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Standard Turf Type
Improved perennial ryegrass varieties developed for continental climates in the USA. Parents to these varieties were collected from forage paddocks on Northern Europe and bred for improved turf quality in hotter, dryer climates of North America.
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Dwarf Turf Type
Breeders continue to stack elite genes in the development of varieties with better turf quality, greater shoot density, darker color, and improved disease and pest resistance. Many perennial ryegrass varieties have been enhanced with Neotyphodium lolii endophyte, which provides resistance to a number of leaf and crown feeding pests and improved abiotic and biotic stress tolerance.
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Winter Active Turf Type
Europeans have developed a number of improved turf type perennial ryegrasses for European low maintenance lawns and winter sports fields, ovals, and pitches. These varieties are developed for high shoot density for sports turf in wet, mild northern European climates. European varieties are very fine textured and produce a flush of vegetative growth under low light intensity (winter) and wet, mild conditions. They also exhibit good resistance to winter related diseases, but are inferior to North American bred varieties for heat, humidity, and warm season related diseases.
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Gray Leaf Spot Resistance (GLS)
Gray leaf spot, Pyricularia grisea, or “Blast” is a limiting factor for perennial turf cultivation in the Mid Atlantic and Mid Western USA where perennial ryegrass is used for elite low height of cut turf. Breeders have recently developed varieties with significant improvements in gray leaf spot resistance.
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Forage Type
Forage Type perennial ryegrass is often sold into the turf market based on price and short market availability. These varieties have very poor turf quality, lack sufficient shoot density, and exhibit unsightly leaf shredding following mowing. They also exhibit poor pest resistance, particularly when grown in regions where perennial ryegrass is marginally adapted.
