Benefit from Advances in Plant Breeding

Farmers, Economy Benefit from Advances in Plant Breeding

For immediate release
With photo from Agriseeds
421 words

They don’t make ryegrass like they used to.

Which is just as well for farmers and livestock alike, not to mention the New Zealand economy.

Huge advances in pasture performance over the past 30 years have delivered millions of dollars in farm-gate returns, thanks to the on-going efforts of New Zealand plant breeders and researchers.

Combine those gains with breakthroughs in endophyte technology, and the result is a level of animal productivity that could have only been dreamed of a few decades ago ago.

“Those were the days of one ryegrass, one endophyte, and lots of ryegrass staggers (RGS),” says Jeff Laurie, marketing manager for pasture breeder Agriseeds.

“Today’s ryegrass with its breeding, its performance and its endophytes is so far ahead of what we had in the 1980s, it’s easy to forget that not so long ago we had minimal choice when it came to pastures.”

Superior ryegrass cultivars like Alto, Arrow, Bealey and Bronsyn have all been developed to grow more dry matter (DM) at different times of the year, and of better quality, than their predecessors.

“This has meant major advances in efficiency and productivity per ha for many New Zealand farmers,” Jeff says. “They can do their stock better, and get more out of them, on these new grasses.”

Safe endophytes like Plus AR1 and Plus NEA2 add another layer of improved performance

These eliminate ryegrass staggers, and improve animal health, milksolids production, growth rates and pasture persistence. They are also more palatable, for better stock intake, and improved pasture management.

“With autumn sowing just around the corner, this is the ideal time for farmers to be thinking about their options for new pasture to keep them going ahead in 2009 and beyond.

“For sheep farmers, propriety pasture cultivars with safe endophytes allow farmers to lift per head production, reach their target weights quicker, increase their carrying capacity and eliminated RGS as well as reducing flystrike and increasing profit.”

Trials show lambs grazing proprietary ryegrass with safe endophyte grow much faster than those on other pastures. They have no staggers, and half as many dags.

In the dairy industry a three-year DairyNZ Waikato farmlet trial has shown cows grazing ryegrass with Plus AR1 endophyte produced 9% more milksolids than those on pastures with Standard endophyte.

Plus AR1 comes in Alto, Arrow and Bronsyn, while Plus NEA2 is only available in Bealey.

Both these novel endophyte help pasture persistence by giving resistance to Argentine stem weevil, and to pasture mealy bug. Plus NEA2 also gives resistance to black beetle and a level of resistance to root aphid.

For more advice, talk to your seed merchant.

ENDS

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