The news is out and for a fourth year running, Base AR37 has proven its performance by coming out on top of Dairy Australia's Forage Value Index (FVI) in all four regions.
Australian bred for Australian conditions, this is the fourth consecutive year Base AR37 has been announced as a top performer in the FVI by Dairy Australia.
The FVI rating system helps Australian dairy producers make informed decisions when choosing a perennial rye-grass cultivar.
It provides an accurate, reliable and independent assessment of perennial rye-grass cultivars and the potential economic benefits in different south-east Australia dairy regions.
The FVI is calculated by multiplying a cultivar's dry matter performance value (PV) by its economic value (EV), and Base AR37 perennial rye-grass topped the rankings across all four areas tested in south-west Victoria, Gippsland in southern Victoria, northern Victoria and Tasmania.
“Proving its performance for four consecutive years really demonstrates the superiority of Base AR37 in comparison to other perennial rye-grass varieties,” PGG Wrightson Seeds national sales and marketing manager Jason Agars said.
Bred in Australia from drought-surviving plants by combining surviving north-west Spanish rye-grass plants from the mid-2000s drought with the AR37 endophyte, gives Base AR37 a competitive advantage over other perennial rye-grass varieties.
PGG Wrightson Seeds product development manager Isaac Berry said the results spoke for themselves.
“Being a tetraploid perennial rye-grass, Base AR37 has greater palatability and digestibility than normal diploid type rye-grasses, resulting in a pasture that is more readily accepted by stock,” Mr Berry said.
“This increased animal acceptance and quality of Base AR37 combined with its erect growth habit can improve animal intake and performance.
“As leaders in the development of improved pasture plant genetics, PGG Wrightson Seeds provides trusted, proven and innovative performers backed by exciting new technology and extensive R&D, and Base AR37 is one of the many achievements resulting from this objective.”
For more information about how Base AR37 perennial rye-grass can improve your pasture production, contact your local PGG Wrightson Seeds sales agronomist: at www.pggwrightsonseeds.com.au
Additional information on the Australian Forage Value Index and the 2020 Forage Value Index Pasture Tables can be found at: www.dairyaustralia.com.au/feed-and-nutrition/growing-feed-for-the-herd/growing-pastures/forage-value-index
The Australian Forage Value Index is a partnership between Dairy Australia, Agriculture Victoria, DairyNZ, the Australian Seed Federation and Meat & Livestock Australia.