Subterranean Clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) is native to the Mediterranean Basin, West Asia and the Atlantic coast of Western Europe, but has been introduced to numerous countries around the world including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Argentina and the USA. In Australia, sub clover is the most important and widely grown annual pasture legume and has been sown over 29 million ha. Sub clover derives its name (subterranean) from its peculiar habit of burying its seed; this trait creates challenges for seed harvesting, but makes subclover highly successful in rotational farming systems. Subclover provides nutritious animal feed during a pasture phase, while also fixing nitrogen to naturally fertilise the soil for subsequent cropping phases. This has made agricultural use of subclover highly compatible with sustainable intensification systems, which seek to produce more food with less impact.

Sub clover seed is buried below the soil and is typically collected with suction harvest machinery. Analogous to giant vacuum cleaners, these machines harvest seed by sucking it off of the ground. This approach is slow and can disturb the soil resulting in subsequent erosion. It also relies on outdated technology, primarily utilising machinery that has been out of production for over 30 years.