Diplex Diploid Italian Ryegrass

High protein, highly digestible forage with a long growing season potential. Diplex is a biennial form of Italian Ryegrass. It has a greater tiller density than tetraploid cultivars and coupled with its late maturity is able to produce high dry matter yield of superior nutritive value later in the season. Diplex is a rapid establishing, high yielding, productive, summer persistent diploid Italian ryegrass, which is very high yielding and has improved persistence. It is ideal for all classes of livestock and is the ideal grass to sow during autumn, winter and spring for grazing and/or silage. Diplex retains its energy value in late winter and spring.

• Persists from 9 months to 2 years with favourable conditions
• Densely tillered
• Strong winter growth
• Later maturity than other diploid and tetraploid Italian ryegrasses giving an extended production period
• Rapid establishing, upright and vigorous at all growth stages

Seed agronomy table

Heading date	+15 days
Lifespan	2 years
Min Rainfall (mm)	700
Seeding Rate	Kg/Ha
Dryland	10-15
High Rainfall / Irrigation	20-25

Heading date: 0 days = Nui perennial ryegrass.

Enterprises for this Seed

Sheep
Beef Cattle
Horse
Hay & Silage

Strengths

• Italian ryegrass (biennial type).
• Very strong cool season growth and nutritive value

Limitations

• Longevity (2 years); may occasionally be greater in moist, pest-free situations and rotational grazing.

Plant Description

Plant: Italian ryegrass - biennial. Stems: up to 70 cm. 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 offering high winter yields and enhanced nutritive value

Where it grows

Rainfall: > 700mm+ Soils: Medium-heavy texture, high fertility (eg Olsen P, 0-10 cm, >12 mg/kg). Temperature: Cold and frost tolerant, mild summer desirable

Establishment

Companion species: Legumes: white clover, sub clover and Persian clover. Other: Forage brassicas. Sowing/planting rates as single species: 10-25 kg/ha. Sowing/planting rates in mixtures:5-15 kg/ha. Sowing time: Autumn & spring in favourable environments. Fertiliser: P & possibly N at sowing

Management

Maintenance fertiliser: 10 kg P/ha. Monitor S, K, Cu especially. Supply N by clover/fertiliser. Grazing/cutting: Graze at 2_- 3 leaf stage to optimise yield under rotational grazing. Cut at early flowering for peak nutritive value. Ability to spread: Will spread from seed in cool, good rainfall environments: 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. Major diseases: Crown rust especially in humid regions; stem rust. Herbicide susceptibility: Glyphosate

Animal production

Feeding value: High. Palatability: Palatable. Production potential: High. Livestock disorders/toxicity: Some long rotation cultivars can carry wild type endophyte and cause perennial ryegrass toxicoses