Perun Festulolium

Festulolium braunii

Perun Festulolium is an inter species cross combining 80% Italian Ryegrass with 20% Meadow Fescue. Perun offers the quality trait from the Italian ryegrass plus the adaption and root depth of the Meadow Fescue. This allows for a wider adaption of soils and rainfall zones that in the past have not been able to sustain straight Italian Ryegrass. Perun has a longer summer shoulder that provides good quality when feed quality traditionally drops. With Perun being a fescue cross it prefers to be sown in warmer soil conditions experienced in the early autumn or Perun can be utilised as a spring sowing option for a summer feed option in good rainfall or irrigated areas. Perun is an excellent option for stitching into existing pastures such as Lucerne. Perun also has the ability for low transpiration rates through the leaf surface over the summer.

Good Disease Resistance
Great heat and cold tolerance unlike Italian Ryegrasses
Recommended sowing with red and white clover

Seed agronomy table

Heading date	+12 days
Lifespan	2 -4 years
Min Rainfall (mm)	650
Seeding Rate	Kg/Ha
Dryland	15-20
High Rainfall / Irrigation	25-30

Heading date: 0 days = Nui perennial ryegrass.

Enterprises for this Seed

Sheep
Beef Cattle
Diary Cattle
Horse
Hay & Silage

Strengths

Strong cool season growth.
Highly palatable for all stock.
Excellent stock performance.
Improved summer growth and tolerance.

Limitations

Not suited to hot dry climates where perenniality is desired.
Can display lack of seedling vigour if sown in winter conditions.

Plant Description

Plant: Festulolium - short to medium persistence. Similar growth pattern to Italian ryegrass, but with deeper roots, summer growth and persistence.
Stems: Up to 70cm.
Leaves: hairless; blades up to 400 x 12 mm; young leaves rolled in bud.
Seeds: ~250,000/kg (tetraploid).
Endophyte: No endophyte

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:
Grasses: Best sown as only grass.
Legumes:White, sub, red and persian clovers.
Sowing/planting rates as single Species: 15-20kg/ Ha dryland. 25-30kg/ Ha high rainfall/irrigation.
Sowing/planting rates in mixtures : n/a.
Sowing time: Autumn or spring.
Fertiliser: N @ sowing and P,K & S depending on soil test results.

Management

Maintenance fertiliser:25 units P per Ha, N fertilizer needs to applied to maximise performance.
Grazing/cutting: Graze @ 2.5-3 leaf stage to optimise yield under rotational grazing, with a 5-7 cm residual after grazing.
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
Major pests: Red and black-headed cockchafer, black field cricket, African black beetle.
Major diseases: Low frequency of diseases which are temporary.
Herbicide susceptibility: Glyphosate.

Animal production

Feeding value: Exceptionally high.
Palatability: Very Palatable.
Production potential: Very high.
Livestock disorders/toxicity: None known.