An examination of ergot in relation to ryegrass staggers

Abstract

Extract Ryegrass staggers is a sporadic disease condition of farm animals grazing ryegrass-dominant pastures in New Zealand, prevalent in summer or autumn when there is sufficient moisture to provide some growth of the ryegrass. The disease is characterized by a condition of temporary tetanic muscle spasm, usually after a period of brisk exercise. There is no satisfactory treatment for the disease and its cause is unknown although the causal agent is regarded as being present in the pasture herbage (Armstrong, 1956 Armstrong, H. C. 1956. N.Z. J. Agric, 93: 56–56. [Google Scholar] ; Cunningham & Hartley, 1959 Cunningham, I. J. and Hartley, W. J. 1959. N.Z. vet. J., 7: 1–1. [Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar] ).