After more than a decade of research, the first major harvest of a plant considered the "holy grail" breakthrough for mixed grain and sheep producers has begun in West Australia's Wheatbelt.

Lebeckia is a green feed which grows throughout summer when most other feed species die, and can turn sandy soils into productive land.

Murdoch University Professor John Howieson discovered the drought-resistant legume in South Africa's Kalahari Desert more than 10 years ago.

Lebeckia plantings have been trialled at several sites across the Wheatbelt including Brookton, Tincurrin and Harrismith over the past few years.

Now confident with the results, the clippers are out harvesting, and within weeks the dried lebeckia will be machine harvested to produce enough seed for 20 hectares.

"It's a game changer in the sense the farmer will be able to put his stock on a nutritious healthy green feed for the summer," Professor Howieson said.

"[The] second point is that it is growing on soils that are not profitable at the moment."

As well as providing much needed fresh grazing feed during summer, lebeckia improves the fertility of the soil and prevents weed growth.

"Our research has shown that lebeckia improves carbon content, phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium nutrition and soil fertility to the point where it can be much more profitable for cropping or grazing enterprises," Professor Howieson said.

Lebeckia is a herbaceous plant which is woody below the soil and is not considered a weed.

"Lebeckia will grow and persist over summer and won't drop its leaves," Professor Howieson said.

"It provides areas of grazing and shelter for sheep and unlike the tree Tagastaste you don't have to cut and carry it, you can graze it and use it through the autumn, winter feed gap."

Tom Edwards is studying lebeckia as part of his PhD thesis.

Mr Edwards said the legume can also reduce amount of herbicides used in agriculture.

"The aim is to reduce the amount of inorganic and expensive ways we introduce things like fertiliser and herbicides," he said.

The researchers are submitting a proposal to the State Government to commercialise lebeckia in the coming weeks.

But instead of selling the seeds, which Mr Howieson said could prove difficult to make profitable, the team are putting forward a new structure charging a licence fee with royalty payments instead.

The proceeds will go back into a research fund.

It is hoped lebeckia will hit the market in a limited capacity in 2017-18.