Issue 5 - Nitrogen in Perennial Ryegrass Seed Crops

Micronutrients are essential trace elements required by plants in very small quantities (mg/kg dry matter). They are critical for normal plant growth, development, and reproduction. Find out more about micronutrients here.

This Arable Extra covers tips for spring nutrient requirements including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur and magnesium. 

This fact sheet outlines the differences between urea, urease inhibitors, polymer coated urea (PCU), nitrification inhibitors, calcined ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate or sulphate of ammonia and compound fertilisers.

If you couldn't make it to this year's early spring field walks check out the booklet here.

Row spacing is an important management strategy in white clover (Trifolium repens) seed crops. Stolons grow outward from the crown of the plant into the space between rows. Nodes produced along the stolon bear either vegetative axillary growth (e.g. a branch) or a reproductive leaf-flower combination. The more nodes that are produced per stolon, and subsequently per unit area, the greater opportunity for flower production and thereby seed yield. In theory, wider row spacing should produce more flowers/m2 due to more space for stolon proliferation.

Plantain has become an increasingly important component of pasture seed mixes, driven in part by heightened environmental concerns regarding nitrate leaching from grazed pastoral systems. Nitrogen (N) fertiliser management is widely regarded as the principal agronomic lever for increasing plantain seed yield, especially in environments with low inherent soil fertility. This project aims to improve the agronomy of plantain seed production by identifying optimal biological and economic N application rates.

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is the main ryegrass species grown for seed in New Zealand, supporting both pasture and turf markets. Canterbury leads production, with around 12,000 ha sown annually. This study pulls together results from ten Canterbury field trials to assess how different fungicide programmes and timings affect seed yield. It compares early versus late applications and offers practical advice to help growers improve rust control and maximise returns.

Catch up on the booklet for the white clover seminar held April 2026. 

Welcome to the autumn 2026 edition of From the Ground Up. 

Sometimes, the only way to bring in a crop is to harvest in conditions that are less than ideal. If you find yourself in this situation, it’s a good idea to think about your combine settings to help reduce losses and prevent unnecessary breakdowns. This Technical Update  covers some of the key points for getting the job done .