What perennial ryegrass should you sow?

Abstract

Choosing the right perennial ryegrass or combination of perennial ryegrasses is an important decision to increase the production, persistence and quality of pasture harvested on your farm. Perennial ryegrasses can be effectively classified according to endophyte strain, flowering time and whether a tetraploid or diploid. Endophyte strain should be chosen relative to the known or expected insect pests on your property. Using paddocks of ryegrasses with different flowering dates on your farm will help to improve early and late spring growth and make it easier to sustain high pasture quality and DM intakes throughout spring and into summer. Tetraploid ryegrasses offer high quality feed, easy management and high utilisation but are particularly prone to pugging and treading damage on wet soils in the early part of spring.