Cultivation

Forage use of Italian ryegrass

Lolium multiflorum Lam. ssp. italicum (A. Br.) Volkart

Italian ryegrass is a high-yielding forage crop that provides vigorous regrowth after mowing and produces high-quality leaf mass. The crop is valued for its high forage digestibility and the potential to obtain up to 6 cuts per season.

In the reference 138 varieties crop Italian ryegrass, where this is mentioned in the description.

Italian ryegrass is primarily used for making hay, haylage, and silage, and is also suitable for rotational grazing and green fodder production. Due to its intensive growth rate and high leafiness, the crop provides fodder with excellent nutritional value and high palatability for livestock.

Unlike perennial ryegrass, this species maintains a high intensity of tiller formation in subsequent cuts. Compared to Westerwold ryegrass, Italian ryegrass is characterized by later heading when spring-sown, which allows for flexible harvesting schedules without critical loss of quality. The crop is highly demanding in terms of nitrogen nutrition and water supply to realize its productivity potential.

General information about the subject — on the page Forage purpose.

Sources8

Varieties of Italian ryegrass mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.