Scientific name(s)

Lolium multiflorum ssp. westerwoldicum

Strengths

• Very strong cool season growth and good nutritive value

NOTE  Cultivars of the biennial type of Italian ryegrass are listed separately in the Biennial ryegrass Fact Sheet.

Limitations

• Short-lived

Plant description

Plant: Annual

Leaves: hairless; blades up to 400 x 12 mm; young leaves rolled in bud

Seedhead:  spike up to 30 cm long; spikelets edge-on to the rachis which is recessed opposite each spikelet; 10-20 florets/spikelet, laterally flattened up to 25 mm long.  Straight, fine awn up to 10 mm.

Seeds:  ~460,000/kg (diploid)

Pasture type and use

Short term pasture and high-yielding silage/hay crop

Where it grows

Rainfall

>650 mm (South); 800 mm (North)

Soils

Medium-heavy texture; high fertility

Temperature

Cold tolerant

Establishment

Companion species

Grasses:  Hybrid ryegrass

Legumes: Red and Persian clovers

Sowing/planting rates as single species

10-20 kg/ha (diploid cultivars); 15-30 (4n)

Sowing/planting rates in mixtures

5-10 kg/ha (diploid cultivars); 7-15 (4n)

Sowing time

Autumn

Inoculation

Not applicable

Fertiliser

P and N

Management

Maintenance fertliser

Especially P and N

Grazing/cutting

Well suited to fodder conservation. Strip or rotational grazing facilitates efficient utilisation and maximum regrowth

Seed production

Prolific seed set

Ability to spread

Will spread from seed; seed set will occur if ungrazed/not cut and this will be associated with a substantial trade-off in nutritive value

Weed potential

Low unless allowed to set seed

Major pests

Red and black-headed cockchafer, black field cricket, white-fringed weevil, African black beetle, corbies, underground grass caterpillar

Major diseases

Rust

Herbicide susceptibility

glyphosate

Animal production

Feeding value

High

Palatability

High and usually higher for tetraploid cultivars

Production potential

High winter growth; rapid spring growth pre-flowering early summer

Livestock disorders/toxicity

The ryegrass endophyte (Neotyphodium lolii) is not present in Italian ryegrass.

Cultivars

Group	Cultivar	Seed source/Information
Early	Abundant (4n)	Ampac Seed Company
	Doublecrop	VicSeeds
	SF Sprinter (4n)	Seedforce, 27 Telford Drive, Shepparton VIC 3632
	SF Flyer	Seedforce, 27 Telford Drive, Shepparton VIC 3632
	Surrey	Pasture species database - University of Melbourne AusWest Seeds
	Grassmax	PlantTech
	Betta Tetilla (4n)	Pasture species database - University of Melbourne AusWest Seeds
	Tetilla Gold (4n)	AusWest Seeds
	Tetilla (4n)	Pasture species database - University of Melbourne
	Noble	Valley Seeds
	New Tetilla (4n)	VicSeeds
	Ceres Missile	PGG Seeds
	Maximus(4n)	Heritage Seeds
	Rocket(4n)	Seed Distributors
Mid	Winter Star (4n)	Wrightson Seeds
	Winter Star II  (4n)	Wrightson Seeds
	SF Sultan	Seedforce, 27 Telford Drive, Shepparton VIC 3632
	SF Adrenalin	Seedforce, 27 Telford Drive, Shepparton VIC 3632
	T-Rex (4n)	Heritage Seeds
	Drummer	PlantTech
	Progrow	Valley Seeds
	Jivit	DLF Trifolium
	Ceres Pronto	PGG Seeds
	Devour	Specialty Seeds
	Tetrone (4n)	Seed Distributors
	Zoom (4n)	CropMark NZ
Late	Apollo (4n)	Specialty Seeds
	Ceres Missile	PGG Seeds

Further information

NSW Department of Primary Industries - Short-term ryegrass

Seed companies;  Depts. of Primary Industries

Acknowledgements

Seed companies;  Depts. of Primary Industries

Author and date

K. Reed
15th September 2008