Farmers wanting to improve their grassland can now choose from 11 new varieties of ryegrass and one white clover variety when planning for reseeding.
The new varieties have been added to the 2018/2019 Recommended Grass and Clover Lists (RGCL) which will be launched at the Grassland UK event at the Bath & West showground on 10 May and Royal Welsh Grassland event in Powys on 16 May.
Dr Liz Genever, AHDB Senior Scientist, said: “The lists give details on the performance and characteristics of each variety. When thinking about reseeding they are an invaluable tool, helping farmers make informed decisions with their seed merchants about the varieties that will perform best on their farm and help them get the most out of their grassland.
“Only grasses and clovers that have undergone at least four years of independent testing are included in the lists. Varieties are rigorously tested for factors such as total and seasonal yield, feed quality, disease and persistence before making the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists.”
In addition to providing information on the varieties, the RGCL also includes a range of technical information for farmers on how they can manage their reseed and maximise the productivity of their grassland.
The 2018/2019 RGCL handbook and the full lists for merchants will be available to download from beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/returns and britishgrassland.com/rgcl from 10 May 2017. The online interactive version for perennial ryegrasses has been updated and will be available at dairy.ahdb.org.uk. Hard copies of the handbook will be available from the AHDB stand at Grassland UK on the 10 May (stand 26) and the AHDB and HCC stands at the Royal Welsh Grassland event on 26 May (stand 30).
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