Throughout south east Australia, perennial ryegrass has stood as a vital component of pasture systems, offering a rich source of high-quality feed through Autumn to early Summer. However, its symbiotic relationship with endophytes can lead to a condition known as perennial ryegrass staggers or toxicity in grazing animals. This presents a significant challenge for farmers, particularly during late summer and autumn when the risk of staggers peaks. Fortunately, advancements in endophyte research has yielded some promising solutions to reduce lower levels of alkaloids and thus reduce the likelihood of ryegrass staggers. Endophyte technology has advanced significantly since the 1980s with plant breeders such as Cropmark Seeds and DLF Seeds continuing to help develop novel endophytes that provide long-term pasture persistence […]
Tag: Perennial Ryegrass
Ryegrass leaf rust & management
Leaf Rust is a term used to describe fungi that can attack ryegrass, primarily: • Crown Rust (Puccinia coronata) also referred to as leaf rust• Stem rust (Puccinia graminis) Rust can severely hamper the growth of a ryegrass plant as well as reducing the plants nutritional quality (ME) and palatability to livestock. How to identify Ryegrass Leaf Rust Crown (or Leaf) Rust appears initially as yellow dots on leaves, later developing into bright orange circular powdery spots or pustules up to 1mm in length on ryegrass plants. Rust tends to thrive in hot and humid weather. Rust also tends to attack pasture when there are high levels of herbage present. Weaker plants leaves as well as those that are moisture […]