New Zealand
September 20, 2016
A new perennial ryegrass from Agriseeds combines the best of tetraploid feed quality with more early spring growth and better total yield than Bealey.
Download a Viscount booklet here.
Viscount is the newest tetraploid perennial ryegrass available, and builds on the impressive legacy of its popular predecessor Bealey to give farmers more high ME feed when they really need it, during calving and lambing.
As well as this marked increase in early spring yield, Viscount grows more total DM than Bealey, and also features better rust resistance and improved summer feed quality.
Viscount has been a standout performer in the Agriseeds plant breeding programme, and is an exciting opportunity for any farmers looking to offset their traditional spring feed deficit with more high quality home grown pasture.
Feed grown at this time of the year is typically the most valuable of the entire season – on dairy farms, for example, extra grass that coincides with calving in early spring has been valued at an average of 46c/kg DM in the DairyNZ Forage Value Index.
Just as importantly, Viscount features all the characteristics animals love in a pasture, including the excellent palatability of a tetraploid; clover-friendly upright growth for ease of harvest, and high quality with reduced aftermath heading.
Viscount’s NEA endophyte, similar to that in Shogun, helps further support good animal performance with a very low risk of animal health problems like ryegrass staggers. With a flowering date of +19 days, the new cultivar is six days earlier than Bealey.
Tetraploid perennial ryegrasses like Viscount have higher palatability and can increase per animal and per ha performance. They require good management to get the best out of them, including:
- Developing a system to give them a bit more TLC – avoid continual hard grazing when dry and in wet winter conditions avoid treading damage.
- Keep tetraploid paddocks together in a block – this make it easier for staff to manage grazing as per above.
- Consider using a Viscount/Trojan pasture mix – which still has excellent palatability, but is more robust than a straight tetraploid, so it allows a tetraploid to fit into a wider range of farming situations.
Viscount is available now, for spring sowing.
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