A look at 2019’s new or improved cultivars

By Alistair March 21, 2019 08:36 Updated

New and improved cultivars are coming to market in 2019 from the top companies to aid greenkeepers’ quest for perfection.

Cabrio Ultra Fine Ryegrass has, for the third consecutive year, been announced as the number one variety for fineness of leaf in the BSPB’s Series L Table 1 for perennial ryegrasses.

Formally introduced as a new cultivar in 2016, Cabrio Ultra Fine Ryegrass went straight to the top of the table for 2017 thanks to a fineness of leaf scoring of 8.8. It retained this position in 2018 thanks to another score of 8.8, and enjoys the same position in 2019’s list thanks to a rating of 8.7 – a score which is still half a point clear of its nearest rivals at 8.2.

Cabrio Ultra Fine Ryegrass

“Cabrio continues to impress with its exceptional and consistent fineness of leaf score,” explains Richard Brown, Germinal Amenity sales manager. “In fact, it’s so fine that is successfully being used as an over-seeding variety on a number of fine turf and links courses where it has proven its ability to blend in seamlessly with existing fescue swards.”

Cabrio also benefits from good all round scores for shoot density (7.8), visual merit (7.9), slow re-growth habit (7.2) and cleanness of cut (7.1) and therefore offers greenkeepers an excellent opportunity to produce an exceptionally fine-leaved, hard wearing sward that can not only tolerate a close mowing regime, but which will also give good ball roll and will be very attractive aesthetically.

Cabrio is recommended for overseeding golf tees and golf green aprons and is exclusively available from Germinal in the company’s A5 Cricket, Tennis and Tees, A10 Golf Tees and Divot Repairs, and A28 Ultrafine Ryegolf mixtures. Its inclusion in all three of these mixtures enhances sward density, wear tolerance and repair capability.

Cabrio: cultivar characteristics*

Table L1

(mown at 10-15mm)

Shoot density 7.8

Fineness of leaf 8.7

Slow regrowth 7.2

Visual merit 7.9

Mean 7.9

Resistance to Red Thread 3.8

Cleanness of cut 7.1

Winter greenness 5.2

Summer greenness 6.0

*Source: BSPB Turfgrass Seed booklet 2019

Head of corporate product management at DLF, Mette Jespersen

Following two years of research and investment, DLF will launch the new ‘DLF Select’ quality programme and seed range for the 2019 season. In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve high purity standards, DLF have developed a new programme within their production chain to safeguard quality and ensure they remain the preferred, reliable, supplier to the top turf managers worldwide.

Environmental factors and changes in pesticide regulations have brought increasing challenges to those trying to achieve clean surfaces. DLF field consultants, working closely together with specially selected growers, have identified the cleanest fields to grow and harvest only the purest crops to produce ‘00’ and ‘S’ purity rated seed.

DLF Select ‘00’ quality guarantees the highest purity based on a standard ISTA analysis. In a standard sample of the ‘00’ quality grass seed, 0.0 per cent of other seeds are found. For even further reassurance, a 10x sample search is performed for the ‘S’ grade. The superior ‘S1’ standard guarantees the result of 0.0 per cent other seeds, while ‘S2’ indicates no coarse grasses, with only traces of non-harmful dicot species. Besides the mentioned Select purity grades, DLF also offers professional ‘A1’ & ‘A2’ grades for the amenity market, that offer a vast improvement on the baseline EU purity rules and standards.

Head of corporate product management, Mette Jespersen, has spearheaded the programme. “DLF Select has seen major work and investment through all levels of planning, growing, harvesting, cleaning and logistics to secure the delivery of the purest seed to our customers. We have introduced new procedures throughout the process including separate storage to avoid any potential contamination and specialised cleaning departments. The post-clean ISTA certified analysis then ensures that the seed is labelled with the correct quality grade. We have also provided additional training to our growers on best practice and cleaning operators in seed recognition, while hi-tech cameras have been installed over cleaning lines to identify contaminants and analyse seed samples.”

She adds: “Being able to offer the Select purity standards in a selection of DLF varieties provides turf managers with the confidence that all steps have been taken to ensure the quality and purity of the seed lot.”

A list of DLF varieties available within the Select programme is available on request.

Rigby Taylor has launched its perfectly balanced ‘R’ range grass seed blends for 2019 for use on golf greens, tees and fairways.

R9 100 per cent ultra-fine dwarf rye blend benefits from the introduction of the new perennial ryegrass cultivar, Gianna. Featuring Clementine, Estelle, Gianna, and Duparc, R9 combines low crowns, high shoot density, clean cut, fast recovery from close mowing and exceptional tolerance to red thread disease. Red thread, although not often fatal to the grass plant, is increasingly aggressive and unsightly, weakening the plant, making it more susceptible to attack from more deadly turf diseases. That’s the reason why Gianna and Duparc, both with exceptional red thread disease tolerance, also feature in R8, a mix of ultra-fine rye and slender creeping red fescue.

R9 Germin-8T treated seed – (above) eight days after sowing. Below: 14 days after sowing

Two new cultivars ensure that R14 remains the first choice for sports’ pitch construction and renovation. Fast establishment and high wear tolerance come high on the list when choosing a perennial ryegrass blend but of equal importance, new R14 delivers the fastest recovery after wear. R14 features the number one perennial ryegrass Europitch, together with the new cultivar Cameron; ideally reinforced with the inclusion of Eurosport and Eurocordus for the perfectly balanced blend.

Cameron and Eurosport jointly achieved the highest scores for recovery in Turfgrass Seed 2019. Eurosport also features in R14CR, with creeping perennial ryegrass cultivar Fiesta 4 providing increased tolerance to leaf spot disease and fast early establishment.

During the winter months, Rigby Taylor seeds keep the surfaces growing with a choice of mixtures featuring tetraploid perennial ryegrass technology. Ten mixtures in the tetraploid range are designed for a wide variety of applications and include R314 Rye, R140 and R442. Tetraploid perennial ryegrass has double the amount of chlorophyll compared with diploids, making it extremely vigorous and stress tolerant.

Not only does it grow in colder conditions it also has higher root mass for stability, nutrient uptake and drought tolerance, plus increased tolerance to microdochium patch and other turf grass diseases. R314 Rye includes amenity annual ryegrass for the fastest germination and establishment possible in cold temperatures and is recommended for divoting and temporary repairs. R140 and R442 are blends of tetraploid and diploid perennial ryegrasses for cold temperature germination, wear and persistency. All are capable of germination from just four degrees Celsius.

These and the complete range of Rigby Taylor grass seeds and other turf management products are contained in its 176 page, 2019 range brochure, which is available on request.