What makes it special?
Fast, nutritious and delicious, Shogun is your go-to for both 1-3 year pasture, and undersowing, New Zealand-wide.
Supercharged
Shogun is available in two endophyte options. With the well proven original NEA endophyte, but also now supercharged with NEA12 endophyte, which produces 7% more total yield. With ryegrass breeding delivering about 1% genetic gain a year, that’s seven years’ worth of advancement in one go!
Higher carrying capacity
Shogun NEA12 grows more year-round, so you can feed more animals on those
paddocks. Its biggest seasonal advantage over Shogun NEA is during summer
(growing 10% more) and autumn 8% more as shown in the industry trial results below
Better protection
While Shogun with NEA endophyte has been proven to perform well, NEA12 in Shogun gives it a wider range of insect control, including porina. Testing has shown NEA12 provides good black beetle control (at the same level as NEA endophyte) and very good root aphid control.
Faster payback
Shogun establishes very fast, more like an Italian ryegrass, so these paddocks are
ready to graze sooner than ones sown with perennial ryegrasses or some other
hybrids
Make more protein
Animals thrive on Shogun – it’s a high energy, late heading tetraploid (+13 days), with
minimal aftermath heading in summer, plus you gain that extra yield
Easy to graze
Shogun is a super palatable tetraploid. Animals love eating it, so it’s easier to
manage.
Animal health
In most cases Shogun NEA or NEA12 will deliver excellent animal health. We believe they are both safe to use for dairy cows and cattle.
There is a risk of some ryegrass staggers in sheep or lambs if you graze into the
base of the pasture in summer dry conditions. In this situation the risk or staggers
with Shogun NEA12 is higher, and NEA12 is not recommended for horses or deer.
The risk of stagger in both options is much lower than for the old Standard (or High)
endophyte.
In all cases ryegrass staggers is much less likely if you sow a pasture mix with high legume and herb content (see suggestion below).
Sowing Shogun
*Sowing rate depends on how thin pasture to be undersown is. Tetraploids are sown at a higher rate than diploids, because of their larger seed.
Shogun ryegrass, NEA & NEA12 endophytes are owned and marketed by Barenbrug
Shogun hybrid ryegrass, NEA & NEA12 endophytes are protected under the NZ Plant Variety Rights Act 1987