Feast® II tetraploid Italian ryegrass continues to perform strongly, providing exceptional winter and spring growth combined with low aftermath heading.
Feast II offers farmers an excellent return on investment achieved by multiple grazing opportunities during cooler months as well as high quality hay and silage later in the season.
Pasture seed sowing rate (sole): 25-35kg/ha
Pasture seed sowing rate (mixed): 15-25kg/ha
Feast II was selected as a successor to the original Feast Italian ryegrass. The key criteria that Feast II was selected for was an increase in dry matter production, increased persistence into the second year, rust resistance (which is a critical trait for the Australian market) and reduced after math heading (AMH).
Feast II has performed extremely well for a number of years and continues to maintain the traits that it was bred for to help Australian farmers grow more high quality feed.
Feast II tetraploid seed is heavier than diploid seed, so ideally should be sown at a 40% higher rate than that of diploid cultivars. Sow between 15-35kg/ha using Ultrastrike® film coat seed treatment. Sow as early as possible to maximise winter feed in the first year and monitor fertility levels to optimise production.
For pasture seed sowing rates specific to your farming needs, contact your local DLF Seeds Sales Agronomist here
Feast II should be sown as soon as there is adequate moisture in the autumn which will maximise winter production. A light grazing as soon as the plants can withstand pulling will encourage tillering as well as growth of other species such as clovers if they have been sown with Feast II. Ensure you test the plants before allowing stock to graze the paddock otherwise this may cause significant damage to the newly sown pasture.
Further grazing should not occur until the plants have reached the third leaf growth stage. Feast II is best suited to rotational grazing as this allows the plant to recover as quickly as possible. For best persistence and to maximise second year crops, avoid hard grazing over the summer period. Recovery of the plants will be determined by how much residual is left after the grazing period. Avoid grazing to bare ground as this will significantly slow down the rate of recovery after grazing and will be detrimental to the overall production of the ryegrass over the entire growing season.
Minimum 600mm rainfall per annum unless irrigated