Common vetch
Vicia sativa
Fabaceae
green manure, livestock fodder or rotation crop, cover crop in vineyards and orchards, food
Common vetch is a trailing or climbing annual herb that has become naturalised in temperate and sub-tropical regions of the world. While vetch is considered a weed in some situations, it is an important crop. Common vetch is a nitrogen-fixing leguminous plant in the family Fabaceae. Common vetch has compound leaves (leaflets number ranges from 4–16, 10–40 mm and 1–15 mm wide. Pea like flowers pink to red-purple in colour. It is reported to have a branched taproot that can be 1 to 1.5 m. Vetch tolerates a range of soil types, from light sandy soils to heavier clay soils. Tolerates a range of pH levels, but does not do as well in acidic soils. Vetch does poorly under prolonged waterlogging.
Bombus argillaceus, B. hortorum and B. humilis are known pollinators, while other species of Bombus and Apis mellifera, as well as ants visit flowers for nectar (Climbers link). GRDC Grownotes provides a comprehensive list of diseases impacting vetch Some of the diseases mentioned include: Botrytis grey mould, Ascochyta blight, Chocolate spot, Rust, and root rots - Fusarium, Phoma, Pythium, Rhizoctonia. GRDC Grownotes provides a comprehensive list of pests impacting vetch Some of these pests include: redlegged earth mite, lucerne flea, bluegreen and cowpea aphids and the native budworm.