• Insect resistance
• Animal health & Performance

Insect resistance

AR37 endophyte has been shown to provide superior resistance against a wider range of insects than either pastures containing standard endophyte¹ (SE) or pastures containing AR1 endophyte. It provides strong resistance to Argentine stem weevil, porina*, mealy bug, root aphid, and black beetle.

AR37 provides protection from major pasture pests

Better insect resistance means more persistence and increased drymatter production.

	Black Beetle Found in Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty	Pastures with AR37 have much better resistance to black beetle relative to AR1.
	Argentine Stem Weevil New Zealand wide	AR37 provides excellent resistance against the Argentine stem weevil larvae which is responsible for most of the damage in pastures.
	Porina* New Zealand wide	Almost all porina caterpillars die when placed on AR37 ryegrass, whereas almost all survive on AR1 and half die on standard endophyte ryegrass*.
	Root Aphid New Zealand wide	Virtually all root aphids die when placed on ryegrass inoculated with AR37, whereas most survive when on pasture with standard endophyte or AR1.
	Pasture Mealy Bug New Zealand wide, especially areas with moist and cloudy summers	Pastures with AR37 provide excellent resistance against pasture mealy bug.

In recent trials when an insecticide was applied to a cultivar in various endophyte strains, the insecticide did not increase above or below-ground growth of the plants with AR37. This indicates that AR37 appears to naturally gives similar protection as chemical insecticides. 

Because AR37 reduces insect damage, pasture is more persistent and produces an average 12% more drymatter nationally than the same cultivar containing standard endophyte. The average results of the four regional trials are available by clicking here. The better quantity and quality (as a result of the improved persistence) of pasture can have considerable benefits for your stock and overall production on your farm.

*Early field trial results have confirmed laboratory evidence of excellent resistance of ryegrass with AR37 to Porina. Note: In pastures with AR37 ryegrass, Porina can be present and feed on the other pasture mix components.

Endophyte Insect Control

These ratings are indicative and may vary slightly between cultivatars. If Argentine stem weevil or black beetle are present at sowing, an appropriate seed treatment is recommended, to improve insect resistance during establishment.

- No control

♦ Low level control: Endophyte may provide a measurable effect, but is unlikely to give any practical control

♦♦ Moderate control: Endophyte may provide some practical protection, with a low to moderate reaction in insect population.

♦♦♦ Good control: Endophyte markedly reduces insect damage under low to moderate insect pressure. Damage may still occur when insect pressure is high.

♦♦♦♦ Very good control: Endophyte consistently reduces insect populations and keeps pasture damage to low levels, even under high insect pressure.

() Provisional result: Further results needed to support the rating. Testing is ongoing.

1 AR37 provides good control of Argentine stem weevil larvae, but no control of adults. While larvae cause most damage to pastures, adults can cause damage to emerging grass seedlings, so use of an appropriate seed treatment is recommended for AR37 sowings in stem weevil prone situations.

2 AR1 plants are more susceptible to root aphid than plants without endophyte.

3 Control of porina in AR37 pastures only applies to the AR37 ryegrass component. Other species that are palatable to porina (such as white clover) will still be damaged.