November 2, 2007

 

New Zealand's Agriseeds launches new seed for pasture

 

 

New Zealand's Agriseeds Ltd is launching a new, more persistent strain of red clover called Tuscan this season.

 

Agriseeds is a plant breeding and research company that has specialised in pasture for the past 20 years.

 

Their latest offering promises farmers a good cover of red clover pastures for high quality feed.

 

The company took nine years to develop Tuscan, combining superb summer feed quality with grazing tolerance, making it ideal for farmers looking to improve the quality of autumn feed, according to Agriseeds New Zealand sales manager Stephen Bennett.

 

Tuscan is also suitable for farmers looking at red clover as an alternative to their traditional white clover varieties, because of pest pressure, Bennett said.

 

One disadvantage of red clover up until now is that they do not recover quickly from grazing and is less likely to survive than white clover.

 

However, trials with Tuscan showed it outlasted other varieties, producing higher plant counts after two years of sheep grazing.

 

Excellent summer and autumn growth, with higher total yield, makes Tuscan a useful addition to pasture mixes, he said.

 

One of the keys to Tuscan's performance was its growth habit. As the variety is denser, and more prostrate than other red clovers,  it is better able to persist under grazing pressure, he said.

 

Tuscan has moderate to high levels of phyto oestrogen, which farmers need to take into account when planning autumn grazing management and mating.