Süt Otu

Annual (Westerwold) ryegrass, or Italian ryegrass, is generally a plant that lives for one year, occasionally two. The stems may be erect, prostrate or semi-prostrate, and the plant can produce stems 100–125 cm tall. While the stems of perennial ryegrass are slightly flattened, those of Italian ryegrass are round. The leaves are dark green and glossy. The clear distinction between annual Italian ryegrass and perennial (English) ryegrass is that the inner glume of Italian ryegrass carries an awn while that of perennial ryegrass does not.

Annual ryegrass makes a very good short-term pasture. Thanks to its rapid development it also allows early grazing on permanent pastures. Sown together with winter cereals it forms an excellent mixture for short-term pasture, helping to extend the grazing season. It is also suitable for short-term pasture laid out for free-ranging poultry. It is used in mixtures as well as sown alone. Annual ryegrass is also valuable in feeding dairy cows. The plant can further be used for soil improvement, for preventing erosion, for silage production, as a park and green-area plant, and for seed production. It is especially suitable for soil improvement on land with poor fertility, because it develops an extensive root system that accumulates large amounts of organic matter and improves the physical structure of the soil.

It can be sown alone or blended with meadow and pasture seed; either way it gives quality feed and high yield. A proven annual ryegrass variety with high dry-matter content at first cut. Because it develops very fast and produces abundant leaves, it can be used for soil improvement, as green manure and to prevent soil erosion. It extends the grazing season and is highly effective in feeding dairy cows.

The variety performs strongly, with high dry-matter content in every cut of the year. Its rust resistance is good, making it a strong candidate for feed production under all climate conditions and frequent cutting.