Germinal seed varieties top the 2018 Pasture Profit Index

Monday 26.02.2018 , News

The Teagasc PPI model ranks grass varieties in economic terms and is designed to assist farmers in variety selection when planning on reseeding. Each variety is valued on its overall contribution to net profit per ha and is made up of key traits driving profit such as seasonal (spring, summer and autumn) DM yield, grass quality, silage DM production and varietal persistency.

Pasture Profit Index Leader

AberClyde, is again the highest-performing variety overall on the PPI at €225 per ha/year, combining seasonal; growth and quality. Seagoe another intermediate tetraploid offers exceptional silage yield performance and is the highest-performing variety on the silage sub-indices.

Two new high-performing intermediate diploids in 2018 are AberZeus at €212 per ha/year, and AberGreen at €188 per ha/year, which have heading dates of May 29th and 30th and rank 2nd and 5th, respectively, on this year’s PPI.

AberChoice grass seed

AberChoice is the highest-performing late diploid at €194 per ha/year, while AberMagic maintains its position as the top intermediate diploid at €217 per ha/year. AberGain a late tetraploid, continues to be unbeatable in terms of its quality (€60), demonstrating excellent seasonal and total DM yields.

Higher quality varieties have the potential to support higher animal intake and performance, achieving better ‘graze–outs’ resulting in increased grass utilisation, which is a proven driver of farm profitability. Each extra tonne of grass utilised at the farm level can increase net profit by €173 per ha according to Teagasc. Maximise the return on your reseeding investment by selecting the most profitable varieties with high grass quality on the PPI.