Isn’t grass just grass?
No! There are two major classes of pastoral grasses: C3 and C4 grasses. C3 grasses are your temperate zone grasses that are generally high in sugar, and high water uses. They are good for Dairy cattle and spring lambs, but not so good for a laminitis prone horse! They are dormant in cold conditions, and not competitive in hot dry conditions, due to high water requirements. C4 Grasses are further broken down into two sub-genus, Panicoideae and Eragrosteideae. In general terms the C4 grasses are tropical or sub-tropical grasses, they are lower in sugar and higher in cellulose fibre. Panicoideae grasses are more competitive in humid wet areas and become less competitive in areas of high grazing and high levels of nitrogen.
