Sinclair McGill’s medium term grass seed mixture, Prosper, is showing its colours as a high yielding and high value grass seed mixture.
In Limagrain field trials, carried out from 2017 to 2020 at its UK Innovation site Prosper led the field for key yield and quality attributes when compared with other Sinclair McGill mixtures and two premium controls. This mixture has continued its success in 2020 and 2021 field trials, despite challenging growing conditions.
Top yield
Prosper had excellent performance when cut for silage with yields exceeding any other perennial ryegrass based mixture. Its dry matter yield was even higher yielding than the control short term mixture composed of Italian and Hybrid ryegrasses. A short term mixture is normally expected to surpass a medium term mixture in dry matter yield.
Four-year Mean Relative DM Yield (t/ha)
This mixture also had the highest sugar content (WSC %) among the mixtures on trial and a digestible fibre (dNDF) 2% above the long term mixture control. Prosper’s four year average mean metabolisable energy (ME) was the best in the group.
Top dry matter
In a grazing management situation, Prosper’s relative dry matter yield across the four years was significantly above the controls when cut under a simulated grazing regime. It also produced some of the best sugar, energy and digestible fibre results, similar to that of Sinclair McGill’s high quality grazing mixture Turbo.
Four-Year mean WSC (%) vs dNDF (%)
Best of both
Prosper is a dual purpose mixture comprising mid and late perennial ryegrasses and tetraploid ryegrass varieties. The mixture also includes white clover and, for Scotland and Northern Ireland, a small amount of Timothy. This combination of varieties at carefully formulated ratios makes the mixture ideal for grazing cattle and for conservation.
High yields and high feed value, particularly dNDF, combine to put Prosper ahead as a top dual purpose cutting and grazing mixture.
LGAN quality accreditation
Prosper carries Limagrain’s LGAN (LG Animal Nutrition) accreditation. This rubber-stamp confirms its yield and feed value. It reflects the merits of the individual varieties included in the mixture and their abilities to complement each other within the mixture.
The LGAN stamp is ‘proof’ that the mixture has met both agronomic and feed value benchmarks and that, through extensive trials, it has a track record for efficient production.
The ability to improve digestible fibre (dNDF) has been a key factor in selecting LGAN varieties and mixtures. Fibre is needed in the diet to maintain a healthy rumen, so increasing dietary dNDF improves feed efficiency.
In dairy cattle even a small increase in dNDF has been linked to improvements in both intakes and milk production. Similar performance advantages can be expected in increased intakes and liveweight gain in beef cattle.
LGAN PROSPER, dual purpose (Sinclair Mcgill)
- 58% Mid season perennial ryegrass including tetraploid varieties
37% Late perennial ryegrass including tetraploid variety
5% White clover blend
(Mixture for Scotland and Northern Ireland includes 7%Timothy – slightly lower quantities of ryegrasses)
Reseed – with quality
Grass swards are at their most productive in their first year. Dry matter yield and energy content of the grass will then decline year-on-year.
Limagrain’s latest grass trial results have confirmed this and have demonstrated the yield benefits of the younger sward, and of high quality grass seed mixtures verses a control.
These latest trial results, that show an average decrease in yield of nearly five tonnes per hectare – around 40% – from year one to year four reinforce the value, and cost-justification, of reseeding as part of good farm management.
Adding further value to the reseed is achieved by using high quality, top-performing mixtures that are identified in the trial.
More information
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