Italian ryegrass

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) is a biennial plant from the grass family (Poaceae). In mild winters, the grass can also remain standing for longer periods.

The plant grows to a height of 30 to 120 cm, and its smooth stems stand upright. The grass can be sown both in spring and autumn. Italian ryegrass can be cultivated on virtually all types of soil. Ryegrasses have moderate drought sensitivity and therefore prefer well-moistened soil.

In the Netherlands, Italian ryegrass is primarily used for mowing because it forms less turf compared to English ryegrass. It is also popular as a grass cover crop due to its rapid initial growth and biomass formation. Italian ryegrass increases the number of harmful nematodes, including Meloidogyne Chitwoodi/fallax and Pratylenchus Penetrans. If these nematodes can cause problems in subsequent crops, choose multiresistant oilseed radish for M. Chitwoodi or Japanese oats EXITO for P. Penetrans.