September 2025
Viewing the seasonal and annual yield results for most ryegrass cultivars is just a click or two away for farmers considering re-grassing options in the coming months.
They can view the 2025 National Forage Variety Trial (NFVT) results by going to the NZ Plant Breeding and Research Association (PBRA) website at www.pbra.co.nz and clicking on the Trial Data tab in the navigation bar.
The information is presented as set of tables which rank the regional and seasonal yields for perennial, hybrid, annual and Italian ryegrasses, produced from data collected from about 25 trial sites across NZ.
Sam Lucas, the Forage Systems Manager at PBRA member company RAGT, says the NFVT provides valuable insights on the performance of ryegrass cultivars produced by PBRA member companies, which are committed to research and development, and support the robust testing regime.
“For farmers and field advisors, the results are an independent, trustworthy and up-to-date source of information for them to review and select the cultivars that should best suit their individual farm system needs,” Lucas says.
The regional and seasonal yield tables are where Lucas sees most value for farmers looking for cultivars that will deliver extra growth potential at key times of the year for their farm.
“For instance, a Canterbury dairy farmer might be looking to maximise summer feed production, so they need an option with superior growth at that time,” Lucas says.
“Or a sheep operation in Manawatu could have ewes with lambs at foot which have a high demand for quality feed in the early spring.
“In both cases, farmers and field advisors can delve into the NFVT tables, drill down into the results for their region of the country, and see a list of cultivars they should consider using,” Lucas says.
Displayed alongside each cultivar is the endophyte present in the seed, so farmers can choose one that will provide protection to the plant against attack from pests common in their region.
Graham Kerr, an experienced pasture champion at another PBRA member company Barenbrug, urges farmers to dig deeper into the genetics of ryegrass just as they do when buying semen for dairy cows or rams for a ewe flock.
“The genetics of ryegrass is really important to the farm system and ryegrass should be treated no differently to animal genetics,” he says.
“The NFVT tables give farmers a great way to filter out a selection of cultivars and then they can investigate them further, talk to an expert perhaps, and look at some of the other useful information like flowering date, palatability, or feed value which are all controlled by genetics.”
Kerr says pasture is our key asset for fuelling every farm system. It not only drives profitability, but a recent study has confirmed it also has a big influence on greenhouse gas emissions.
He points to one of the findings from a recent 8000-farm study jointly funded by Fonterra, DairyNZ and Livestock Improvement Corporation which showed growing and consuming more home-grown feed improves farm emissions efficiency.
“And, that also drives profitability, so you can have your cake and eat it too!”
Kerr says ryegrass and white clover are key parts of the feed ‘jigsaw’ so it is important for farmers to put time into selecting the right options for their individual farm system and management.
“The NFVT tables are a great place to start if you’re thinking about which ryegrass cultivar to choose for your farm,” he says.
“The trials have been running for 34 years and, although we have a whole lot of competing companies involved, they test cultivars in the NVFTs for the good of the whole industry.”
About the NZ PBRA
The organisation represents plant breeders, intellectual property owners and managers of proprietary agricultural seed. The Association’s members are companies whose primary focus is the development and marketing of plant intellectual property through demonstrating the strength of research-proven standards of performance.
By investing in the development and supply of improved and innovative plant cultivars and endophytes to farmers, PBRA members contribute to the continued success of New Zealand’s world-leading agricultural sector.
For more information, contact the PBRA office on 03 349 8430.