Also known as hypomagnesemia, grass tetany often is fatal.
American pastureland has more tall fescue than any other forage grass.
And because the new variety is unusually high in magnesium, it should help protect vulnerable animals from magnesium deficiencies. Plans call for HiMag seed to be made available to plant breeders this year, according to ARS soil scientist Henry F. Mayland at the ARS Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory at Kimberly, Idaho. The idea of breeding a high-magnesium forage grass to combat grass tetany isn't new. But the ARS scientists and their university co-researchers are the first to accomplish that with tall fescue. They recommend HiMag for rain-fed pastures in eastern, southeastern and Pacific Northwestern States and British Columbia.