ABSTRACT
One of the most important components of tropical * pasture production is the establishment of the stand. Obtaining an adequate supply of high-quality seed is paramount to getting a forage program started. Too often, needed quantities of high-quality seed of the desired cultivar are not available at the appropriate time for planting. Unlike the situation in major grain crops, there are no major international companies with the marketing and delivery infrastructure to supply tropical forage and pasture seeds. Australia is and has been a source of some cultivars of some species. In fact, Australian researchers have generously provided seed of the species adapted to their country to researchers in other countries to be used in suitability trials. In some countries, pasture and forage production is largely based on species and cultivars supplied by Australian researchers and commercial seed sources. An example is Brazil where, before 1970, little or no Brachiaria was used in pastures. Twenty-five years later, 70% of the 100 million hectares of improved pasture consisted mostly of four species of Brachiaria originating in Australia. During the past few years, the source of this tropical pasture seed planted in Brazil has shifted from imported Australian seed to domestic supplies. 1 In fact, Brazil has recently become the leading producer of tropical forage seeds. 1
