Productive, profitable, sustainable pasture
Germinal innovative seed expertise
Germinal New Zealand
Germinal is a sixth-generation family business operating directly in New Zealand, Ireland and the UK, and globally with partners. We are contributing to the long-term sustainability and profitability of the New Zealand farming industry by producing top-performing grass and clover varieties with unique characteristics.
Germinal is committed to a scientific approach to plant breeding that identifies opportunities to improve efficiencies in modern agriculture.
Climate Smart
More profitable, more productive, more sustainable pasture.
Our range of Climate Smart products is designed to promote the advantages of grazing systems, while improving resilience to changing weather patterns. Germinal ensures farmers have the tools to adapt while remaining productive and profitable.
When you choose a Germinal cultivar, rest assured it will be more efficient, more productive and reduce environmental impact on land, freshwater and the atmosphere compared with other varieties. Delivering a competitive advantage for New Zealand agricultural producers.
Leading development - Germinal Horizon
Germinal Horizon Broadfield Lincoln, New Zealand
Germinal Horizon, our research and innovation division, includes Germinal scientists embedded at the world-class Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University in Wales.
Now established in New Zealand, our research and development programme at Germinal Horizon Broadfield is building on 30 years of cutting-edge grassland science. This is to strengthen what Germinal is already doing on the ground here, providing farmers with access to world-leading advances in plant breeding.
Our internationally developed grasses and clovers are trialled locally to ensure Kiwi farmers benefit from highly productive cultivars best suited to their environment.
Introduction
Aber High Sugar Grasses (HSG)
Our award-winning Aber HSG range helps livestock absorb more energy from pasture and excrete fewer environmental emissions. Delivering real potential for you to boost milk and meat production simply by switching cultivars.
Bred for lower levels of fibre and increased water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) to boost digestibility.1
Improved digestibility above other ryegrass cultivars: 5%2 (AberMagic) 5.5%2 (AberGreen)
Aber HSG varieties provide significantly increased WSC compared with a standard diploid perennial ryegrass.
Increased WSC vs standard ryegrass: 17%3
Our breeding programme prioritises strong and dense root growth and tillering; with good ground cover and quick recovery after grazing and dry spells. Proven on NZ farms to persist: 10+ years
Germinal Grasses
Germinal Grasses
By promoting increased capture of rumen-degradable protein into microbial protein, Aber HSG varieties help reduce the amount of nitrogen lost in urine, thus lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Reduces wasted N vs standard ryegrass:
• Rumen ammonia was significantly lower in cows grazing Aber HSG (NZ trial)4
• 9% lower methane emissions from sheep fed Aber HSG (AgResearch trial)3
An increased supply of readily available energy builds more microbial protein in the rumen. Combined with enhanced palatability, this encourages increased intake of dry matter.
UK research trials reported production gains also highlight potential:
• An extra 1.4 L of milk per day5
• 100g extra of liveweight per lamb per day5
• 200g extra liveweight per cow per day5
In an independent trial vs standard NZ perennial ryegrass in Southland and Otago, lambs on Aber HSG pasture finished:
17% faster and 19% heavier. 6
DoubleRoot
We have developed a unique hybrid of white clover and Caucasian clover that tolerates cold and dry conditions. Germinal’s well known variety, AberLasting, is a DoubleRoot clover.
DoubleRoot’s ability to produce above-ground (stolons) and underground (rhizomes) powers the pasture’s capacity to naturally fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Overall, improving climate resilience and increasing the availability of nitrogen for pasture growth and livestock production.
Nitrogen fixation
• Ability to fix nitrogen for itself
• Feeds companion grasses
• Reduced need for artificial nitrogen fertilisers once established
• Helps mitigate harmful leaching of N₂O into waterways
• Reduces volatilisation of potent GHG N₂O into atmosphere*
*Nitrous oxide N₂O is about 300 times as potent as carbon dioxide.
New plant Parent plant
Germinal Clovers
Resilience
Greater persistence under environmental stress
– withstands exposure to -30C
– maintains leaf water content for longer
– recovers well following heavy grazing
Biodiversity
Attracts bene cial insects and pollinators
Forage
• Small to medium leaf size
• High DM yields
• Good companion for grass and cover crops
Key bene ts
Soil
health
• Deep taproots reduce soil compaction
• Nitrogen collected in plant released back into soil
• Increased tolerance to cold shock and drought
• Increased tolerance of hard grazing
• Grows in a wider range of soil and climate conditions
• Reduces need for arti cial fertiliser
• Improves grazing quality
• Raises milk and liveweight gain
• Increased persistence from rhizomatous root system
• Faster establishment than Caucasian clover
Nitrogen
• Ability to x N for itself
• Feeds companion grasses and crops
2.
Roots 1.
Stolons
Rhizomes
1. 2.
Pasture Options
AberGreen
Type Perennial ryegrass
Ploidy Diploid
Sowing Rate 18-20 kg/ha
Heading Date Late +17 days
Endophyte LE and AR1
AberMagic
Type Perennial ryegrass
Ploidy Diploid
Sowing Rate 18-20 kg/ha
Heading Date Late +19 days
Endophyte LE
Key Benefits
• Vigorous ground cover
• Optimum energy-to-protein balance
• Excellent digestibility under grazing and silage management
• Bred for enduring persistence
• Superior late spring yields
Key Benefits
• Exceptional quality under grazing and silage management
• Dense tiller growth providing increased ground cover
• Deep roots for enduring persistence
• Superior late spring yields
AberGain
Type Perennial ryegrass
Ploidy Tetraploid
Sowing Rate 25-30 kg/ha
Heading Date Very late +24 days
Endophyte LE and AR1
Key Benefits
• First tetraploid High Sugar Grass released in New Zealand
• Densely tillered for improved grazing tolerance compared with conventional tetraploid ryegrasses
DoubleRoot (AberLasting)
Type Hybrid
Sowing rate 2-5 kg/ha
Key Benefits
• Increased tolerance to cold shock and drought
• Increased tolerance of hard grazing
• Grows in a wider range of soil and climate conditions
• Reduces need for artificial fertiliser
• Improves grazing quality
• Raises milk and liveweight gain
• Faster establishment than Caucasian clover
AberDance medium leaf
Type White
Sowing rate 2-5 kg/ha
Key Benefits
• Persistent white clover
• Winter-hardy
• High yielding
• Good survival
• Performs under a range of grazing management systems
Pasture Options
Pasture Options
AberNormous large leaf
Type White
Sowing rate 2-5 kg/ha
AberClaret
Type Red
Sowing rate 4-6 kg/ha
Key Benefits
• Dense stolon growth for greater persistence
• High yielding
• Retains digestibility throughout the season
• Versatile and suited to intense rotational grazing and silage production
Key Benefits
• Red clover with high yielding protein-rich forage
• Can be grown either as a mix or a monoculture
• Bred for greater persistence and grazing tolerance
• Suitable for soil conservation improves soil structure
Reference Guide
1 Cosgrove, G. P.; Koolaard, J.; Luo, D.; Burke, J. L.; Pacheco, D. 2009. The composition of high sugar ryegrasses. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association, 71: 187 - 193.
2 Plant Research (NZ) Ltd, 2014. Unpublished. Mean digestibility values were measured across five harvests at Ashburton from Oct 2013 to Mar 2014.
3 Jonker, A.; Molano, G.; Sandoval, E.; Taylor, P.; Antwi, C.; Cosgrove, G.P. 2014. Methane emissions by sheep offered high-sugar or conventional perennial ryegrass at two allowances. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 74: 145 - 147.
4 Tavendale, M.H.; Pacheco, D.; Lane, G.A.; Fraser, K.;Death, A.F.; Burke, J.L.; Hickey, M.J.; Cosgrove, G.P. 2006. The effects of ryegrass varieties differing in soluble sugar content on the rumen fermentation of amino acids and consequences for milk flavour chemistry. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association 68: 261 - 265.
5 Walters, R. J. K. 1984. D-value: the significance of small differences on animal performance, In: The grass ley today. Proceedings 18th NIAB. Crop Conference, Cambridge, UK. pg 60 - 68.
6 Craig, H.; Fennessy, P.; McLean, N.; Chuah, J.; Campbell, A. 2014. High Sugar Ryegrass. Abacus Bio Limited.
DoubleRoot® AberHSG® are registered trademarks of Openfolde Limited. Germinal products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchasing, which are part of the labelling and purchase documents. The information in this publication is general in nature only. Although the information in this publication is believed to be accurate, no liability (whether as a result of negligence or otherwise) is accepted for any loss of any kind that may arise from actions based on the contents of this publication.
© 2023, Openfolde Limited. No part of this publication can be reproduced without prior written consent from Openfolde Limited.
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