Bestfor Plus Intermediate Tetraploid Ryegrass

Bestfor Plus offers high yields, excellent digestability and palatability. It's high feed value, fast growth and impressive digestibility levels encourage rapid weight gain on any livestock.

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Long-Lasting, Fast-Growing

Bestfor Plus is a "Lolium Hybridum", meaning that it grows fast like an annual or Italian ryegrass, but lasts longer than one year (usually 2-3 years). Typically Lolium Hybridums start thinning out rapidly after the third year.

Bestfor Plus establishes very quickly (germinates in 5-7 days!). If your experience is like ours, and independent researchers, you will find Bestfor Plus coming up after planting at an amazing rate. In the official university trials at Penn State in the fall of 2003, Bestfor Plus was literally two inches higher than all other entries after only two weeks of initial growth!

Endophyte LevelVery Low
Crude Protein16-20%
FDN47-50%
FDA27-29%
TDN60-75%

A High Energy Forage

Bestfor Plus is a tetraploid, meaning it has larger leaves and is more upright and open in its growth, making it useful for both grazing and mechanical harvesting. It is also very high in sugar content and considered a "high energy" forage. Bestfor Plus's impressive digestibility levels encourage rapid weight gain on any livestock.

Bestfor Plus' Yield and Forage Quality Data

Bestfor Plus is a specialty forage grass particularly useful in applications such as dairy and beef grazing operations. It has out-yielded many well known varieties, even though it is a multi-year ryegrass. In recent trials in Michigan and Kentucky, Bestfor Plus has shown its ability to be planted in the fall and out-produce many other varieties and species the first and second years.

Forage quality data from Penn State shows very impressive NDF numbers.

In Kentucky, Bestfor Plus had difficulty coming out of winter the first year, but still ended up with the highest tonnage for the year. The same is true for the second year.

Alabama

Winter Annual Ryegrass (Total DM/A)

Fairhope, AL

CultivarTotal Yield
Bestfor Plus8,355
Rio8,153
Hercules7,671
Gulf7,320
LSD717

Seeded in the Fall, cut 5 times between Jan. and May.

Kentucky

University of Kentucky

Ryegrass Trial (Tons DM/A)

Lexington, KY

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2005-2006

  Percent Stand   Total Yield  
CultivarSeedling Vigor3/15/0510/28/054/14/0610/17/06200520062-Yr
Bestfor Plus556363454.06.987.04*
Linn3.310099100963.82.656.44*
Amazon31009999983.822.366.19*
Bastion C-231009898883.362.355.70*
LSD0.40810.219.90.90.641.14

*Not significantly different from the highest numerical value in the column based on the LSD.

Seeded Sept 13th, 2004 (yield in tons/acre).

Michigan

Michigan State Univ. Exp. Station

Ryegrass Trial (Tons DM/A)

East Lansing, MI

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2004-2006

CultivarSpecies2006 Total2005 Total2004 Total3-Yr TotalWinter Injury
HarvesterOG4.444716.07*1
LidactaOG4.224715.50*1
RushmoreOG43.74714.91*1
CommandOG4.114714.43*1
Bestfor PlusIR42814.042
Jesup Max QTF3.94613.161
SpidolaPR3.263712.621.7
AlpineOG3.472.744.9211.133.9
MTV1PR3.152.836.5312.511
TetonTF3.253.515.7112.451
MatrixPR2.591.885.19.572.2
LSD--0.590.781.442.20.48

IR - Intermediate Rye, OG - Orchardgrass, PR - Perennial Ryegrass, TF - Tall Fescue

*Not significantly different from the highest numerical value in the column based on the LSD.

Fertilizer: 120 lbs N/a 46-0-0 at green up, 200 lbs N/a 34-0-0 after cut 1 and 2.

Seeded Aug 5th, 2003 on Conover loam, tile drained soil (yield in tons/acre).

Complete trial data available upon request.

Pennsylvania

Penn State University

Ryegrass Trial

Rock Springs, PA

  Tons DM/A Quality by NIR 
CultivarDate CutCut -1 YieldProteinADFNDF
Voyager1-Jun1.7212.331.757.8
Bestfor Plus1-Jun2.111.733.458.8
AberEcho1-Jun2.1611.234.359.2
AberDart1-Jun1.0212.232.758.9
Bargala6-Jun1.6311.632.260.7
Sierra26-May1.7712.831.161.4
Grand Daddy1-Jun1.8511.231.761.5
AberAvon6-Jun1.41234.261.6
Tetrelite II6-Jun2.971134.862.7
AberCraigs13-Jun1.3610.934.164.5
Barsprinter6-Jun1.911.333.565
Remmington13-Jun2.1911.633.965.6

Texas

Winter Annual Ryegrass Trial (Total DM/A)

Beaumont, TX

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1996-1997

CultivarTotal YieldPercent Crown Rust
Bestfor Plus5,4299%
Jumbo5,3988%
Rio5,2330
Gulf5,0336%
Tam 904,6560
LSD686--

Seeded in the Fall, cut 10 times between Nov. and May.

Rust Resistance and Winter Hardiness

Bestfor Plus was bred for improved rust resistance and increased winter hardiness* over other Lolium Hybridums.

*Although improvements have been made, Bestfor Plus should only be planted with the knowledge that it may be severely damaged if sufficient snow cover does not exist, especially in regions where open winters are a possibility.

Enhance Your Seed

We provide an array of seed enhancements, including bio stimulants, macro and micronutrients, water absorbents, fungicides, and colorants. These are available for all seed types and uses.

Planting Instructions

Seeding Rate

New Pastures
30-50 lbs/ac
Overseeding
10–15 lbs/ac

Planting Dates

Early spring and fall.

Planting Map

Planting Depth

1/8 - 3/8"

Optimal pH

5.0 - 8.0

Germination

5 - 10 days