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THE FESTULOLIUM EFFECTPERUN AND PERSEUSwith HAPPE and EDGE endophytes

9. MULTI-PURPOSE.Perun and Perseus can fulfill many roles. They are highly successful at lamb finishing, growing cattle, wintering animals and lambing, and can be grazed in several different ways.

10. OUTSTANDING TOLERANCE TO DRY SUMMERS.Their meadow fescue influence gives Perun and Perseus impressive tolerance to heat and drought, while an extra long tap root enables them to access moisture deeper in the ground.

11. TOLERANT OF WET AND HEAVY SOILS.Meadow fescue genetics again play a part in allowing Perun and Perseus to thrive in heavier soils found in most regions of New Zealand.

12. ENABLES PROLIFIC CLOVER GROWTH.Perun and Perseus are not overly dense grasses, which means they allow plenty of clover to come through. The extra clover content adds to the high feed value of Perun and Perseus pastures and is one of the contributing factors to rapid growth rates in lambs.

“Having a grass that extends our growing season and increases growth on the shoulder of the season is a real game changer for us.” Tony Buckingham

SOWING RECOMMENDATIONS.- Perun and Perseus have large seeds; sowing rates should be higher than for normal ryegrass pastures.

- Can be drilled or broadcast into cultivated ground, or sprayed and direct drilled.

GRAZING RECOMMENDATIONS.- Perun and Perseus are simpler and more flexible than crops.

- They can be rotationally grazed, especially for first grazing, and then lightly set stocked.

HOW TO MAXIMISE PADDOCK PERFORMANCE OF PERUN.- Select fertile paddocks.

- Apply N-based fertiliser several times a year.

- Establish with red clover and/ or white clover.

- For thinned out pastures, undersow Perun or Perseus at 18kg/ha.

HAPPE ENDOPHYTENOW AVAILABLE WITH PERUN FESTULOLIUMHappe is the first meadow fescue endophyte to be successfully combined with a ryegrass cultivar in New Zealand.

It is the ultimate endophyte for enhancing animal performance:

- Provides tolerance to porina, black beetle, Argentine stem weevil, root aphid, pasture mealy bug.

- Has no detrimental effect on animal health or performance.

- Increases yield and persistence in pasture.

- No reduction in palatability has been observed.

EDGE ENDOPHYTENOW AVAILABLE WITH PERSEUS FESTULOLIUM.Edge is the safe, cost-effective endophyte option:

- Provides tolerance to black beetle, Argentine stem weevil, root aphid, pasture mealy bug.

- Does not cause ryegrass staggers.

- Improves pasture persistence for increased availability of high quality feed.

If you’re a farmer in the upper North Island, you probably won’t be familiar with Perun and Perseus festuloliums. Up until now, they haven’t been available with an endophyte option, so have largely been concentrated in South Island pastures not prone to insect attack.Following the recent launch of Happe and Edge, a groundbreaking new generation of novel endophytes, farmers in the north can now experience the kind of animal and pasture performance from our festuloliums that their Southern counterparts have been seeing for some time.

Growing pasture is one thing, but growing pasture that animals love and which performs all year round is quite another. Read on to discover what Perun and Perseus (now with endophyte) can do for your farm, and how you too can achieve spectacular animal and pasture growth, with greatly enhanced animal safety and tolerance to pasture pests.

PERUN AND PERSEUS FESTULOLIUMSSPEED OUT OF THE BLOCKS AND EXCELLENT ANIMAL PRODUCTION.As festuloliums, Perun and Perseus combine the explosive establishment, winter growth and quality of an Italian ryegrass with the extra persistence and tolerance to drought of a meadow fescue. They thrive in a diverse range of environments, from high country to the coast, to deliver outstanding animal performance.

When it comes to quality and quantity needed for beef and lamb finishing, as well as high production dairying, Perun and Perseus deliver the type of performance you would normally expect from more specialised crops.

12 REASONS WHY PERUN AND PERSEUS ARE THE NO.1 LOW COST, HIGH PRODUCTION PASTURE OPTIONS.1. ANIMALS GROW FAST.Both grasses are highly palatable, easily digestible and deliver exceptional feed quality. This means animals consume more of the energy and protein needed every day for rapid weight gain or milk production.

2. HEALTHY, CLEAN ANIMALS.Significant reduction in scouring amongst animals grazing Perun and Perseus is an indication of their balanced feed properties for rumen health and the efficient conversion of pasture to animal growth. Less scouring in lambs means reduced dagging costs and better presentation to processors.

3. SIMPLE TO ESTABLISH AND MANAGE.Perun and Perseus are grasses, so their establishment and management are not complicated. They can be established in a number of ways (including spray drilling) at different times of year, and can be rotationally grazed or set stocked.

4. EASY, LOW COST WEED CONTROL.Weeds do not establish in Perun or Perseus pasture as readily as they do in some forage crops (e.g. chicory, plantain, rape), and they are simple and economical to control. Even problem weeds, including thistles, are easy to manage. This is helpful in preparing cleaner ground for perennial pastures in the future.

5. THEY ARE NOT ONE-YEAR WONDERS. Perun and Perseus last around three years, so once established they generate benefits up to six times longer than some forage crops. For the same amount of land planted each year, they will provide three times as much finishing area on the farm at any point in time. This allows more of your animals to achieve maximum liveweight gain.

6. EXCELLENT FOR UNDERSOWING. Perun and Perseus are ideal for restoring thinned out pastures where cropping or establishing new perennial pasture are not an option. They will produce large amounts of high quality feed for 2-3 years.

7. LOWER INPUT COSTS.Crops that are more expensive to prepare and establish are also more costly to maintain because they need specialised herbicides and grazing management. Perun and Perseus are simply established by spraying old pasture and direct drilling, and then maintained with standard pasture fertilisers and herbicides.

8. PRODUCTIVE ALL YEAR ROUND. Some crops have distinct seasons of growth and cannot carry many animals outside the summer/ autumn period. Like most grasses, Perun and Perseus grow throughout the year, so are useful options for carrying animals over winter as well as being high production pastures for lambing.

Gavin Milne Forage Technical Manager Ph: 021 413 602

Martin Johnson National Forage Manager Ph: 021 522 173

Rob Campbell Sales Manager Upper South Island Ph: 021 841 339

Jeremy Fraser Sales Manager Lower South Island Ph: 029 201 0075

PERUN FESTULOLIUM with HAPPE endophyte and PERSEUS FESTULOLIUM with EDGE endophyte are available from your rural reseller.For more information, visit dlfseeds.co.nz or talk with one of our DLF Seeds sales team.

DLF Seeds Limited. Head Office: Ph +64 3 982 7333 admin@dlfseeds.co.nz | www.dlfseeds.co.nz