Summary
Endophytes are fungi which have evolved to live in harmony with grasses. They live inside the seed and plant, and produce natural compounds (alkaloids) which give sustainable, on-going pest protection to the grass sown. Endophytes greatly improve grass persistence, but can effect animal health.
How do they work?
When you sow ryegrass seed containing live endophyte, resultant plants will contain that endophyte strain. It stays inside the grass for the life of the plant. If you sow seed Without endophyte, those plants will never have endophyte. It does not transfer from plant to plant, or from soil to plant; it only transfers from plant to seed to plant.
Why are they important?
Endophytes enhance ryegrass yield and persistence. The fungi provide their host with grass with a level of insect control, so growing better and living much longer than grass without endophyte.
What’s in old pasture?
A great deal of the original ryegrass sown in New Zealand before 2000 contained Standard endophyte (SE), which depresses animal performance and frequently causes ryegrass staggers in summer and autumn.
Storing seed with endophyte
Endophytes are perishable, and die off in seed over time, faster than germination drops. So care is needed with how seed is stored. Sometimes ryegrass failure in a pasture can be tracked back to seed sown with low viable endophyte levels.
Behind the seed
PBRA companies take great care in testing all relevant seed for endophyte, and making sure it has a minimum live infection rate of 70% of seed. Seed Laboratories used by PBRA companies have undertaken comparative testing to ensure results are accurate. Companies use controlled temperature/humidity seed storage which keeps seed endophyte alive over time. This helps ensure the seed sent to retail stores has the best possible live endophyte levels.
Resellers
We work with resellers to use just-in-time delivery systems.
Storing on farm
Store seed in dry, cool conditions and ideally sow within 3-4 weeks of purchase. Seed carried over between seasons on-farm, is likely to lose its live endophyte. Many pasture failures with endophytes can be tracked down to seed sown with low viable endophyte levels.
Sowing new endophyte
Sowing a new endophyte takes planning and care, especially if you are changing from a pasture that contains grass weeds or ryegrass with the old, toxic Standard (SE) endophyte.
Limit reseeding
If autumn sowing new ryegrass, it is critical to prevent the paddock reseeding in the spring prior to sowing.
Summer crop
Is an ideal way of stopping spring reseeding, and giving a good kill of the old pasture.
In this situation a minimum of a double spray programme is required, where a good kill of plants is achieved on both occasions.
