HF Seeds England - dlf-trifolium

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Grass and Fodder Crops A D V A N C E D G R A S S E S T M Throughout its long history HF has been renowned for innovation in grass seed technology from the introduction of Tetraploids in the early 1970’s right through to HF’s most recent advances in over-seeding and the development of both the unique TRIPLE CROWN quality assessment system and the revolutionary iSeed ® 50. Following several years of extensive trial work in conjunction with its parent company DLF Trifolium, HF Seeds is once again leading the way with the introduction of a new range of Advanced Grasses TM which has been developed by crossing traditional Italian Ryegrasses with both Meadow Fescue and Tall Fescue. Although the idea of crossing fescues (Festuca) and ryegrass (Lolium) is not new, the crossing of improved modern varieties has produced a species (Festulolium) which combines the best characteristics of ryegrass and fescue and which has unique properties not found in any other species. Three new Advanced Grasses TM are included in the 2013 HF mixture range LOFA As an Advanced Hybrid Ryegrass, LOFA has the most general appeal for extensive use within UK grass mixtures. Behaving like a Hybrid Ryegrass but with very fast establishment, high yields, excellent stress tolerance and disease resistance, it is an ideal component in 3 – 5 year mixtures and particularly suitable as a companion grass for Red Clover. HYBRID RYEGRASS ITALIAN RYEGRASS TALL FESCUE PERUN PERUN is a variety of Advanced Italian Ryegrass but with much better persistence, stress tolerance and disease resistance than conventional varieties of Italian. It is very high yielding with a high sugar content and excellent early spring growth making it an ideal component in short to medium term cutting mixtures. With its growth characteristics PERUN is also a suitable companion grass for Red Clover. A summary of performance data of the three varieties is shown below HYKOR Tall Fescue is extremely drought tolerant and consequently is used in hot dry countries as a forage species. In the UK the Advanced Tall Fescue TM variety HYKOR with its improved tolerance of general stress and very dry conditions offers a unique solution for drought conditions and could be considered as an alternative to Cocksfoot offering significantly better yields and higher quality. Yield % Sugar % Protein ME D-Value t DM/ha Content Content MJ/kg DM LOFA Advanced TM Hybrid Ryegrass 21.69 12.0 21.9 11.3 71.1 PERUN Advanced TM Italian Ryegrass 19.24 12.2 22.4 11.4 71.6 Tetraploid Intermediate Perennial Ryegrass 17.37 12.1 24.8 11.4 71.9 HYKOR Advanced TM Tall Fescue 17.63 10.4 22.5 11.4 71.4 Tall Fescue 16.37 12.5 19.8 11.4 71.6 Data from Didbrook Fields, DLF Trifolium’s UK trial centre The Advanced Grasses TM are very high yielding and are ideal companion grasses for clover 8
Grass and Fodder Crops T R I P L E C R O W N Right from the very beginning of the HF brand in the 1960’s, HF Seeds recognised the importance of using the very best varieties in terms of yield, forage quality and feed value and that a variety’s overall performance depended on a combination of many different characteristics. This total quality philosophy has kept HF Seeds at the forefront of variety evaluation techniques and has led to the introduction of many new quality assessment methods over the years. With rapidly escalating costs the value of grazed and conserved grass becomes even more important but despite this recent statistics have shown that milk from forage has declined from an average 2800 litres in 2004 to only 1980 litres in 2012. The aim of HF Seeds is to ensure that livestock farmers get the very best varieties of grass which are selected on their overall performance rather than on one or two characters in isolation. HF mixtures are designed to achieve the following objectives. n n n To maximise meat and milk production by ensuring the feed from grass forms an even more nutritious and digestible part of a ruminant’s diet To enhance the field performance of a sward in terms of disease resistance, persistency and grazing properties To increase sward yield and dry matter production per hectare The use of the very latest technology in the analysis and measurement of the individual factors influencing variety performance has allowed HF Seeds to introduce TRIPLE CROWN, a unique and sophisticated total quality assessment system measuring the feed, field and yield parameters of individual grass varieties. The individual characteristics measured within each of the three parameters are FEED PERFORMANCE Varieties are assessed for their performance in each of the most important feeding parameters n n n n Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) Cell Wall Digestibility Crude Protein Water Soluble Carbohydrate FIELD PERFORMANCE Varieties are assessed for their performance in each of the most important agronomic parameters n n n n Disease Resistance Winter Hardiness Sward Density and Persistency Stems in Regrowth YIELD PERFORMANCE Varieties are assessed for their performance in each of the most important production parameters n n n Total Dry Matter Yield Seasonal Dry Matter Yield Total Energy Yield Two of the key feed performance indicators used in TRIPLE CROWN are Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) and Cell Wall Digestibility. NDF is the slowly digestible part of carbohydrates in plants and recent pioneering research work in rumen health and performance has shown that the overall NDF content and its digestibility is of much more importance than quickly digested sugars or Water Soluble Carbohydrates. Nutritionists now recommended that dairy cows require a minimum of 27 – 30% NDF in the ration dry matter and that 70 – 80% of this should come from forage. Consequently where cows are receiving high levels of concentrates, a high NDF concentration in the forage component of the diet becomes even more important. High NDF Content • Is important for rumen health and performance • Improves digestion and utilisation of nutrients • Stimulates rumen function, stabilises pH and has a positive effect on the digestion process High NDF Digestibility • Increases the amount of forage metabolised by the rumen micro-organisms • Adds around 1 /4 litre of milk per cow per day for each 1% increase in digestibility Once a variety’s performance in each of the feed, field and yield criteria has been assessed, only those varieties with exceptional performance are awarded TRIPLE CROWN status. By using the TRIPLE CROWN system HF Seeds has been able to go beyond the quality assessments used to produce UK Recommended Lists and has been able to identify the ‘best of the best’ and to include these exceptional varieties in the 2013 mixture range. 9
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HF Seeds England - dlf-trifolium

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