- Location
- somerset
actually combined S23 for seed, 1975, getting on for 50 yrs ago, def old variety !Dad used to sell a lot of Melle
Melle + 1 kg of Timothy and 1 kg White Clover
Toddington would be the new eqivalent
Do you remember s23 another fanastic
grass in its day
AstonEnergy has been out for a while , getting fantasic MEs in the silage with it
We use it mainly for oveseeding silage fields and mixing in Herbal stuff ,germinates quick
The dry matter and crude protein production of the perennial ryegrass varieties S24, S23, Premo, Houba, Barlenna, Melle and Sceempter Pasture at annual nitrogen application rates of 212, 425, 637 and 1062 kg ha−1 were studied for the years 1972–74 inclusive. The DM and CP response curves for the variety Melle were steeper than those for other varieties tested and levelled off at a higher N application rate. The results suggest that Melle is a variety with a genotype capahle of utilizing N more efficiently at higher rates than the other varieties tested.
but plenty of older things are still good, especially som farmer
it would be interesting to compare some of those older varieties, against todays. In practical terms, how much have we gained over 40/50 years. It seems to me, we no longer get the huge cuts of grass, we used to. N use is down, perhaps quality up, but as a % improvement ?
certainly could grow wheat, 4+ton acre, over the weighbridge through the 80's early 90's, use a lot more sprays today, than then, and on a good rotation here, just manage to touch 4ton.
but it costs a feck sight more to grow it. Cousin on his part of the same ground, continuous corn, struggles to get over 3ton, and nothing stinted.
l feel there's an awful lot of knowledge lost, when farming started on the chemical route, mainly because chemicals were dead easy, and worked. While l fully agree they were needed, l get that feeling they haven't helped in the longer term, a lot of that old knowledge was just plain sensible, and shouldn't have been written off, so quickly. We have started on a regen type progress, was very hesitant, but, grassland and arable, have maintained, or increased yields, for a lot less cost/inputs. Bears thinking about.