Italian Ryegrass
lolium multiflorum (Lolium mul)
Modern improved cultivars of Lolium multiflorum, Italian Ryegrass are primarily used in the production of very high yielding, short term silage leys and occasionally for cutting as a low dust, hard hay for horses. A higher percentage of diploid is recommended for horse hay along with a little hybrid ryegrass to perhaps lift the nutritional vale of the end product.
With upright growth and a high response to fertilser inputs, lolium mul is a valuable species which sits well in a rotation farming system. All varieties of lolium multiflorum are well known to germinate at lower ground temperatures than most other forage grass species so are often autumn sown after maize or other late harvest crops. We have even seen UK sowings on to partially frozen ground with a surprisingly high success rate.
An annual version, Lolium westerwoldicum is often added as a cover crop to other, slower to establish agricultural forage seed mixtures
Not currently available as a straight