New Zealand Perennial Ryegrass Seed - New Zealand Perennial Ryegrass seed is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass native to Europe, temperate Asia, and North Africa. It is widely distributed throughout the world, including North and South America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia.
Perennial ryegrass is important in forage/livestock systems. High palatability and digestibility make this species highly valued for dairy and sheep forage systems. As a result, it often is the preferred forage grass in temperate regions of the world.
Characteristics include:
- High yield potential
- Fast establishment
- Suitability for reduced-tillage renovation
- Use on heavy and waterlogged soils
Seed Rates:
- Lawns: 5-10 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft.
- Pasture: 20-40 lbs. per acre
- Apply 250 lbs. of 16-04-08 fertilizer per acre.
In the United States, perennial ryegrass is used for forage predominately in the coastal Northwest, irrigated intermountain valleys of the West, the Midwest, and Northeast.
Perennial ryegrass can behave as an annual, short-lived perennial, or perennial, depending on environmental conditions. It resembles annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), although perennial ryegrass has more leaves in lower parts of the plant canopy, its collar and blade are more narrow, and lemmas are awnless.
Area of adaptation
Perennial ryegrass is best adapted to cool, moist climates where winter kill is not a problem. Its primary use for forage in the United States is in the Pacific Northwest. There also is considerable use in irrigated intermountain valleys, the Midwest, and the Northeast. See map below.
Perennial ryegrass grows best on fertile, well-drained soils but has a wide range of soil adaptability. It is suited for use in soil drainage classes ranging from well drained to poorly drained. It will tolerate long periods of flooding (15 to 25 days) when temperatures are below 80°F (27°C). A minimum precipitation range is 18 to 25 inches (457 to 635 mm). Perennial ryegrass tolerates both acidic and alkaline soils, with a pH range of 5.1 to 8.4. Best growth occurs when soil pH is maintained between 5.5 and 7.5.
Spring and fall are the seasons of best growth; during the hot summer months, perennial ryegrass becomes dormant. Maximum growth occurs between 68 and 77°F (20 to 25°C). Perennial ryegrass is adapted to shade in the warmer portions of a cool, humid climate.
Perennial ryegrass is more sensitive to temperature extremes and drought than is annual ryegrass. Even with irrigation or abundant rainfall, production suffers when daytime temperatures exceed 87°F (31°C) and nighttime temperatures exceed 77°F (25°C).
Perennial ryegrass is less winter-hardy than orchardgrass and tall fescue and less drought-tolerant than smooth bromegrass. Studies in Wisconsin, however, suggest that perennial ryegrass is able to overwinter in colder climates, even where snow cover is unreliable. In the Pacific Northwest, perennial ryegrass will survive most winter weather conditions. However, during very harsh winters, it may winter kill. Thus, it should be considered a short-lived perennial.
Uses
Perennial ryegrass is grown primarily for pasture and silage. It can be grown for hay in the Pacific Northwest, but typically will provide only one hay cutting and little regrowth. It also is used for reducing soil erosion, recycling nutrients from manure and biosolids, wildlife feed, and turf.
Silage and Hay
Perennial ryegrass often is harvested for silage. It makes up a considerable portion of dairy-quality grass silage in coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest.
As with all forage species, silage quality is influenced greatly by maturity stage. For the optimal compromise between quality and quantity, cut perennial ryegrass in the boot stage.
Harvesting perennial ryegrass for hay is not recommended in high rainfall/humidity areas such as the coastal
Pacific Northwest. Good hay curing weather typically occurs too late in this region for producing high-quality ryegrass hay.
Varieties
There are many important perennial ryegrass varieties. All are reproduced by seed.
Many types of ryegrass exist, because most varieties do not self-pollinate but easily cross with other Lolium and Festuca species. Persistence of perennial x annual hybrids falls between that of annual and perennial varieties. As a result, these crosses are called intermediate, or short-rotation ryegrasses.
There are both diploid and tetraploid forage-type varieties. Tetraploids have fewer, but larger tillers with wider leaves, resulting in more open sods. Both the seed and seedlings of tetraploids are larger, but growth rate is greater for diploids. Tetraploids are less winter-hardy and less persistent than diploids.
Including both forage and turf types, many varieties are listed in Grass Varieties of the United States. Information on varieties also is available from the Oregon Ryegrass Growers Seed Commission and through the Germplasm Resources Information Network.
Perennial ryegrass varieties are grouped into three maturity categories: early, intermediate, and late. These groupings are somewhat helpful, but there is substantial overlap among them.
