Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
1984, 44: 181-184
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
1984, 44: 181-184
The close association of the endophyte with the present of lolitrems, potent neurotoxic tremorgens previously isolated from staggers-producing pasture samples, further incriminated the endophyte in the occurrence of ryegrass staggers.
Subsequent lamb grazing trials on plots sown with lines of either high- or low-endophyte ryegrass seed confirmed that adequate intakes of short- grazed ryegrass material readily produced ryegrass staggers in all lambs grazing the endophyte-infected plots but there was little or no disease on low-endophyte plots identically grazed.
The trials also revealed that the spring-sown high-endophyte ryegrass plots had considerable drought resistance and persistence when compared with low-endophyte plots. The infected swards were found to be highly resistant to Argentine stem weevil attack and a significant insect- feeding deterrent factor has since been detected in endophyte-infected ryegrass.
A subsequent sheep grazing trial was indicated that plots sown in autumn with fungicide-treated seed to control endophyte and then conservatively grazed in the first year subsequently gave good production and also provided excellent protection from ryegrass staggers.
Keywords: NZSAPAB; Ryegrass staggers; Lolium endophyte; lolitrems; Argentine stem weevil; mycotoxic disease; neurotoxins; perennial ryegrass; insect resistance of pastures; tremorgens; pasture persistence
