The root to..

    ...reliable forage yields

    Changing environmental and climatic conditions challenge your forage production. We offer grasses that can better handle spring and early summer drought, give optimal utilization of nutrients and will result in a strong, healthy and high yielding crop. 

    The secret is in the roots of the plants. We have gained extensive knowledge about grass root architecture that can help you secure your forage production and reduce drought related loss. 

    Through our worldwide R&D network and the one-of-a-kind RadiMax root screening facility, we have gained unique knowledge about the root architecture of our grasses. Results show that roots that go deep and have a high mass, are better able to cope with extreme environmental and climatic conditions like drought. Grasses with a deep root mass help to secure a reliable, consistent forage production, and offer more efficient nutrient uptake, better carbon sequestration, improved soil structure and less need for irrigation.   

    A deep root mass means:

    • Better growth during and after spring and early summer drought
    • Reliable forage production and a higher degree of self-sufficiency
    • Optimal use of input resources e.g. fertilizer, with higher feed quality as a result
    • A future-proof solution to buffer against environmental and climatic extremes e.g. drought 
    • Improved soil structure
    • Sustainable forage production​

    PLUS grasses are drought tolerant

    Our two festulolium types Ryegrass PLUS and Tall Fescue PLUS are excellent options in drought conditions. Ryegrass PLUS has the same quick root growth as ryegrass, but has a deeper root mass than ryegrass, which makes it more drought tolerant. Tall fescue PLUS has the same root mass as Tall Fescue but with better forage quality during the spring and summer.

    Seeds coated with ProNitro® have what it takes to prepare for a spring drought 

    Farmers do not have to risk losing a newly sown sward to spring drought. Our ProNitro® seed coating gives their tender new plants the targeted nutrition they need to get ahead with stronger growth and deeper roots. ProNitro®-coated seeds produce seedlings that establish faster and grow 30% longer roots. This gives them a greater capacity to survive a spring drought. 

    About RadiMax  

    A fast root growth is always an important factor as it helps the plant establish faster. The root architecture is also very important under drought situations where there is still water at deeper soil layers.
    Together with Copenhagen University, DLF is testing the root architecture of grasses at the worlds most advanced root screening facility, RadiMax. It enables imaging of roots down to 3.0 m depth and at the same time the grasses can be exposed to increasing drought conditions through a soil moisture gradient, which can be induced in the system.  In this way, we can screen the root architecture of our grasses and find out which ones have the most reliable forage production under drought conditions. 

     A cross section of the RadiMax root screening facility
    A cross section of the RadiMax root screening facility