Ryegrass endophyte, incidence, and control

Abstract

Abstract There was a high incidence of a fungus endophyte in most of the perennial ryegrass pastures and seed lines examined. The fungus was still viable in seed which had been stored at 0–5°C for 7 years. The main means of endophyte dissemination appear to be the sowing of infected seed and the re‐seeding of infected plants in pastures. Field observations showed that when endophyte‐free seed was sown, a set of mown plots and a grazed pasture were still free of endophyte 4 years after establishment. Endophyte‐free seedlings were obtained by treating infected seeds with the fungicides propiconazole or prochloraz at 0.5 g/kg of seed. The fungus was eradicated from infected plants growing in pots by drenching the soil with a suspension of benomyl at 0.1 g per litre of growing medium.