GRASSLANDS LANCELOT PLANTAIN (PLANTAGO-LANCEOLATA L.)

'Grasslands Lancelot' narrow-leaved plantain was bred by four generati ons of selection from 109 seed populations, collected mainly from the Manawatu region, New Zealand. Compared with this highly varied base ge rmplasm, Lancelot is a rosette-forming cultivar but is more erect, den sely-tillered, productive, and uniform. Lancelot has been evaluated in pure and mixed swards under sheep grazing. The growth rate of animals is not high from feeding on pure swards if the foliage is rank or at the heading stage, both of which reduce intake. Carcass characteristic s of sheep fed plantain are typical for their growth rates and the mea t flavours/odours are typical of those fed grasses, less intense than those fed legumes. Animal performances from plantain/legume mixtures h ave matched those of other species in legume mixtures. There are indic ations that Lancelot has several mild 'medicinal' effects: anthelminti c activity in test tube assays (though not in grazing trials); antibio tic effect on rumen flora; high levels of some minerals; and a diureti c effect.Present results suggest the cultivar would best be used as a component of mixed swards, particularly in dry regions, to add diversi ty to the animal diet.