How grass variety selection can support lower-input turf management

Selecting the right grass species is only part of establishing and maintaining successful turf. Individual cultivars within the same species can behave differently under disease pressure, drought, wear and challenging growing conditions.

These differences mean grass genetics can play an important role in integrated turf management (ITM). By selecting species and cultivars with characteristics suited to the site and its particular pressures, turf managers can build greater resilience into the turf from establishment.

“Sustainability within turfgrass means providing high-quality turf with the lowest possible inputs,” explains Simon Taylor, ICL Product & Business Development Manager for Grass Seeds in EMEA.

For ICL, this makes characteristics such as disease tolerance and resilience important considerations when evaluating cultivars for the ProSelect grass seed portfolio.

Why grass genetics matter to turf management

Turf managers cannot control every pressure affecting a playing surface, but grass selection is one decision that can influence how well the turf is equipped to cope with them.

Cultivars can differ considerably in characteristics including disease tolerance, drought tolerance, wear performance, recovery, turf density and visual quality.

That makes cultivar selection more than a question of choosing the grass with the best appearance. The objective is to identify genetics with characteristics appropriate for the environment, intended use and management objectives of the turf.

For example, disease tolerance may be particularly important where a known disease presents a recurring threat, while wear and recovery characteristics may carry greater weight on intensively used sports turf.

The principle is straightforward: start with genetics suited to the pressures the turf is likely to experience.

Matching grass characteristics to growing conditions

There is no single grass cultivar that is best suited to every environment.

ICL works with breeding partners in Europe and the US and evaluates cultivars for use across different climates, turf applications and management conditions.

This becomes particularly important when grasses are being used outside what might traditionally be considered straightforward cool-season growing environments.

Simon points to examples from very different climates.

In Iceland, Piranha creeping bentgrass has been used on golf greens, while Traction Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) has been used on sports turf.

At the other climatic extreme, ProSelect Renovator 3GLSD has been used on sports fields and training grounds in Qatar. The perennial ryegrass blend contains Stellar 4GL, Fastball 3GL and Slugger 3GL.

The conditions and turf requirements are very different, but the underlying selection principle is the same: identify grass genetics with characteristics suited to the environment and the job the turf needs to perform.

“These are just a few of the many examples that demonstrate our ability to provide tailored solutions for diverse climates and challenging conditions,” says Simon.

Selecting for disease tolerance

Disease tolerance provides a good example of why cultivar characteristics matter within an integrated approach.

Gray leaf spot is one disease receiving increasing attention in perennial ryegrass. ICL’s collaboration with US breeder Mountain View Seeds gives access to perennial ryegrass genetics selected for tolerance to the disease.

“Our collaboration with US breeder Mountain View Seeds has led to the development of grasses that are particularly resistant to gray leaf spot,” Simon explains.

Renovator 3GLSD combines three perennial ryegrass cultivars — Stellar 4GL, Fastball 3GL and Slugger 3GL — selected to provide turf performance alongside gray leaf spot tolerance.

Choosing cultivars with useful disease tolerance does not remove the need for good turf management. It does, however, mean disease susceptibility can be considered at the point where the turf population itself is being selected.

That makes genetics one component of a wider integrated approach to managing disease pressure.

How ICL evaluates grass cultivars

Developing the ProSelect portfolio starts before individual cultivars appear in an ICL grass seed mixture.

ICL works with breeding partners in Europe and the US to identify and evaluate potential cultivars for professional turf.

“Our breeding partners bring a wealth of knowledge and history, which is crucial for developing varieties that can handle the specific demands of different environments,” says Simon.

Candidate cultivars are assessed for characteristics relevant to professional turf and the environments in which they may eventually be used.

This process allows ICL to look beyond species alone and consider the particular characteristics individual cultivars can contribute to a straight seed product or mixture.

Learn more about how ICL selects grass seed cultivars for professional turf.

Grass seed as part of integrated turf management

Genetics are only one part of turf management.

Nutrition, irrigation, water management, mowing, aeration, disease management and other cultural practices all influence turf performance. The role of grass selection is to provide an appropriate biological starting point for that management program.

This is also where ICL’s wider approach to turf management becomes relevant.

Rather than treating grass seed independently from the management of the resulting turf, ICL combines expertise in grass genetics with turf nutrition, water management, plant health and other areas of professional turf management.

For the turf manager, the important point is not simply having access to more products. It is being able to consider grass selection as one part of the complete management system.

A cultivar selected for relevant disease tolerance, drought tolerance, wear or recovery characteristics still needs appropriate management. But choosing suitable genetics from the outset can give the turf manager a stronger foundation on which to build that program.

Choosing genetics for future turf challenges

The pressures affecting professional turf continue to evolve.

Water availability, disease pressure, climatic conditions, regulations and expectations for playing quality can all influence how turf needs to be managed.

Grass breeding and cultivar selection therefore have an important role in identifying genetics capable of meeting changing requirements.

Simon says ICL continues to focus on characteristics including drought and disease tolerance when evaluating the next generation of turf grasses.

“Our goal is to continue developing grass seeds that meet the evolving needs of turf managers,” he says.

For turf managers, the practical principle remains the same: choose the species and cultivars according to the conditions, pressures and performance required from the turf.

Grass genetics cannot replace good turf management. Selecting the right genetics can, however, make them an important part of a resilient, integrated turf management program.