Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass

Late heading, big producer into winter and spring

Lolium multiflorum Lam.

In stockDownload tech sheet

Persistent under heavy grazing pressure with quality feed in spring and early summer. Recovers well from heavy grazing and holds its quality for a lot longer. Ideal for areas where periodic winter waterlogging occurs. Good variety for silage and hay if planted in early autumn.

Key attributes

  • Late flowering holds quality later in the season
  • Thrives under irrigation and high rainfall
  • Recovers well from heavy grazing
  • Tolerates temporary waterlogging
  • Can persist into a second year
  • Suits all livestock, hay and silage

About this variety

Amass is a tetraploid Italian ryegrass bred for fast seedling establishment and higher winter yields, at the point in the year when feed is most needed and hardest to come by.

Its later heading date is what holds the package together. Because it is slow to run to head, Amass keeps quality well past the point where earlier flowering ryegrasses have gone to stem. In its second year, Italian ryegrasses of this type flower late enough to match vegetative growth to soil moisture that is still there, sometimes into early December. Flowering is what costs a grass its digestibility, since the plant lays down fibre to hold up a seed head, so late flowering and retained quality are the same trait seen from two sides.

The plant tolerates temporary waterlogging and shows good heat tolerance through the warmer months. Under favourable conditions it will carry into a second year rather than finishing as a one-season crop.

Amass is a low cost way to lift production in an existing dairy pasture, undersown to add winter and spring bulk. It suits irrigated country, districts that get summer rainfall events, or areas that can expect late spring rain, and it produces high quality grazing and silage as well as hay.

Planting & grazing notes

It can tolerate temporary waterlogging and recovers well from heavy grazing. Recovers well from heavy grazing and holds its quality for a lot longer, as it won’t go to head when planted in spring. Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass will produce high quality grazing and silage and where managed appropriately can provide excellent high-quality pasture for up to two years.

Disease & pest resistance

Not specifically stated

Stand life

May persist into second year under favourable conditions; second-year growth flowers late (up to early December). Amass exhibits good heat tolerance in the warmer months and under favourable conditions it will persist into the second year. Second year of growth, Italian ryegrasses will flower late in the season, matching more vegetative growth to suitable soil moisture (e.g. up to early December).

How it's sold

FormPackStatus
Bare25 kgIn stock
Amass Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass

FAQs

What can I undersow into my dairy pasture to boost winter feed?

We recommend Amass tetraploid Italian ryegrass, which is ideal for undersowing into dairy pastures. It was bred for fast seedling establishment and higher winter yields, and its later heading holds feed quality later into the season. It suits 600mm+ rainfall or irrigation and may persist into a second year.

Can I sow ryegrass in spring under a pivot for summer feed?

Yes, Amass can be sown in spring where conditions suit, and it won't head in its first season when spring sown, so it holds quality for longer. It has good heat tolerance and thrives under irrigation. Sow it with clovers and graze rotationally to keep it leafy.

How much ryegrass seed per hectare for an irrigated dairy paddock?

For Amass under irrigation, we recommend 25-35 kg/ha plus clovers. In high-rainfall dryland paddocks, drop to 20-25 kg/ha plus clovers. Sow shallow into a firm, moist seedbed and apply fertiliser at sowing based on a soil test. Use the higher rates where you want a dense stand for silage.

Which ryegrass copes with heavy grazing pressure from dairy cows?

Amass is persistent under heavy grazing pressure and recovers well, holding its quality longer than many ryegrasses. It gives quality feed through spring and early summer. Rotational grazing still gets the best from it, letting plants rebuild leaf between grazings.

What ryegrass will survive periodic winter waterlogging in high-rainfall country?

Amass is ideal for areas where periodic winter waterlogging occurs, and it tolerates mildly acidic soils. It suits sandy to heavy soils with a pH of 5 or above, in 600mm+ rainfall districts or under irrigation. Combine it with a waterlogging-tolerant clover for a more productive wet-paddock pasture.

I want to make silage from a ryegrass that can carry into a second year, what should I use?

Amass is a good choice for silage and hay when planted in early autumn, and it may persist into a second year under favourable conditions. In the second year it flowers late, up to early December, which extends the window for quality feed. Fertilise after each cut to support regrowth.

Is there a ryegrass that handles heat at the start and end of the season?

Amass has good heat tolerance, which helps with warm conditions at sowing and toward the end of the season. That suits irrigated or summer-rainfall paddocks where it can keep producing into early summer. It is also persistent under heavy grazing and holds its quality well.

What should I sow with a tetraploid Italian ryegrass on a dairy?

We recommend sowing Amass with clovers, such as Haifa White Clover or Red Clover under irrigation, or a suitable sub clover in high-rainfall dryland. Clovers fix nitrogen and lift protein for milking cows and other stock. Adjust the ryegrass rate so the clover has room to establish.

Does Amass ryegrass really last two years?

Amass may persist into a second year where conditions are favourable, such as under irrigation or in higher-rainfall areas with summer or late-spring moisture. In drier paddocks it is more likely to behave as an annual. Oversowing into older pastures in autumn is a common way to use it.

Amass vs Hypa ryegrass, which suits a longer-term pasture?

Amass is a tetraploid Italian ryegrass that may last up to two years, suited to 600mm+ rainfall or irrigation. Hypa is a tetraploid hybrid bred from 75% perennial and 25% Italian genetics for greater persistence, and is rated for 650mm+ rainfall. Choose Amass for short-term high output and Hypa for a longer-lived pasture.