Species: Lolium Perenne
Officially listed in: England, Wales and Scotland
Heading dates: England & Wales 25th May, Scotland REE 39
Ploidy: Diploid
Bred in: Northern Ireland
Most suited to: Any medium - long term grazing and / or cutting ley
Digestibility
Across the multiple geographical locations, and throughout the year, Glenariff provides high quality forage from both silage and grazing management and grazing D values are particularly good across all regions.
Other Attributes
Glenariff has excellent disease tolerance scoring 6.3 for Crown Rust and 7.2 for Mildew. It has excellent winter hardiness and good ground cover.
Being a diploid, you should expect an average of 600,000 seeds per kilogram and a slightly more prostrate growth habit. Glenariff therefore brings ground cover and a higher plant population than tetraploid counterparts to mixtures.
Before recommendation, Glenariff has been extensively trialled across over 10 locations in the United Kingdom to gather data on its performance in multiple climatic conditions.
Glenariff was bred for Barenbrug UK at AFBI (Agri-Food & Bioscience Institute) in Northern Ireland. The variety was named after one of the nine Antrim Glens and the Glenariff Forest Park covers over 2,470 acres including some stunning waterfalls.
PERENNIAL RYEGRASS
DESCRIPTION: Dark green, densely or loosely tufted. Folded shoot and leaves.
FLOWERING HEAD: Flattened spike with the spikelets arranged alternately on opposite sides of the stem. The spikelets are stalkless with the narrow, rounded face fitting against the stem.
LEAF BLADE: Ribbed on upper surface, smooth and shiny underside. Red at base of stem.
AURICLES & LIGULE: Auricles are usually well developed, up to 1/12 of an inch (2 mm) long, or are sometimes lacking.