Forages and pastures symposium: fungal endophytes of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass: pasture friend or foe?

Correlation of endophyte toxins (ergovaline and lolitrem B) with clinical disease: fescue foot and perennial ryegrass staggers.

Fescue foot, summer syndrome, reproductive problems, and ryegrass staggers are all diseases of livestock related to endophyte toxins in pasture grasses. Range finding experiments and case studies of fescue foot relative to ergovaline toxin found in endophyte infected tall fescue and lolitrem B present in endophyte infected perennial ryegrass were conducted. Within 42 d of initiating a feeding t...

Forages and pastures symposium: managing the tall fescue-fungal endophyte symbiosis for optimum forage-animal production.

Alkaloids produced by the fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) that infects tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.] are a paradox to cattle production. Although certain alkaloids impart tall fescue with tolerances to environmental stresses, such as moisture, heat, and herbivory, ergot alkaloids produced by the endophyte can induce fescue toxicosis, a malady that adversely a...

The Value of Regrassing with Improved Pasture Cultivars in Waikato

The pasture and animal productivity of established high producing pastures in the Waikato has been compared with newly sown pastures based on recently released herbage cultivars. The established pastures were a mixture of Nui perennial ryegrass, Paspalum dilatatum and Htiia white clover. The new cultivars tested were Ellett perennial ryegrass, Wana cocksfoot and Roa tall fescue, each sown with ...

Can pasture persistence be improved through the use of non- ryegrass species?

Recent discussion about pasture persistence concentrates on pastures based on perennial ryegrass, the most commonly used grass species. This paper raises the question as to whether some of the causes of poor pasture persistence are due to perennial ryegrass being used in environments to which it is not suited. The adaptation to environmental stresses, particularly water, temperature and nutrien...

Forages and pastures symposium: impact of fungal endophytes on pasture and environmental sustainability.