A selection of perennial grasses imported from Queensland is promising to be an all-round winner for Western Australian farmers.

The Western Australia Department of Agriculture has been evaluating the grasses in association with the North Midlands-based Evergreen Farming group.

The trials will build on research done as part of the Sustainable Grazing Systems (SGS) program, with Meat and Livestock Australia, on the well-known perennial grass kikuyu.

Trials on the South Coast have shown that kikuyu can boost carrying stocking rates, and therefore gross margins, while at the same time reducing the risk of salinity.

Department research officer Paul Sanford said in some cases, the Queensland grasses could be even more impressive than kikuyu.

"Kikuyu requires heavy grazing to maintain reasonable forage quality and a strong subclover content, which may not suit all producers," Mr Sanford said.

"A number of the Queensland grasses are higher quality, tufted and will maintain forage quality under grazing systems that include rest and as a consequence may be more suitable for meat production, particularly cattle."

A trial at Wellstead has already shown promise with the four top-performers, Gaton panic, Signal grass, Solader sectaria and Spenda setaria, yielding well over 1.5 tonne per plot, 70-78 per cent digestible dry matter and 13.3-15pc crude protein content.

Mr Sanford is also keen to determine whether the Queensland grasses are as effective as kikuyu in reducing water recharge and therefore reduce the risk of salinity.

"The South Coast SGS trials indicate that deep rooted perennials, like kikuyu, will substantially reduce groundwater recharge in soil profiles that do not inhibit the development of deep root systems," Mr Sanford said.

"The results suggest that if kikuyu were to make up 40 per cent of the total arable area of a farm, reduced deep drainage beneath the perennial could potentially reduce the eventual extent of salinity by 25 per cent and delay its onset by 40 years."

The Esperance demonstration trial has also indicated a significant increase in carrying capacity on paddocks sown with kikuyu.

"Over the three year trial, the combined system of annual and kikuyu pasture was calculated to have a gross margin 10 per cent higher than the annual pasture alone," Mr Sanford said.

"That’s because there was no need for supplementary feeding due to the year-round supply of feed."

There are now plans to integrate some of this research into the work being done by the Salinity Co-operative Research Centre, later in the year.

"The challenge now is to identify new summer active perennial pasture species for alternative situations, such as lower rainfall environments, which can improve livestock production, while significantly reducing groundwater recharge," Mr Sanford said.