Carefully selecting clean sources of original seed supplies reduces problems with dodder. Korean lespedeza weighs 44 to 45 pounds to the bushel and contains about 240,000 seeds per pound. Kobe lespedeza seed weighs 30 pounds to the bushel and contains about 227,000 seeds per pound. Summary Annual lespedeza is a nonbloating legume that can be grown on most soils of Missouri. It is easy to establish, reseeds itself except under severe drought conditions and produces nutritious forage during hot summer conditions.
Lespedeza tolerates low fertility but responds to applications of lime and phosphorus.
It provides quality pasture at a time when cool-season grasses are of low quality and are producing very little. Lespedeza produces good seed yields for combining and makes quality food for bobwhite quail. Lespedeza grows slowly in the spring and produces very little pasture before late June. Dry matter yields of lespedeza are lower than alfalfa or clover when grown under favorable growing conditions. Lespedeza occasionally may fail to reseed under extremely hot, dry growing conditions.