Rigby Taylor’s grass seed delivers fast recovery after wear

By Alistair February 1, 2019 08:17 Updated

Two new cultivars will ensure that Rigby Taylor’s R14 perennial ryegrass blend remains the number one choice for sports pitch construction and renovation. Fast establishment and high wear tolerance come high on the list when choosing a perennial ryegrass but, of equal importance, the 2019 version of R14 also delivers fast recovery after wear.

R14 features the top-performing Europitch perennial ryegrass, together with the new cultivar Cameron – ideally reinforced with the inclusion of Eurosport and Eurocordus for a perfectly-balanced blend. Cameron and Eurosport jointly achieved the highest scores for recovery in ‘Turfgrass Seed 2019’.

Eurosport also features in Rigby Taylor’s R14CR, where the Fiesta 4 creeping perennial ryegrass cultivar provides increased tolerance to Leaf Spot and fast early establishment.

For cricket squares and tennis courts, the R9 100 per cent ultra-fine dwarf rye blend also benefits from the introduction of the new perennial ryegrass cultivar, Gianna, which now features alongside Clementine, Estelle 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 and making it more susceptible to attack from fatal diseases. That’s the reason why Gianna and Duparc, both with exceptional Red Thread disease tolerance, also feature in Rigby Taylor’s R8, a mix of ultra-fine rye and slender creeping red fescue.

In the middle of winter, Rigby Taylor seeds keep the surfaces growing until the end of the season 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 4°C and mixtures are available for sports pitches, racecourses and cricket outfields.

With the reduced choice of fungicide options, selecting mixtures with increased disease tolerance is becoming ever critical. So, too, is fast establishment which not only brings the surface into play faster but also supports plant health in the longer term. If a sward struggles to establish then the plants can be more susceptible to disease.

Rigby Taylor’s R Range mixtures treated with Germin-8T provides added benefits – and added value.

In the short term, the penetrating surfactant, sugars and micro nutrients help the plants establish faster in cold conditions, while the benefits of mycorrhizal fungi and Trichoderma atroviride deliver longer term, symbiotic health benefits to the established plant.

Only two per cent by weight, Germin-8T liquid seed treatment means the seed can be sowed at the usual recommended rate, delivering real benefits without additional cost.