Domesticating native grasses in New Zealand

Abstract

New Zealand produces no commercial seed of any native grass species. All grasses used in agriculture and turf have evolved on other continents, and most natives fail to compete in mown turf or grazed pasture. Is this simply because of a lack of research or the lack of native grazing animals, or is there something fundamentally different about the New Zealand flora? New Zealand has many indigenous species within genera containing known turf species such as Festuca, Poa, Agrostis, Deschampsia, and Zoysia, but most are rare in the modern landscape. After collecting and screening over 50 native species for potential use in turf or pasture, it was apparent that most lacked vigor; were unable to form a turf; had slow establishment, extended flowering periods, poor seed yields, seeds with long awns, or seed that shattered readily; or had other difficulties with harvesting. One of the native grasses that showed promise was Poa imbecilla Spreng., which formed a very fine turf and had seed production characteristics suitable for development as a commercial species. It established readily but was usually dominated by introduced species within a few years. A cultivar was developed from local material, ‘Stewarts’, which is suitable for fine turf and for native grass revegetation and is now in limited commercial production.