Safeguard Diploid Annual Ryegrass

We recommend Safeguard, the only commercially available ARGT-resistant ryegrass, as a biological control. It resists the seed-gall nematode that carries the toxic bacterium, so replacing susceptible ryegrass with Safeguard helps break the cycle. Run it as a 2-3 year program, and use only certified Safeguard seed, because non-certified seed is likely to be susceptible.

Yes. Research by UWA, CSIRO and Agriculture WA found sheep can be affected by ARGT for six months of the year with no visible signs, with wool volume down 22% and staple length down 10%. Sowing our Safeguard ARGT-resistant ryegrass helps reduce that hidden risk for sheep and younger or lighter cattle.

Growing Safeguard ARGT-resistant ryegrass reduces the risk of toxic ryegrass in your paddocks, lowering the chance of export hay rejection. Cutting for hay is also a recognised ARGT management option. Prepare the paddock the year before by running down ryegrass seed reserves, and sow only certified Safeguard seed.

Safeguard ryegrass is promoted as a crop disease break option for take-all and cereal cyst nematode, while also controlling ARGT, which makes it a useful pasture phase in wheatbelt rotations. Talk to us about fitting it into your program, as grass weed and disease management need planning across several seasons.

Start the year before sowing Safeguard by cutting ryegrass seed reserves with herbicide, hay cutting or heavy grazing. In the sowing year, cultivate and spray emerging ryegrass seedlings, then sow. Leave a small unsown test strip so you can monitor background ryegrass, and aim for a heavy Safeguard seed set in year one.

Sow Safeguard shallow or on the surface using harrows or a triple-disc seeder, and never sow it deep. The minimum rate is 8 kg/ha, with higher rates suited to better-rainfall areas. It performs on soils from light sand through to heavy, with a pH of about 5.0 or above.

With Safeguard, remove stock from about early September, as it heads in early October and needs a heavy seed set to regenerate. Before then, graze rotationally, keeping it at around 10-15cm. Good seed set in year one is what lets Safeguard persist and crowd out susceptible ryegrass over a 2-3 year program.

Safeguard is a very early maturing diploid bred out of Wimmera, so it heads and sets seed before the season finishes. It suits wheatbelt areas and light to heavy soils, tolerates mild salinity and delivers excellent winter yields with vigorous leafy growth. It also gives you ARGT resistance.

Safeguard was bred out of Wimmera but carries resistance to the nematode that spreads annual ryegrass toxicity, which ordinary Wimmera lacks. Safeguard is also very early flowering and produces significantly more dry matter than Wimmera. If ARGT is a risk on your farm, choose Safeguard; otherwise Wimmera remains a traditional wheatbelt annual.

Safeguard suits the wheatbelt and other lower-rainfall areas, from roughly the 350-400mm zone upward, and in higher-rainfall areas it can be sown at higher rates. Its very early maturity helps it set seed before the season finishes, which is critical for regeneration and ARGT control.