Festulolium (Festulolium spp.)

Description

Festulolium grass species are hybrids derived from crossings of the festuca family and the Lolium family species. While varieties are very diverse, the better varieties are similar to ryegrass in quality, palatability, and feed value, yet similar to fescues (meadow or tall, depending on parentage) in hardiness. Can be either diploid or tetraploid.

Strengths

High yielding under good fertility and moisture; quick establishing; better summer growth and winter hardiness than perennial ryegrass; grows especially well in the spring and produces palatable forage with high nutritive value similar to that of perennial ryegrass.

Limitations

Less heat tolerant than tall fescue and less winter hardy than other grasses; Lower yielding, less competitive with legumes, and later to mature than orchardgrass; difficult to cut with a sickle bar mower; slower to dry than other grasses.