Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), also called English ryegrass, is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass native to Europe, temperate Asia, and North Africa. It is widely distributed throughout the world, including North and South America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Perennial ryegrass is important in forage/ livestock systems. High palatability and digestibility make this species highly valued for dairy and sheep forage systems. As a result, it often is the preferred forage grass in temperate regions of the world. Characteristics include: • High yield potential • Fast establishment • Suitability for reduced-tillage renovation • Use on heavy and waterlogged soils In the United States, perennial ryegrass is used for forage predominately in the coastal Northwest, irrigated intermountain valleys of the West, the Midwest, and Northeast. Perennial ryegrass can behave as an annual, short-lived perennial, or perennial, depending on environmental conditions. It resembles annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), although perennial ryegrass has more leaves in lower parts of the plant canopy, its collar and blade are more narrow, and lemmas are awnless. Figure 1.—Perennial ryegrass plant. stem (culm) inflorescence