125,000 to 140,000 per kg (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

All vegetative parts have dense hairs, including single-celled and glandular hairs. The latter have long stalks with globular heads. The upper surfaces of the leaflets are hairless, the lower surfaces densely haired. The upper or inner surface of the stipule is hairless and the lower side hairy. Three to five flowers occur per inflorescence, all on the same side of the flower stalk. The flower stalk is shorter than the stalk of the corresponding leaf. The discoid pods have three or four anticlockwise coils and are soft at maturity. The coils are not strongly pressed together and are covered with simple and glandular hairs. Coils are concave or lozenge-shaped and, around the outer margins, the radiating veins on the coil surface are raised and distinct (Quinlivan et al., 1986).

'Paragosa' is an ascending or procumbent, freely branching, self- pollinating annual. The leaflets are obovate, 1-1.5 cm long, 3/4 to 1 cm wide, terminating in a small tooth; they are glabrous on upper surface with small glandular hairs on lower surface, and upper third of leaflet usually serrated, sometimes deeply serrated. Stipule markedly toothed and open. Peduncle are with 2-5 flowers which are shorter than the subtending petiole, yellow, and small. Pods are flat, disc-shaped, 7-10 mm in diameter with conspicuous radiating veins, spineless with anti-clockwise whorls, usually two-seeded, rarely three or four (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paraponto' is an erect, sparsely branched, self-pollinating herb that becomes lax with growth. The leaflets are prominently purple flecked, obovate, 2-2.5 cm long, 1-1.25 cm wide, terminating in a small tooth; they are glabrous on the upper surface, densely covered with small glandular hairs on the lower surface, and upper third of the leaflets being deeply serrate. Leaf area rating 16-18 at the fifth to eight node. Stipule prominent and toothed. Peduncle shorter than the subtending petiole, usually supporting four florets. Flowers are small and bright yellow. Pods are flat, disc shaped 8-10 mm in diameter with prominent radiating veins, spineless with 3.5-4 anti-clockwise whorls, usually two-seeded (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Sapo' has a greater number of primary branches than cvv. `Paragosa' and `Paraponto', internode length being intermediate. The stems are green like those of cv. `Paraponto.` The leaflets lack purple flecks, and the stipules are more densely hairy than `Paragosa` and `Paraponto.` Calyx are hairier than `Paragosa` and about equal to `Paraponto.` Flowers pale yellow, small, corolla striped like `Paragosa,` unlike `Paraponto.' The pod has 4-4.5 anticlockwise, spineless coils (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paraponto' is well adapted to Mediterranean-type environment. Native distribution extends throughout the Mediterranean basin (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

Minimal mean rainfall requirements are as follows: 'Paragosa': 350 mm;'Paraponto': 300 mm; 'Sapo': 350 mm (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paragosa' produces biomass best on heavy alkaline soils (Mackay and Barnard, 1981). 'Sapo' has similar soil requirements to `Paragosa' (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

Gama medic is more exacting in its rhizobial requirements than barrel and strand medics, according to Mackay and Barnard (1981). Rhizobium strains WA16/1, CC131, and W118 are effective. A peat culture containing the last strain is commercially available. Strains U45 and SU47 form nodules but do not fix nitrogen.

'Sapo' has nodulated effectively with naturalized strains of rhizobia at all test sites in South Australia having alkaline, heavy textured soils (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

Days to flowering (following germination) are as follows 'Paragosa': 110; 'Paraponto': 100; 'Sapo': 106 (Weitkamp and Graves, 1988).

According to Mackay and Barnard (1981), 'Paragosa' flowers occurs earlier than 'Hannaford' barrel medic or snail medic (M. scutellata). 'Paraponto' flowers two weeks earlier than cv. `Paragosa'; 'Sapo' flowers about 1-4 days later than 'Paragosa' and continues up to 5 days later.

'Paragosa' requires a growing season of at least 5 months, 'Paraponto,' at least a 4 1/2 months; for 'Sapo,' the last pods mature about 7 days later than 'Paragosa' and 9 days later than 'Paraponto' (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paragosa' can set large amounts of seed, and there is usually enough hard seed to enable regeneration after one year cropping or a seasonal failure to set seed (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paraponto' establishes relatively easily and has better seedling vigor than cv 'Paragosa' (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

Annual medics, Medicago rugosa cv 'Paragosa', M scutellata cv 'Robinson', and M. truncatula cvs 'Cyprus' and 'Jemalong' were evaluated in 3 rotational systems. Medicago spp. re-established better under permanent pasture than under any rotational scheme involving tillage. Seed preservation, however, was better in rotations involving tillage. Medicago rugosa cv 'Paragosa' in rotation trials produced a higher seed yield in the year of sowing than did M. scutellata cv 'Robinson', or M. truncatula cvv 'Cyprus' and 'Jemalong'. However, its seed bank persisted only 3 years, and its re-establishment was poor, perhaps due to its higher proportion of permeable seed. Medicago truncatula cv 'Jemalong' maintained higher seed reserves after six years of cropping than M. scutellata cv 'Cyprus' or M. scutellata cv 'Robinson'. Seed banks of all species were exhausted after 7 years (Crawford and Nankivell, 1989).

Medicago rugosa, similar to M. scutellata, has very large seeds. There are half as many seeds per pound as in M. truncatula. M. rugosa seedlings are vigorous and upright, allowing them to be easily grazed out early by large and small herbivores. They are also much more demanding of a truly alkaline soil, 7.5 to 9.0 than M. truncatula or M. polymorpha. To maintain a persistant stand of M. rugosa and M. scutellata, they must be planted on alkaline soil, protected from early grazing and lightly incorporated in late summer by disking or harrowing to get the large seed down into the soil every other year.

'Paragosa' appears as palatable to livestock as 'Hannaford' barrel medic or snail medic. Coumestrol content is low (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paraponto' pods are completely spineless, and this cultivar is relished by sheep and susceptible to overgrazing (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

'Paraponto' can produce greater biomass by early winter than cv. 'Paragosa' (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

Cv 'Sapo' is readily grazed by sheep; coumestrol content of matured pods with seeds is very low (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).

Both (Sminthurus viridis L.) and red-legged earth mite (Halotydeus destructor Tucker) (editor's note: this pest is not found in the U.S.A.) are termed pests of 'Paragosa' in the Register of Australian Herbage Plant Cultivars, 'Paragosa,' 'Paraponto' and 'Sapo' have high tolerance to them (Mackay and Barnard. 1981).

Tolerances to Egyptian alfalfa weevil by 'Paragosa,' 'Paraponto,' and 'Sapo' are all listed as fair (Weitkamp and Graves, 1988).

Tolerances to Egyptian alfalfa weevil by 'Paragosa' and 'Sapo' were rated better than other medics in Glenn County Trial 1988 (Bell, unpublished). Pests of 'Paragosa' reported in South Australia include: Smythuris viridis (lucerne flea), Halotydeus destructor (red-legged earth mite), Telogryllus commodus (cricket), Etiella behrii (lucerne pod borer), and Sitona humeralis (Sitona weevil) (Mackay and Barnard. 1981).

'Sapo'is much more tolerant to damage by adult sitona weevil than are 'Paragosa,' 'Paraponto,' and all cultivars of barrel, strand and disc medics. Tolerance to blue green aphid (Acyrthosiphon kondoi) and spotted alfalfa aphid (Therioaphis maculata) in greenhouse and field tests is similar to 'Paragosa.' 'Sapo' produces high seed yields without the need of insecticde, whereas barrel, strand and disc medic cultivars require aphid control. 'Sapo' is a very poor host for the blue green aphid, being slightly more resistant than snail medic and much more tolerant than all M. truncatula cultivars. Good swards tolerate lucerne flea (Sminthurus viridis L.). Seedlings show high tolerance to attack by lucerne flea and by red-legged earth mite (Hdalotydeus destructorTucker) (Mackay and Barnard, 1981).