Lolium perenne
Description
Morphology
Medium sized perennial grass (40-80 cm), smooth and glossy leaves, tufted, dark green colour. Leaves have folded vernation, will develop long, flat limbs with shiny inferior side. Auricles are rather small. Upright stems are often reddish at the base. The inflorescence is unbranched, with spikelets on alternating sides carrying 5 to 7 florets without awns per spikelet. Grains are coated in lemma with a TKW from 1.8 to 2 g. This is a cross-pollinating species, diploid at 2n=14. Some varieties are tetraploid (2n=28).
Geography
Culture
Chemical Composition
| In % | Water | Nitrogen | Fat | Soluble carbohydrates | Fibrous carbohydrates | Ashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forage: green | ||||||
| Forage: hay |
Usage
Techniques
| Seedlings | Period | Spacing | Depth | Amount sown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In rows | – cm | – cm | – kg/ha |
| In q/ha | In green | In hay | In grain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yield | 0-0 | 0-0 | – |
Agronomic characteristics
Benefits
- Easy and quick establishment
- Very good adaptation to pasture
- High palatability
- Wide range of varieties for precocity conferring upon it a wide climatic adaptation
- Good adaptation to association with white clover for pasture use
Limitations
- Requires fertilisation
- Difficulty to mow
- Sensitivity to drought
- Does not grow in warm conditions (> 25°C).