Performance of four ryegrass cultivars under cutting

Abstract A series of cutting experiments at 4 sites in New Zealand, to compare production of ‘Grasslands’ ryegrass cultivars Ariki, Manawa, and Nui, and the selection G 4708, is described. Over the wide range of climatic conditions, annual herbage production from Nui (up to 16 500 kg DM/ha) was superior at all sites and was on average 13% higher than the next highest producer, G 4708. Spring, summer, and autumn yields of Nui were generally higher than for the other cultivars, but winter yields were generally lower than those of G 4708 and Manawa.