Description
‘Virazón’ perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), a grazing-type tetraploid cultivar, was developed by the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) in Uruguay as a part of the Joint Venture with PGG Wrightson Seeds and Grasslands Innovation Limited and commercially available since 2021. ‘Virazón’ was developed after 6 cycles of selection from crosses with cultivar Horizon from New Zealand based on climate adaptation, dry matter production, vigor, rust resistance, seed yield, and persistence under Uruguayan conditions. The aim was to obtain a perennial ryegrass with 3 years of consistent production. ‘Virazón’ was evaluated in forage yield trials in comparison with commercial varieties at different locations and additionally, it was tested at the Dairy Unit of INIA La Estanzuela under grazing conditions and is being validated on farms in different regions and production systems of Uruguay. Forage yields of ‘Virazón’ have been 20% greater than cultivar Horizon across 3-year evaluations with 70% persistence at the end of the third year and were consistently at least 35% superior to the rest of the evaluated cultivars. ‘Virazón’ has shown broad adaptation to Uruguayan environmental conditions, with improved persistence compared with the introduced cultivars, and remarkable forage yield. On farm trials showed great performance with excellent complementarity with legumes, adaptation to different soil types and limitating conditions like flooding or high summer temperatures.
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Perennial Ryegrass ‘Virazón’, a New Cultivar for Warm Temperate Areas in Uruguay and South America.
‘Virazón’ perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), a grazing-type tetraploid cultivar, was developed by the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) in Uruguay as a part of the Joint Venture with PGG Wrightson Seeds and Grasslands Innovation Limited and commercially available since 2021. ‘Virazón’ was developed after 6 cycles of selection from crosses with cultivar Horizon from New Zealand based on climate adaptation, dry matter production, vigor, rust resistance, seed yield, and persistence under Uruguayan conditions. The aim was to obtain a perennial ryegrass with 3 years of consistent production. ‘Virazón’ was evaluated in forage yield trials in comparison with commercial varieties at different locations and additionally, it was tested at the Dairy Unit of INIA La Estanzuela under grazing conditions and is being validated on farms in different regions and production systems of Uruguay. Forage yields of ‘Virazón’ have been 20% greater than cultivar Horizon across 3-year evaluations with 70% persistence at the end of the third year and were consistently at least 35% superior to the rest of the evaluated cultivars. ‘Virazón’ has shown broad adaptation to Uruguayan environmental conditions, with improved persistence compared with the introduced cultivars, and remarkable forage yield. On farm trials showed great performance with excellent complementarity with legumes, adaptation to different soil types and limitating conditions like flooding or high summer temperatures.
