Deficiencies of Ryegrass

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19668, 9 December 1933, Page 15

Deficiencies of Ryegrass

PALATABILITY OF MANAGEMENT

A short talk on perennial ryegrass was delivered to members of the Southland Executive of the Farmers’ Union recently by Mr. E. Bruce Levy, agronomist to the Department of Agriculture, who was on a visit to Southland. Many phases connected with the growing of ryegrass were dealt with by Mr. Levy and he was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.

Mr. Levy said that ryegrass was charged with two deficiencies. One was that it was unpalatable and the other was that it would not germinate. Palatability depended upon management. There was no doubt of the value of ryegrass tests all over the world and wherever in New Zealand certified ryegrass had been tried It had come out on top. No doubt palatability was relative to the vigour of the sward. If a type of rye, poor and stunted, was taken it was horribly unpalatable. On the same paddock, when nitrogen manure was used, it could be highly palatable. Where the general sward was healthy, the rye was palatable and the stock portion was unpalatable. There was no complaint about the palatability of certified rye where management was carried out. One thing that was prejudicing the palatability was the sowing of the rye pure. Only when a good bottom, particularly of white clover, was used was the rye palatable. Another big mistake in the South Island was the fact that farmers were afraid to stock It. They were afraid they would be eaten out. The more perennial ryegrass was stocked the better it became. Mr. Levy went on to say that for ryegrass to be healthy it must have nitrogenous manure and the best was that which came from animals. By never allowing it to get rank and long, keeping the stock concentrated and raising the fertility, the rye would become thrifty, healthy and palatable. The fault of unpalatability lay more often with mismanagement than with the rye. When the demand was for perennial a certain amount of palatability would have to be sacrificed. Italian ryegrass was more palatable. A range of palatability could be got from the perennial through the hybrids to the Italian. Continuing, the speaker said that lack of germination was a menace to the grower of true perennial ryegrass in a wet climate. The department could offer no solution at present. It was felt that Southland would have to go slow'ly in the production of seed from the true perennial. The reason for the lack of germination with the true perennial wits the fact that a fungus was always present. This was not the cause with the Italian variety, or If it was, the fungus did no harm. If seeded when wet the fungus developed to the prejudice of the seed. All perennial was subject to injury when being harvested in wet or moist condition. The Italian variety could go through wet periods and come out

with 90 per cent, germination. Nothing would suit the department better than to get a line of Southland true perennial which they could certify. There was a small chance that that might come about, but he would not build on it too much from the experience he had had with perennial in a wet climate. - Mr. Levy, at the conclusion of his address, discussed the subject with the members and answered a number of questions.