Italian Ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) (annual ryegrass)
Characteristics
- Yield based on 2 harvests/season
- Seeds/pound: 227,000
- Seeding rate: 15-20 lbs pure live seed/acre
- Seeding date: early spring
- May survive winter in mixture with alfalfa if consistent snow cover
- Green manure or short-term cover crop
Advantages
- very good quality possible
- easy to establish, rapid growth rate
Concerns
- not a perennial crop in NYS, will not persist
- poor drought and heat tolerance
- not well suited to poorly-drained soils
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