Ermelo
A tufted perennial
Eragrostis Curvula is one of the most useful pastures, especially in the Highveld because it is easy to establish and invariably grows well even on poor soils. Outstanding acid soil tolerance. A relatively short summer grazing period. It starts growing early in spring but does not produce much bulk until early summer.
The great ease with which this grass can be established on virtually any soil type, accounts for the tremendous area planted throughout the world. Furthermore it has a long life, is tolerant to grazing mismanagement, provides good spring grazing and is by far the easiest grass of which to make hay.
To obtain a good feed value however, it requires high Nitrogen fertilization, thus making it a rather high cost pasture.
PUK 436
Easy to establish
PUK 436 is a sub-tropical grass that is tufted and grows to 1.2 - 1.8m tall. Its leaf blades vary in co- lour from grey to green. They are flat and 500mm long x 3 -7mm in width. There are typically 1 200 000 - 1 500 000 seeds/kg.
The crop is easy to establish and has excellent early spring and early summer grazing. It has a tolerance to cold and drought.
In terms of dry matter production PUK 436 has been known to produce anywhere from 6-14 t/ ha per year and can be used for both grazing and for hay.