International Programs

For many years, specifically in Southern China, the Chinese have used rice and wheat crops together as a rotational cropping system. However, China is undergoing a complete restructuring of their agricultural production systems to improve agricultural output. Annual ryegrass is a highly productive, high-quality forage suitable for livestock production. Annual ryegrass profitability as a crop comes from the livestock that are fed. In many parts of Southern China, this rice-ryegrass rotation system could be used instead of low-quality wheat in combination with rice. Using ryegrass for feed instead of wheat, in addition, has many ecological and social benefits. Annual ryegrass improves the soil structure and fertility, controls weeds (reducing the use of pesticides and herbicides and thereby lowering production costs), and is better for field ecology and the environment.
Through the GIS mapping system program, an annual ryegrass map was produced of Jiangsu Province, which showed significant adaptability of annual ryegrass. Most of the Province is moderately adapted, and some areas around Nanjing, Wuxi and other parts are well adapted. Only in some of the Southern parts of the Province are there areas of marginal adaptation. The Southeastern part along the coastline shows signs of no adaptation. All in all I am favorably impressed with the results and hope that this is a good basis for further study.