Ecotain® Environmental Plantain
Enterprise Type
Rainfall / Irrigation
600mm+Ecotain environmental plantain is a flexible perennial herb, which is widely adapted to many climates and soil types. It persists through hot summers and wet winters if it is not overgrazed in these conditions.
Ecotain® has erect growth and broad leaves enabling maximum intake per bite.
Ecotain® has a coarse fibrous root system which is very efficient at extracting nutrients, meaning Ecotain® can perform in a wide range of soil fertility.
Sowing rates:
- 10-14kg/ha as a pure stand
- 5 kg/ha in a perennial pasture mix
- 4-6 kg/ha with chicory and clover as a specialist crop
- 4 kg/ha in a lucerne stand
- 8 kg/ha with 2 kg/ha of forage brassica
Seed Mixes Seed Mixes Show All
This product is available in the following mixes:
MAXImiser™ Hardy Tablelands Mix
Designed especially for the grazier who requires a reliable pasture for their farming system. The MAXImiser Hardy Tablelands mix combines traditional temperate grass and clover varieties with Ecotain® environmental plantain to provide a highly productive and nutritious pasture.
MAXImiser™ Hunter 'n' Herbs
A highly productive, quick maturing pasture blend that will help maximise animal performance. The use of Hunter brassica allows for quick feed, while the additon of perennial herbs such as Tonic plantain and Choice chicory extend stand life and increase pasture quality.
MAXImiser™ Irrigated Pasture Mix
This late heading perennial pasture blend including herbs is ideal for high rainfall areas or irrigation. The MAXImiser Irrigated Pasture Mix has been designed for optimum feed quality and strong year round growth with excellent late season performance. The inclusion of herbs (Choice chicory and Ecotain® environmental plantain) with white clover provides high quality forage to increase profit for your farming system.
MAXImiser™ Lamb Finishing Blend
Designed for the producer who wants to grow lambs quickly the MAXImiser Lamb Finishing Blend is able to provide year round quality and production. The use of summer and winter active perennial herbs in this bend helps reduce the effects of "Red gut" and MAXImise animal performance. Combined with lucerne and clovers, this blend provides a high quality diet for your lambs.
MAXImiser™ Millet 'n' Herbs
The MAXImiser Millet 'n' Herbs mix allows producers to extend the growing season of a millet crop by adding perennial hears Ecotain® environmental plantain and Choice chicory. The addition of herbs to the millet also aims to increase pasture quality and animal performance
MAXImiser™ Premium Tablelands Mix
With the combination of late maturing perennial ryegrass, fescue, clovers and herbs the MAXImiser Premium Tablelands mix is the ideal choice for growers wanting to maximise pasture production and pasture quality. The addition of perennial grazing herbs Choice chicory and Ecotain® environmental plantain to an already high quality pasture will allow for even greater animal performance.
- Endo
MAXImiser™ Winfred 'n' Herbs
Winfred has long been a favoured product by many. The MAXImiser Winfred 'n' Herbs mix offers producers the up-front production of Winfred, combined with the high quality and perennial nature of Choice chicory and Ecotain® environmental plantain.
SPS Forage Blend Plus
Boost overall production and diet quality
Multiple grazings and vigourous regrowth
Tolerant of dry conditions
Allows ryegrass to be direct drilled in the autumn extending production through to winter and spring
This blend provides variety in the diet, with greater mineral availability than a brassica crop alone. Both Ecotain® environmental plantain and Choice chicory are extremely pest tolerant and consistently produce high quality feed over multiple grazings. This blend is productive and persistent in dry periods, with rapid recovery when soil moisture improves.
Optimum sowing time: August - October, March - April (include 10 kg/ha Knight Italian ryegrass)
Soil type: wide range
Fertility requirements: Low-medium
Optimum first grazing: 10-12 weeks
SPS Hunter 'n' Herbs
Multiple grazings with rapid regrowth given moisture availability
Mineral rich for a well balanced diet
Provides a strong herb and white clover based pasture for ryegrass to be direct drilled the following autumn
This blend combines herbs and clovers with a brassica crop, allowing the brassica to act as a cover crop as the other species establish.
Optimum sowing time: September - November
Soil type: Clay - loam
Fertility requirements: Medium - high
Optimum first grazing: 6-8 weeks
SPS Tonic 'n' Lucerne
The inclusion of Tonic plantain with lucerne provides increased autumn/winter activity when lucerne is predominately dormant, thus not affecting persistence
Lucerne has a high nitrogen fixation ability providing the nitrogen required for Tonic plantain
Tonic provides key minerals which benefit the animal, reducing animal health issues associated with grazing lucerne
High quality forage from the lucerne through spring/summer and autumn given the right conditions
Highly persistent under a rotational grazing system
A specialised blend containing two complementary grazing tolerant species, capable of supporting high animal performance.
Sowing rate: 10 kg/ha (500-650mm) - 12 kg/ha (650mm+)
Optimum sowing time: Spring: September - October. Autumn: March - April
Soil type: Sandy/loam
Fertility requirement: Medium-high
Optimum first grazing: 'Pull test' approx 10-12 weeks
SPS Ecotain® 'n' Mainstar
Mainstar forage brassica provides high protein, highly digestible feed through summer, whilst allowing the establishment of Ecotain® plantain as the subsequent perennial stand.
Reduces downtime period from a summer crop to an autumn/winter finishing pasture.
No sowing costs in autumn.
Provides high quality autumn/winter feed for autumn lambing enterprises or prime lamb finishing systems.
Highly persistent pasture under a rotational grazing system.
A blend of Ecotain® sown with Mainstar forage brassica as a cover crop. This blend provides a high quality pasture with a quick transition from a summer crop to an autumn/winter finishing pasture.
Optimum sowing time/rate:
- Spring: August - October 8kg/ha (500-650 mm)
- Autumn: March - April 10kg/ha (650 mm+)
Soil type: Wide range
Fertility requirement: Low-medium
Optimum first grazing: Wait for Winfred to mature approx 10-12 weeks
SPS Ecotain® 'n' Lucerne
The inclusion of Ecotain® environmental plantain with lucerne provides increased autumn/winter activity when lucerne is predominately dormant.
Lucerne has a high nitrogen fixation ability complimenting the nitrogen requirement of Ecotain® environmental plantain.
Ecotain® provides key minerals which benefit the animal, reducing animal health issues associated with grazing lucerne.
High quality forage from the lucerne through spring/summer and autumn given the right conditions.
Persistent under a rotational grazing system.
A specialised blend containing two complementary grazing tolerant species, capable of supporting high animal performance.
Sowing rate: 10 kg/ha (500-650mm) - 12 kg/ha (650mm+)
Optimum sowing time: Spring: September - October. Autumn: March - April
Soil type: Sandy/loam
Fertility requirement: Medium-high
Optimum first grazing: 'Pull test' approx 10-12 weeks
Complementary Products Complementary Products Show All
Are you planning to plant a mixed pasture? These products are great companion species to plant with this variety.
Relish
Relish red clover offers superior persistence within grazing systems, with a semi-prostrate growth habit and high yield potential. As a perennial species it contains low levels of oestrogen and is highly productive in early spring, making it a suitable pure stand choice for lambs or in permanent mixes for quality grazing, hay or silage.
Sowing rate:
10 kg/ha alone
4-6 kg/ha in a mix
- 700mm+
Tribute
A medium-large leaved white clover, Tribute demonstrates strong persistence, superior out-of-season production and very high drymatter production. With tolerance to clover root weevil and excellent persistence under hard grazing, Tribute is adaptable to a wide range of farm types, providing very high production levels year-round.
Sowing rate:
3-5 kg/ha alone
1-3 kg/ha in a mix
- 700mm+
- Medium
Titan 5
Semi-winter dormant Titan 5 is an exciting new lucerne variety combining Medicago sativa and Medicago falcata genetics. The introduction of new genetics provides persistence, additional drought tolerance and water use effciency over traditional Medicago sativa varieties of similar dormancy. It is bred in Australia to suit the Australian climate. Look out for it in trials and demonstrations this season.
Rainfall (mm)
Sowing Rate (kg/ha)
Below 400
4-6
400-600
6-10
600-750
10-15
750-900+
15-20
Irrigation
20-25
- 400mm+
- 5-6
Succession Products Succession Products Show All
If you are wondering what to plant after your crop has finished, these are our recommended succession products to get the best out of your paddock.
Knight
Knight is a fast establishing Italian diploid ryegrass that yields outstanding growth and performance in all seasons. Knight stands and delivers during winter and summer when you need your paddocks to be working hardest. Ideal for grazing, hay and silage, Knight has good tolerance to rust and its reputation as a fast starter has gained a strong following with milk and meat producers throughout Australia.
Sowing rate:
20-25 kg/ha alone
10-20 kg/ha with clovers
- Diploid
- 600mm+
One50
One50 is a new generation late-heading perennial ryegrass providing outstanding drymatter production and high quality feed for silage and hay. It is high yielding and offers excellent summer, autumn and winter production with strong quality late feed.
Due to One50's late-heading date it maintains vegetative leaf production into late-spring and early-summer, making pasture management easier. Recommended for rotational grazing, One50 is available with AR37 endophyte for improved persistence and production advantages.
Sowing rate:
20-25 kg/ha alone
15-20 kg/ha with clovers
- Endo
- Diploid
- 700mm+
Prospect
Prospect is a new-generation mid-season, late-heading perennial diploid ryegrass providing excellent yields. Characterised by a dense fine-leaved habit, one of its main strengths is its reliable all-year-round production.
Prospect has proven its excellent adaptation to a wide range of environments from hill country to highly productive dairy pastures. Bred and selected with AR37 novel endophyte, its densely tillered, fine leaf nature enables it to recover from hard grazing once established and leads to good persistence under tough conditions.
Sowing rate:
20-25 kg/ha alone
15-20 kg/ha with clovers
- Endo
- Diploid
- 700mm+