Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is considered the perennial forage par excellence. Its great adaptability to different soil and climatic conditions makes it cultivable in almost all Italian agricultural areas, both in the plains and hills, finding optimal growth and development conditions between 6.5 and 8.0 pH.
The only two truly limiting conditions for the development of an alfalfa field are the presence of water stagnation and the persistence of excessively high soil acidity. There are multiple uses for this forage; it can be used for both haylage and dehydrated forage, as well as for silage and dehydrated meal; the optimal establishment of the alfalfa and appropriate cultural care are the best guarantees for obtaining a durable and productive stand.
An important index for evaluating which alfalfa to use in one area or another is called Dormancy, that is, the interval, more or less prolonged, of vegetative stop that an alfalfa undergoes during the winter period. There are 11 categories of dormancy classified from 1 (dormant Alfalfas) to 11 (non-dormant Alfalfas). In climates with harsh and prolonged winters, varieties with a low index will be chosen, while in climates with short and mild winters, the choice will fall on less dormant alfalfas. In Italy, alfalfas with a dormancy index between 5 and 8 are commonly used.

The winning characteristics of our Alfalfas:

• Greater resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses
• Greater resistance to trampling for operations from mowing to baling in the field
• Faster regrowth after mowing, allowing for an additional cut per year compared to other commercial varieties
• Documented longer stand duration up to 7-8 years
• Excellent forage quality for livestock feeding

A leguminous plant used for grazing or hay production. It can be sown as a monoculture or in association with grasses to obtain forage rich in digestible fiber and high protein content.

Sowing period: August-October, February-Marc
Packages of 25 kg

A leguminous plant used for dry forage production. It is sown either as a monoculture or especially in association with grasses to obtain forage rich in digestible fiber and high protein content.

Sowing period: August-October, February-March
Packages of 10-25 kg

Plants used in association with cereals to increase the protein content, obtaining forage balanced in digestible fiber.

Sowing period: August-October, February-March
Packages of 25-40 kg

These are perennial forage crops where the biomass is entirely utilized after mowing (properly called meadows) or partly mown and partly grazed (grazed meadows). They are often used in association with perennial legumes to form mixed forage meadows.

The timing of mowing must be well-targeted to obtain quality forage.

• TOO EARLY: higher content of U.F. (Unit Forage), lower quantitative production, shorter crop duration
• TIMELY: good compromise between quality and quantity
• TOO LATE: low U.F. and protein content, low digestibility, high production

Sowing period: August-October, February-March
Packages of 20-25 kg

Our annual forage mixtures are carefully studied and formulated in variety selection, following criteria of uniformity, maximum production, and plant health. The choice of varieties to include in the mixture is based on knowledge of their biological and agronomic characteristics, and especially their expressive traits, such as precocity and adaptability in our territory.
They ensure highly digestible forage and are used to produce hay, baled, or silage forage.

The cereal varieties in our range are primarily used for forage purposes while not neglecting grain production. They have been tested and selected to obtain high-quality, highly digestible forage combined with high biomass production. Additionally, the focus has been on offering varieties that are moderately resistant to various fungal diseases to obtain healthy forage.

Zanandrea Sementi Srl has been conducting its own varietal experimentation for several years to best develop the summer forage sector, considering the use of sorghum, both pure and in mixtures, as a concrete response to the continuous demands from farmers who require cutting-edge technical solutions at sustainable costs.

The current proposal from Zanandrea Sementi Srl focuses on three types of sorghum: forage, silage, and grain. The use of BMR hybrid sorghums is steadily increasing as they guarantee superior digestibility, up to 50% more than common sorghum varieties.

Experimental experience has also allowed for the optimization of sorghum mixtures capable of offering exceptionally high-level production performance as well as excellent quality in the field, to the benefit of herd management.

The use of sorghum, either pure or in mixtures, is becoming increasingly popular as the lower water requirement compared to corn is well established; this aspect is extremely relevant both from an economic and environmental sustainability perspective.

The manifesto for the international organic movement clearly states that fertility is “the condition of soil rich in humus where growth proceeds rapidly, unhindered, and efficiently; the term therefore implies abundance, quality, and disease resistance” (Howard, 1956). Consequently, there is an increasingly urgent need to find “clean” techniques capable of providing farmers with valid solutions to produce at their best and meet the needs of the market and consumers.

The most relevant aspects in the use of Cover Crops and Green Manure are:

• Increase in soil organic matter content
• Increase in soil biodiversity with improved microbial activity
• Fixation of atmospheric nitrogen immediately available for succeeding crops
• Control of surface erosion through root establishment
• Weed control is a fundamental aspect addressed by Cover Crops
• The integration of Cover Crops into rotations is essential to reduce the activity of some pathogens (nematodes and fungi) increasingly widespread in all areas.

Cover cropping is a practice that involves maintaining a grassy cover between the rows of fruit trees. This agronomic practice is gaining increasing popularity in orchard management because it offers numerous benefits such as:

• Reduction of soil erosion caused by water and wind.
• Improvement of soil structure (better water permeability, improved root aeration).
• Enhanced soil bearing capacity (facilitates movement of people and vehicles under unfavorable conditions).
• Increase in soil fertility (higher organic matter content, increased soil organisms, improved root development).
• Greater biodiversity (activity of beneficial organisms for cultivation: pollinators, pest predators, etc.).
• Buffering effect against chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides).
• Improvement of aesthetic and landscape effects. 

Zanandrea Seeds offers cover crop mixtures aiming to meet the most common agronomic needs in different climatic zones, continental and Mediterranean.

We love to take care of the details inside our homes, and likewise, we want the environment surrounding them to be tidy and welcoming, with green, soft, and beautiful gardens and parks.
We have developed a line of lawn and grass seed mixtures, considering both aesthetic and functional factors, to create a custom lawn just for you.

The individual species we use in the mixtures are state-of-the-art and selected for their intense dark green color, disease resistance, adaptability to various soil types, and different climatic conditions.