New SRUC Grass and Clover Varieties launch

Barenbrug are delighted to announce the additions of four new varieties to the latest edition of the SRUC Grass and Clover Varieties for Scotland List 2020/2021. With the new additions, Barenbrug have bred 31 of the 1st choice varieties listed.

Joining the list are Strangford, an intermediate diploid perennial ryegrass, Ballyvoy, a late diploid perennial ryegrass, Gracehill, a late tetraploid perennial ryegrass and Baronaise, a timothy.

Strangford has an REE of 35 and provides large volumes of forage under both conservation and grazing management with a total cutting yield of 109% and Grazing yield of 111%. It is matched with excellent quality. Strangford provides very good early grazing and first cut yields making it a very important variety for Scottish grass and livestock producers.

Ballyvoy has an REE of 47 and provides excellent spring yields with a first cut of 111% and early spring grazing of 113%. Overall yields are particularly strong under cutting management with a total yield of 106%. Quality is also good, particularly under grazing (76.7D) and a first cut of 70.4.

Gracehill also has an REE of 47 and is a consistent performer for both cutting (101%) and grazing (103%). A first cut yield of 113% and 70D is followed by a 2nd cut of 103% and 73.5D and a 3rd cut of 103%. First cut D value is 70.8 and under grazing, the D value is 76.9.

Strangford, Ballyvoy and Gracehill all come from the highly successful British breeding programme partnership between Barenbrug and the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute in Northern Ireland (AFBI). Grass Breeder Dr Gillian Young comments: “These varieties are excellent all-around performers across the season, producing high annual yields of good quality grass under both grazing and silage management. Ballyvoy though, is particularly strong, topping its class for metabolizable energy yield per hectare under silage management whilst Strangford contributes high forage yields under either management. Ballyvoy, Strangford and Gracehill are outstanding varieties that will no doubt feature strongly in both cutting and grazing mixtures well into the future. Ballyvoy and Gracehill were also added to the English and Welsh Recommended List earlier this month too.”

The new Timothy addition Baronaise has an REE of 58 making it the latest heading variety in this limited group. The variety provides good overall yields under both management, grazing 109% and cutting average 103% with particularly good yields in the autumn and it has very good quality. Baronaise was bred in Barenbrug Holland by Marcel Van Nes at our breeding station based in Wolfheze, he comments “Baronaise was first crossed in 2004 and is a good improvement in yield and persistency. It will be an important variety across Northern Europe.”