DairyBio Forage - Exploiting the Lolium microbiome to enhance performance of pasture and turf temperate grasses

Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass) is a common temperate pasture grass species and is favoured by Australian dairy farmers. Commercially, the known association with the mutualistic endophytic fungus Epichloë festucae subsp. lolii is used to enhance insect resistance of host plants. Knowledge of other members of the microbiome and their functions are limited. This project aims to harness the power of microbes, other than Epichloë endophytes, to enhance the performance of pasture grasses.