The lack of persistance seen in some new ryegrass cultivars is the result of an over emphasis on drymatter yield in their breeding. “Farmers are saying the new grasses don’t last like the old varieties and I agree that it appears some seed companies have tried to further increase drymatter yield for a marketing edge but have not managed to retain persistency traits,” says David Kerr of Germinal Holdings NZ Ltd. Mr. Kerr said the Aber High Sugar Grasses have proven to be reliable and are the result of a 30 year programme where the focus is on herbage quality, drymatter yield and high levels of persistency.
He recently visited a sheep and beef farm where AberDart (used in SucraSEED) is seven years old and despite the climate, kikuyu and insect challenges the HSG pastures have grown strongly through a third consecutive drought. Mr. Kerr said the HSG’s dense roots and numerous tillers were the product of breeding for persistency against frost, heat, drought, UV light, numerous fungal, viral and bacterial pathogens, a wide range of invertebrate pests and hard grazing.