FAQ's on Ryegrass Endophytes

Read below for a range of frequently asked questions regarding endophytes in rygrass pastures.

Q. What is endophyte?

A. Endophyte is a fungus in perennial, long rotation and a few hybrid ryegrasses. It lives completely within the plant and is only visible under a microscope. Endophyte occurs naturally, and is found in many old pastures.

Q. Why is endophyte in ryegrass important?

A. Endophytes can protect plants from a range of insects and improve pasture persistence. They can also produce chemicals that affect animal health and performance.

You need to choose the right endophyte option for your situation before you sow a ryegrass pasture.

Q. If I sow this ryegrass with a particular endophyte, will it stay in the pasture?

A. When a ryegrass with an endophyte is sown, the resultant plants will always contain that particular endophyte. As long as the pasture lasts, the endophyte will be present for the life of the pasture.

Q. I've got an old pasture, probably the old Standard endophyte, how do I replace it with a new ryegrass/endophyte combination?

A. Make sure you kill off the old ryegrass pasture properly before sowing the new pasture. You can do this by spraying the paddock with Roundup/Glyphosate, and/or cultivating, or putting into crop e.g. Brassica before sowing back into new pasture.

Q. Will an endophyte transfer from plant to plant?

A. No – a ryegrass plant has the same endophyte for its lifetime.

Q. Do you get endophyte in hay or silage?

A. Endophyte is found in ryegrass seedheads. Usually there is no endophyte in silage as there is no mature seed heads present. Hay can contain endophyte if it contains ryegrass seed heads.

If purchasing hay it pays to find out what type of pasture it has been made from and if that pasture contains endophyte?