Effects of upland pastures sown with two contrasting Lolium perenne varieties on the performance of beef steers when compared to steers grazing permanent pastures

Abstract

Grazing experiments have shown that using a ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) variety bred by conventional techniques for high water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) concentrations can improve liveweight gain in pre-weaned lambs (Lee et al., 2001) and increase milk yields and reduce N excretion in dairy cows (Miller et al., 2001) compared to conventional ryegrass. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of using reseeded upland pastures, sown with either a ryegrass variety bred for elevated levels of WSC or a control ryegrass on the production performance of grazing steers when compared to steers grazing permanent ryegrass/white clover pastures.