Ryegrass

Aurora Alaguero & Fernando Diaz

Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is a perennial grass commonly used as forage for ruminants in temperate and subtropical climates. It is characterized by producing lots of good quality biomass with high nutritional value, with a high concentration of carbohydrates available to livestock.

The nutritional value of plants not only depends on inheritable traits inherent to each plant species, such as improved cultivars or genetic selection, but also their physiological response to environmental stimuli.

Fernando Diaz

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is a cool-season grass grown worldwide. Its high protein and water‐soluble carbohydrate (sugar) content makes this grass one of the most popular forage crop in the dairy industry, mainly in pasture production systems. Sugar content in perennial ryegrass varies markedly along the year, showing minimum values during early spring and maximum concentration during winter.