Herbage production and utilization on Irish dairy farms is well below its potential. A number of factors influence herbage production and utilization, not least the level of annual reseeding (introduction of a new grass ley) on the farm. The potential farm performance is reduced by old permanent pasture due to the combined effects of reduced out-of-season herbage production and lower overall herbage yield when compared to perennial ryegrass. Based on the sales of grass seed, it is estimated that approximately 2% of the land area on dairy farms in Ireland is reseeded annually. This has created a situation where the overall percentage of perennial ryegrass in sward is low. The objective of the present study was to investigate the economic benefits of reseeding through simulating the consequences of reseeding different proportions of the farm on an annual basis. Four levels of an annual reseeding programme were evaluated: 1%, 5%, 10% and 15% of the farm reseeded annually; evaluated at three milk prices (20 c/L, 27c/L and 33 c/L). Increasing the level of reseeding resulted in an increase in total and seasonal herbage production and, when accompanied by an increased stocking rate, increased herbage utilization. At a milk price of 27 c/L, farm profitability was €20 764, €24 794, €30 073 and €33 515 on a 40 ha farm when 1%, 5%, 10% and 15%, respectively, of the farm was reseeded annually. Irrespective of milk price, increasing the level of reseeding had a positive effect on profitability and the highest gain was achieved at the highest milk price. Sensitivity analysis showed that sward persistency and, to a lesser extent, herbage utilization had significant effects on the benefit from reseeding.

Economic values were calculated for grass traits of economic importance in Irish grass-based ruminant production systems. Traits considered were those that had the greatest potential to influence the profitability of a grazing system. These were: grass dry matter (DM) yield in spring, mid-season and autumn, grass quality (dry matter digestibility; DMD), 1st and 2nd cut silage DM yield and sward persistency. The Moorepark Dairy Systems Model was used to simulate a dairy farm. Economic values were calculated by simulating the effect of a unit change in the trait of interest while holding all other traits constant. The base scenario involved a fixed herd size and land area (40 ha), and an annual DM yield of 13 t/ha. The economic values generated under the base scenario were: € 0.152/kg for DM yield in spring, € 0.030/kg for DM yield in mid-season and € 0.103/kg for DM yield in autumn; € 0.001, € 0.008, € 0.010, € 0.009, € 0.008 and € 0.006 per 1 g/kg change in DMD for the months of April to September, respectively; € 0.03/kg for 1st cut silage DM yield, € 0.02/kg for 2nd cut silage DM yield; and − € 4.961 for a 1 percent reduction in persistency. Alternative scenarios were examined to determine the sensitivity of the economic values to changes in annual DM yield, sward utilisation and a scenario where silage production was the focus of the system. The economic values were used to calculate a total merit index for each of 20 perennial ryegrass cultivars based on production data from a 3 year plot study. The rank correlation between the merit index values for the cultivars under the base scenario and the scenario involving a reduction in herbage utilisation was 1.0, while that with the scenario involving reduced annual DM yield was 0.94. It is concluded that the total merit index can be used to identify cultivars that can generate the greatest economic contribution to a grass-based production system, regardless of system or intensity of grass production.

The goal of plant breeding is to effectively and efficiently select for the best phenotypes leading to the development of improved cultivars. The objectives for this review are to describe and critically evaluate breeding methods appropriate to the improvement of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) in a long-term breeding programme. The optimum breeding system is dependent on the traits for improvement, and the available physical and human resources. Forage dry matter yield, persistency, disease resistance, nutritional value and seed yield are considered among the most important traits for improvement. Careful consideration should be given to the expression of the trait under the management regime imposed in the breeding programme and under real-world sward conditions in the target sowing region. Recurrent selection programmes for intrapopulation improvement are most appropriate for breeding perennial ryegrass. Three distinct types of recurrent selection may be implemented: (i) phenotypic recurrent selection, (ii) genotypic recurrent selection and (iii) marker-assisted selection. Genotypic recurrent selection will be a necessary part of the breeding system if forage yield is a trait for improvement. Genotypic recurrent selection may be practiced using full-sib or half-sib families, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Phenotypic recurrent selection in tandem (i.e., within-family selection) or in succession with genotypic recurrent selection should be used to improve traits that have a high-correlation between performance from spaced plants and from sward plots. Genome-wide selection represents the most interesting and exciting potential application of marker-assisted selection, although it remains to be seen how beneficial it will be in practice.

During the last 100 years, in Western Europe and elsewhere, considerable effort has been devoted to improving perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) for agriculture. The first persistent cultivars to be widely used were more digestible than other common pasture species but were no higher yielding than the better wild populations of perennial ryegrass. Two main approaches (here called mainstream breeding and population improvement) have been used to further improve the species for the UK, but no recent experiments to assess progress have been published. In 2006, two plot trials were established at IBERS to compare the performance of some newer cultivars and candidate varieties with the first persistent cultivars to be widely used in the UK. One trial involved comparing 10 intermediate-heading (6 diploid and 4 tetraploid) cultivars and candidate varieties with the intermediate-heading cv. Talbot, and the other involved comparing 11 late-heading (4 diploid and 7 tetraploid) cultivars and candidate varieties with the late-heading cv. S23. During 2007 to 2009, one silage cut and 6 other cuts were harvested each year, annual dry matter (DM) yields were determined and DM samples analysed for in vitro DM digestibility (DMD), water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and crude protein (CP) concentrations in the DM. Percentage ground covered by perennial ryegrass in November 2009 was estimated visually. Twenty of the 21 cultivars were significantly (12 to 38%) higher yielding, 15 were significantly (10 to 27 g/kg) higher in mean DMD, 15 were significantly (25 to 58 g/kg) higher in mean WSC and 7 (all diploids) were significantly higher in ground cover in autumn of the third harvest year than their respective control cultivars. There were no significant differences among the varieties in mean CP over all harvests. The newest intermediate-heading cultivar (the diploid Abermagic) produced 29% more DM, was 10 g/kg higher in DMD and 51 g/kg higher in WSC, and had significantly better ground cover at the end of the third harvest year than Talbot. The newest late-heading cultivar (the tetra-ploid Aberbite) produced 28% more DM than S23 and was 22 g/kg higher in DMD and 58g/kg higher in WSC, although it was similar to S23 for ground cover at the end of the third harvest year. Both of these new varieties were developed entirely or partly by population improvement at IBERS over 26 years (1980 to 2005). These results suggest that the rates of gain in DM yield under nitrogen-limiting conditions and in herbage WSC concentration from perennial ryegrass breeding can be improved by utilizing new technologies and better breeding strategies.