Dargo Diploid Italian Ryegrass

We recommend Dargo diploid annual ryegrass, which has a proven ability to perform in shorter growing seasons and dry spring conditions. It's well adapted and grown from Esperance to Geraldton, with high winter and early spring yields. It establishes vigorously in autumn and early winter and suits a wide range of soils.

It can be. For Dargo, sow no deeper than 2cm, because small ryegrass seed has limited reserves and deeper placement slows emergence and weakens seedlings. Sow at 15-30 kg/ha plus clovers into a firm, moist seedbed, correct soil pH before sowing, and apply fertiliser at or after sowing.

With Dargo, we recommend starting rotational grazing from the 3-leaf stage, when plants are about 10-15cm, and leaving around 4cm of residue. That keeps enough leaf for rapid regrowth. If the paddock is wet, use lighter stock to avoid pugging and pulling plants out.

Dargo performs across a broad pH range of about 4.8 to 8 (CaCl2), although we recommend a pH of 5 or above for best results. Soil test and correct pH with lime before sowing. Dargo also tolerates mild salinity and suits sandy through to heavy soils.

Dargo has high tolerance to leaf rust, which helps keep feed quality up through the season. It's a consistent performer across a wide range of WA soils and climates, producing high-quality forage for grazing, silage and hay. For very humid, high-rainfall sites, our Amazon T is another strong rust-resistant option.

When you cut Dargo for silage or hay, apply fertiliser to replace the nutrients removed in the fodder, particularly nitrogen and potassium. This keeps regrowth strong for later grazing and protects paddock fertility. Dargo's early heading means cutting usually comes earlier than for later-maturing varieties.

We recommend sowing Dargo with clovers suited to your rainfall and soil, such as Dalkeith sub clover in shorter seasons or Seaton Park in medium rainfall. The clover fixes nitrogen and adds protein. Sow Dargo toward the lower end of its 15-30 kg/ha rate in a mix so the clover isn't crowded out.

Dargo tolerates mild salinity, so it can suit the better ground around the edge of a salt-affected area. It won't grow on bare scald, where we suggest Puccinellia instead. On mildly saline sandy to heavy soils, Dargo provides reliable winter and early spring feed for grazing.

Dargo suits areas from roughly the 400-450mm rainfall zone upward and is proven in shorter seasons from Esperance to Geraldton. It establishes quickly and finishes well in dry springs. As an annual it grows for one season, so resow each autumn. In ARGT-prone wheatbelt paddocks, talk to us about Safeguard.

Both are diploid annual ryegrasses with good rust tolerance. Dargo is early heading and proven in shorter seasons and dry springs from Esperance to Geraldton. Finefeed is fine-leafed, with high winter and spring yields, and suits higher-rainfall districts. Choose Dargo where the season is shorter and Finefeed where it runs longer.