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 8% more total yield. With ryegrass breeding delivering about 1% genetic gain a year, that’s eight years’ worth of advancement in one go!
Higher carrying capacity
Shogun grows a lot more than perennial ryegrass year-round, so you can feed more animals on those paddocks. Its biggest seasonal yield advantage of Shogun NEA12 over Shogun NEA is during summer and autumn.
NFVT Summary 1991 – 2024 (September 2024)
If two means differ by more than the sum of their least significant intervals (LSI), they are significantly different at the 5% level
NFVT Protocol cutting times may disadvantage yield potential of a Perennial Ryegrass within a Hybrid Ryegrass trial.
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.
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.
With Shogun NEA there is a very low risk of some ryegrass staggers in sheep or lambs if you graze into the base of the pasture in summer dry conditions. The risk or staggers with Shogun NEA12 is a little 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