Meroa
Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass
Tastes better, matures later and beats the cold.
Meroa is a late-maturing, high-yielding true tetraploid Italian ryegrass. It has excellent forage quality, high yields and good winter hardiness.
Find a dealerFeatures
Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass
Meroa has all the great benefits of being a tetraploid Italian ryegrass. It’s got twice the chromosomes of a diploid ryegrass and unique maturing of an Italian ryegrass.
High Yields
Meroa has demonstrated high yields when planted as a short-lived spring forage or a fall-planted forage.
Forage Quality
In multiple trials, Meroa shows the forage quality that you would expect from late-maturing tetraploid ryegrasses.
Winter Hardy
Meroa has outscored other varieties in winter hardiness trials.
A True Tetraploid Italian Ryegrass
Meroa is a tetraploid ryegrass. This means it has twice the chromosomes as a diploid, higher sugar content, and big juicy leaves.
Meroa is also a true Italian ryegrass, meaning that it normally does not go to seedhead until the next summer. True Italians need to go through a cold spell before wanting to reproduce. This means you get plenty of valuable forage regardless of when you plant it.*
*This does not apply to warm-season climates where all ryegrasses burn out in the summer due to high temperatures, but is specific to regions where ryegrass can grow through the summer months.
Winter Hardiness
Meroa has displayed good winter hardiness. Here are results/comments from 2014-15 winter:
Tennessee
Forage evaluator David McIntosh commented that Meroa had 10% damage in all the replication and that it "did good considering the winter we have had" at their Greeneville, TN location.
Ohio
At South Charleston, Meroa had nearly no winter injury and outscored 15 other entries.
Maturity and Forage Yields
In addition to being utilized as a spring-planted short-lived forage, Meroa can be used as a fall-planted forage or cover crop grass. When planted in the fall, Meroa has exhibited excellent yields, including very strong late-season yields.
Georgia
Yield Trial
Griffin, GA
| Meroa had the highest score, outscoring 41 other entries. It even out-yielded the next best variety by 1,774 lbs. DM/A (15%). Most of the extra yield was in the last cutting, which was 4,754 lbs DM/A, as compared to the next best entry's 2,447 lbs. DM/A (nearly 50% less!) |
Louisiana
Yield Data
Winnsboro, LA
| Meroa produced 11,207 lbs DM/A over 4 harvests. This was the highest scoring entry out of 35 ryegrass entries. Of importance to note, Meroa's yields were also highest for both of the last two cuttings (April 8th and May 12th). |
Mississippi
Yield Data
Starkville & Poplarville, MS
| Meroa had the highest last cutting yield in Poplarville and the highest combined last two cutting yields in Starkville, MS. |
Ohio
2015 – 2016 Annual Ryegrass Study* (Tons DM/A)
South Charleston, OH
| Variety | 9/20/15 | 4/27 | 5/24 | 6/20 | Total 2015–2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meroa | 0.09 | 2.18 | 2.25 | 1.54 | 6.07 |
| PS 15 | 0.23 | 2.19 | 1.77 | 1.52 | 5.71 |
| Winterhawk | 0.06 | 2.38 | 1.82 | 1.44 | 5.69 |
| FIPE | 0.08 | 2.22 | 1.76 | 1.39 | 5.45 |
| Fria | 0.19 | 2.24 | 1.71 | 1.28 | 5.42 |
| Nu Spirit | 0.07 | 2.29 | 1.68 | 1.38 | 5.42 |
| Passerel Pluss | 0.26 | 2.16 | 1.69 | 1.20 | 5.31 |
| Frosty | 0.14 | 2.17 | 1.55 | 1.08 | 4.94 |
| Fiser | 0.45 | 0.24 | 0.77 | 0.52 | 1.97 |
| LSD 0.05 | 0.09 | 0.27 | 0.18 | 0.24 | 0.43 |
| *Planted September 4, 2015. | |||||
| Complete data available upon request. | |||||
2014 – 2015 Annual Ryegrass Study* (Tons DM/A)
South Charleston, OH
| Variety | 5/8 | 6/3 | 7/2 | Total 2015 | Winter Injury (3/27/15) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest yield | 1.78 | 1.80 | 1.02 | 3.46 | 0.60 |
| Meroa | 1.14 | 0.93 | 0.88 | 2.96 | 1.30 |
| KB Supreme | 1.26 | 1.20 | 0.48 | 2.94 | 1.00 |
| Mach 1 | 0.49 | 1.02 | 0.84 | 2.34 | 3.40 |
| Dyna-Gain | 1.00 | 0.94 | 0.36 | 2.30 | 2.50 |
| Knight | 0.18 | 0.98 | 1.02* | 2.18 | 4.20 |
| Green Farm | 1.20 | 0.62 | 0.33 | 2.16 | 1.70 |
| KB Royal | 0.69 | 0.78 | 0.39 | 1.86 | 3.10 |
| LSD 0.05 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.19 | 0.38 | 0.60 |
| *Planted September 9, 2014. | |||||
| Complete data available upon request. | |||||
Pennsylvania
Penn State University
Forage Yield (Tons DM/A)
Rock Springs, PA
| Variety | 5/4 | 5/26 | 6/16 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest yield | 2.31* | 2.56* | 1.34 | 5.71* |
| Meroa | 2.06* | 1.78 | 1.30* | 5.13* |
| Ribeye | 2.02* | 1.97 | 1.10* | 5.09 |
| Fria | 1.95 | 2.15 | 0.95 | 5.06 |
| Bar Extra | 1.81 | 2.04 | 1.15* | 5.00 |
| McKinley | 2.08* | 1.88 | 1.02 | 4.98 |
| Rootmax | 1.93 | 2.08 | 0.96 | 4.97 |
| TetraPrime | 1.72 | 2.32* | 0.91 | 4.95 |
| Nelson | 1.82 | 2.2 | 0.86 | 4.88 |
| Jackson | 2.08* | 1.91 | 0.88 | 4.87 |
| Green Farm | 2.16* | 1.77 | 0.87 | 4.81 |
| Barprisma | 1.85 | 1.76 | 1.14* | 4.74 |
| Lonestar | 1.89 | 1.79 | 0.95 | 4.64 |
| Tam 90 | 1.82 | 1.72 | 0.92 | 4.47 |
| Bill | 1.55 | 1.79 | 0.92 | 4.26 |
| LSD (.05) | 0.32 | 0.34 | 0.26 | 0.54 |
| Planted September 19, 2014. | ||||
| *Statistically equal to the highest score. | ||||
Penn State University
2015 PSU Short-Lived Cover Crops Trial (Tons DM/A)
Annual Ryegrass (Multi-Cut)
| Variety | 5/2 | 5/23 | 6/13 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ME4 | 3.66 | 1.12 | 1.55 | 6.34 |
| Marshall | 3.40 | 1.01 | 1.41 | 5.83 |
| Meroa | 2.68 | 1.38 | 1.75 | 5.81 |
| Centurion | 3.05 | 1.04 | 1.57 | 5.65 |
| Mckinley | 3.03 | 1.00 | 1.58 | 5.61 |
| Jackson | 3.20 | 1.04 | 1.36 | 5.60 |
| Allegro | 2.42 | 1.33 | 1.75 | 5.50 |
| Attain | 2.66 | 1.04 | 1.56 | 5.26 |
| Grasshancer | 2.85 | 0.88 | 1.48 | 5.22 |
| Nelson | 2.46 | 1.04 | 1.67 | 5.16 |
| Fria | 2.87 | 0.89 | 1.37 | 5.13 |
| Maryna | 1.62 | 1.59 | 1.89 | 5.10 |
| Kodiak | 2.65 | 0.93 | 1.46 | 5.05 |
| Tetraprime | 1.56 | 1.75 | 1.61 | 4.93 |
| Barmultra II | 1.94 | 1.32 | 1.66 | 4.93 |
| MO-1 | 2.86 | 0.83 | 1.17 | 4.86 |
| Andes | 2.07 | 0.97 | 1.55 | 4.59 |
| LSD (.05) | 0.40 | 0.19 | 0.27 | 0.63 |
| Planted September 18, 2015. | ||||
Tennessee
Yield Trial
Greeneville, TN
| Meroa had the highest final cut (May 26th) forage yield for 18 entries. Total season forage yield was statistically equal to the top variety. |
Michigan
Michigan State University
Italian Ryegrass Forage Yields (Tons DM/A)
East Lansing, MI
|2017-2018
| Variety | Winter Survival | Heading Date | 2018 Total | 2017 Total | 2017-18 Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meroa | 9.0 | 5/25/2018 | 2.90* | 1.48* | 4.38 |
| Fox | 8.8 | 5/26/2018 | 2.93* | 1.42* | 4.35 |
| Barextra | 7.3 | 5/25/2018 | 2.60 | 1.30* | 3.90 |
| Firkin | 8.8 | 5/26/2018 | 2.63* | 1.25 | 3.88 |
| LSD | 1.0 | 0.32 | 0.20 | ||
| Seeded May 2017. | |||||
| Experimental varieties not listed. | |||||
| *Yielded statistically the same as the top-yielding entry. | |||||
| Complete trial data available upon request. | |||||
New York
Cornell University
Forage Yields (Tons DM/A)
Ithaca, NY
|MAY 2017 – OCTOBER 2018
| Variety | 2017 | 2018 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meroa | 4.61* | 5.96* | 10.57 |
| Feast II | 5.10* | 5.07 | 10.17 |
| Maryna | 4.17 | 5.69* | 9.86 |
| Gulf | 5.17* | 3.82 | 8.99 |
| LSD | 0.62 | 0.29 | |
| Sown May 18, 2017. | |||
| *Statistically equal to top score. | |||
Kentucky
University of Kentucky
Forage Yields (Tons DM/A)
Lexington, KY
|2021-2022
| Variety | December 3 | April 30 | May 9 | June 6 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 0.91 | 1.84 | 1.01 | 1.00 | 4.75* |
| Winterhawk | 0.87 | 1.78 | 1.06 | 0.96 | 4.67* |
| Grazekeeper | 0.74 | 1.66 | 1.10 | 1.13 | 4.63* |
| Meroa | 0.81 | 1.71 | 1.08 | 0.98 | 4.58* |
| Koga | 0.81 | 1.66 | 1.03 | 1.02 | 4.52* |
| Dexter | 0.65 | 1.46 | 1.06 | 1.06 | 4.24* |
| FrostProof | 0.80 | 1.32 | 0.89 | 0.80 | 3.80 |
| Feast II | 0.62 | 0.71 | 0.98 | 0.87 | 3.17 |
| Gulf | 0.80 | 0.63 | 0.91 | 0.79 | 3.13 |
| LSD | 0.21 | 0.33 | 0.16 | 0.23 | 0.70 |
| Sown Sept 10, 2021. | |||||
| *Statistically equal to top score. | |||||
University of Kentucky
Forage Yields (Tons DM/A)
Lexington, KY
|2019-2020
| Variety | November 6 | April 1 | April 28 | May 21 | June 8 | June 25 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meroa | 1.16 | 0.64 | 1.04 | 0.84 | 0.62 | 0.27 | 4.56* |
| Dexter | 0.93 | 0.69 | 0.98 | 0.83 | 0.58 | 0.33 | 4.33* |
| Koga | 1.15 | 0.64 | 0.99 | 0.40 | 0.54 | 0.23 | 4.25* |
| Marshall | 1.07 | 0.72 | 0.92 | 0.76 | 0.45 | 0.30 | 4.22* |
| FrostProof | 0.98 | 0.70 | 0.81 | 0.77 | 0.38 | 0.29 | 3.93* |
| Grazekeeper | 0.61 | 0.73 | 0.84 | 0.80 | 0.53 | 0.25 | 3.76 |
| Feast II | 0.90 | 0.36 | 0.83 | 0.82 | 0.45 | 0.29 | 3.64 |
| Gulf | 1.09 | 0.27 | 0.77 | 0.63 | 0.39 | 0.21 | 3.36 |
| LSD | 0.37 | 0.14 | 0.24 | 0.18 | 0.15 | 0.11 | 0.57 |
| Sown Aug 30, 2019. | |||||||
| *Statistically equal to top score. | |||||||
Forage Quality
Meroa has the type of forage quality you would expect from a late-maturing tetraploid ryegrass. Forage quality samples have been taken in both 2015 and 2016 in multiple states.
Indiana
Byron Seed
Forage Quality - Indiana
Rockville, IN
|Sampled 04/25/2016
| Variety | DM | % of Ave Yield | CP | NDF | ADF | NDFD 30H | NEL | M/Ton |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest score | 4795 | 116 | 23.4 | 57.6 | 35.3 | 42.4 | 0.71 | 3599 |
| Meroa | 4795 | 116 | 22.0 | 45.7 | 28.2 | 37.6 | 0.71 | 3599 |
| lowest score | 3772 | 91 | 18.1 | 45.7 | 28.2 | 37.6 | 0.63 | 2953 |
New York
Cornell University
Forage Quality - New York*
Ithaca, NY
|Sampled 05/19/2016
| CP | ADF | aNDF | Lignin | NEL, Mcal/Lb | RFV | IFTD 30H | NDFD 30H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16.9% | 27.8% | 45.6% | 2.9% | 0.73 | 137 | 87% | 71% |
| * See Full Analysis | |||||||
Pennsylvania
Penn State University
Forage Quality - Pennsylvania
Rock Springs, PA
|Planted 09/19/14
| First Cutting – May 4th | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variety | CP% | ADF% | NDF% | NDFD30 | RFV |
| Meroa It. | 22.0 | 24.4 | 41.7 | 72.5 | 157.0 |
| Centurion It. | 22.0 | 25.4 | 42.6 | 71.5 | 152.5 |
| Bar Extra It. | 23.6 | 23.6 | 41.2 | 77.5 | 159.5 |
| TetraPrime It. | 22.9 | 24.3 | 40.5 | 78.0 | 161.0 |
| Barprisma It. | 22.8 | 26.3 | 41.2 | 71.0 | 154.5 |
| Second Cutting – May 26th | |||||
| Variety | CP% | ADF% | NDF% | NDFD30 | RFV |
| Meroa It. | 16.4 | 32.6 | 52.9 | 58.5 | 112.0 |
| Centurion It. | 17.3 | 32.0 | 53.8 | 58.0 | 110.5 |
| Bar Extra It. | 19.1 | 31.7 | 52.7 | 59.5 | 114.0 |
| TetraPrime It. | 17.6 | 32.8 | 53.8 | 58.0 | 109.5 |
| Barprisma It. | 18.4 | 31.7 | 52.0 | 56.0 | 115.0 |
| Third Cutting – June 16th | |||||
| Variety | CP% | ADF% | NDF% | NDFD30 | RFV |
| Meroa It. | 20.4 | 34.3 | 54.6 | 60.5 | 106.5 |
| Centurion It. | 19.3 | 35.2 | 55.1 | 56.5 | 104.0 |
| Bar Extra It. | 21.7 | 33.2 | 53.0 | 60.0 | 110.5 |
| TetraPrime It. | 24.9 | 32.0 | 48.6 | 59.0 | 122.5 |
| Barprisma It. | 21.6 | 31.7 | 53.8 | 59.5 | 111.5 |
King's AgriSeeds
Forage Quality - Pennsylvania*
Ronks, PA
|Sampled 04/25/2016
| CP | ADF | ANDFom | Lignin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16.55% | 23.39% | 34.27% | 1.83% |
| NEL 3x, Mcal/Lb | RFV | NDFD 30H | TTNDFD, % NDF |
| 0.73 | 177 | 72% | 71.36% |
| * See Full Analysis | |||
Tennessee
University of Tennessee
Forage Quality - Tennessee
Greeneville, TN
|Planted 9/17/14
| First Cutting - April 8th* | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFQ | CP | ADF | NDF | TDN | DE | NEL | NEM | NEG |
| 144.42 | 23.94 | 37.52 | 59.32 | 59.77 | 2.06 | 0.61 | 0.59 | 0.33 |
| IVTDMD48 | NFC | LIGNIN | ASH | CA | P | MG | K | FAT |
| 79.15 | 17.12 | 1.50 | 3.11 | 1.12 | 0.24 | 0.26 | 1.98 | 3.43 |
| Second Cutting - May 6th** | ||||||||
| RFQ | CP | ADF | NDF | TDN | DE | NEL | NEM | NEG |
| 136.34 | 21.33 | 39.83 | 58.86 | 57.14 | 2.04 | 0.58 | 0.55 | 0.30 |
| IVTDMD48 | NFC | LIGNIN | ASH | CA | P | MG | K | FAT |
| 115.92 | 14.28 | 39.46 | 59.28 | 57.56 | 2.05 | 0.59 | 0.56 | 0.30 |
| Third Cutting - May 26th*** | ||||||||
| RFQ | CP | ADF | NDF | TDN | DE | NEL | NEM | NEG |
| 115.92 | 14.28 | 39.46 | 59.28 | 57.56 | 2.05 | 0.59 | 0.56 | 0.30 |
| IVTDMD48 | NFC | LIGNIN | ASH | CA | P | MG | K | FAT |
| 75.62 | 18.3 | 1.47 | 4.64 | 1.02 | 0.23 | 0.23 | 2.01 | 3.84 |
| *Plots fully vegetative, but slow to grow due to late cold winter. | ||||||||
| **10% seed head production. | ||||||||
| ***Fiber higher here due to the end of the season seed head production. | ||||||||
| NIRSC equation for Grass Hay used on a Unity Spectra Star XL machine, database was updated in 2012 with ryegrass samples and these fit the statistics very well. Above are the means for the 3 replications for Meroa. | ||||||||
Meroa Gallery
Planting
| Seeding Rate | 34–45 lbs/ac |
|---|---|
| Planting Dates | Aug–Dec, Mar–May |
| Planting Zones (map) | green |
| Planting Depth | 0–½ |
| Optimal pH Range | 5.5–7.0 |
Contact Us
Unable to find a dealer? Have a question? Drop us a note using the form below.
We know that your time is valuable and are committed to responding promptly. That said, it may take us a day or two. In order to expedite your request, we may send your inquiry directly to one of our distributors or industry experts. Thank you!
More Forage Solutions
Many innovative forage solutions are available at SmithSeed.com and these product sites.
