When considering grass seed cultivars or mixtures, Horse racing provides a unique set of challenges. In contrast to golf and football, where fineness of leaf are top of the list, racecourse managers will require mixtures that offer fast establishment, greater density, good wear tolerance and rapid recovery. DLF’s Northern Regional Technical Manager John Hughes looks at the recent development in ryegrass technology and how tetraploids are becoming the number one choice for the renovation and repair of natural and hybrid grass surfaces.

In Russia's top football stadiums, the grass is growing. Across the world the fans are waiting. The countdown has begun. When the referee blows the starting whistle on the opening game, the world will discover the strength and resilience of DLF's latest turf varieties.

New for 2018 from the Masterline range are 3 exciting new ‘Colour Boost’ flower mixture formulations designed to create enhanced, attractive amenity spaces. Available in the UK through DLF Seeds, the range also provides an essential food source and habitat for many species of animals and invertebrates, especially pollenating insects.

While winter still sends its cold breath across Northern Europe, the countdown for this summer’s world-class football in Russia continues. Among pitch managers and chief groundsmen, expectations for perfect tournament pitches are sky high. The organisers, the players, and billions of football fans across the world expect nothing less than beautifully green and hard-wearing grass; the groundsmen will do their utmost to make it happen.

British Groundsmen In Europe: Amid the spending spree since Qatar Sports Investments bought Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, the signing of a 35-year-old Northern Irishman might not have made many headlines but he arrived to huge promises from the club’s owners.

Now into the 3rd year of increasing the bent content of their greens, Wakefield’s Waterton Park Golf Club has achieved the biggest bent showing to date in 2017 thanks to the Johnsons Sports Seed J Nitro All Bent mixture. Head Greenkeeper, David Griffin, has maintained the course he describes as a ‘grass factory’ for the last 19 years and says, “it isn’t easy”.

Using the very latest data from mixture and official cultivar trials at the STRI, a number of mixtures from both the Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed ranges have been revised and updated for 2018. Visitors to stand A20 at BTME will be the first to hear about the many new 2018 formulations, as well as a completely new mixture for cricket, Johnsons J Outfield.

The recent institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) Industry Awards ceremony at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham hosted by talkSPORT radio presenter Mark Saggers, saw DLF’s Derek Smith and Alan Prickett from Ransomes present the Groundsman of the Year Award in front of an audience of almost 700 of the UK’s and Europe’s leading groundscare experts, as well as dignitaries from the governing bodies of sport and influential sports administrators.

Seed producers in northern Europe had a mixed season. Early spring was good all round and in Denmark the good growing weather lasted till harvest. Unfortunately the weather broke in Denmark just as the harvest began. An unstable mixture of sunshine and rain made harvesting difficult. In the Netherlands the latter part of the growing season was very dry, resulting in a low filling of seeds.

Leading seed breeders DLF will be returning to Saltex 2017, showcasing two of the company’s latest breeding innovations, 4Turf Tetraploid Ryegrass and the new Turf Type Annual Ryegrass Quickston. DLF’s technical team will also be on hand on stand J100 to offer advice on the latest cultivars and mixture selection from both the Masterline and Johnsons Sports Seed ranges

Sean McLean, Links Superintendent at Princes Golf Club, has months of careful preparation ahead of him. June 2017 sees his club join with Royal St Georges to host the 122nd Amateur Championships once again this year. Whilst Sean admits he likes to trial new products, he intends to rely on Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures for his course preparation.

Beaufort Polo Club in Tetbury is the foremost centre for the development of Polo in the Cotswolds. With 90 acres of fields and grassed areas and just a small team around him, Head Groundsman Wlodek Sterkowicz needs a maintenance regime that’s simple but that can cope with the demanding conditions that Polo brings. It all starts with the right grass seed, and for this Wlodek turns to DLF cultivars.

Kingsdown Golf Club in Wiltshire recently took the initiative to show children from a local primary school how environmental stewardship, sports turf management and the game of golf are positively linked. Tom Freeman, Deputy Course Manager, coordinated the event and was supported by DLF Seeds who donated wildflower seed for the children to sow around the course.

Growing a new field of turf is a waiting game. You sow, you fertilize, you let nature take its course. Eventually the new grass plants are big enough and strong enough to do some useful work – to take the pounding of football boots or the teeth of a herd of cattle. - Klaus K. Nielsen Chief Scientific Officer, DLF

Together with some key distributors and customers, DLF Seeds recently hosted a groundsmens trip to the Emirates Stadium in London. Delegates were treated to a stadium tour, a look around the maintenance sheds and discussed how the Johnsons J Premier Pitch mixture has played a fundamental role in the recent re-build of the stadium pitch and the results it has already delivered.

ProNitro®, the new nitrogen seed coating technology from DLF, is one of three nominations for a prestigious innovation award. The jury will announce the Winner on March 9.

DLF hosted a very successful special Turf day at our breeding station in Moerstraten. A large group of Turf growers from the Benelux attended this day. This day was organized together with Van der Sluis Rollrasen en Nannings en Van Vuuren Turf Tick, two big players in the mechanic industry for Turf growers. Sales manager Hendrik Nagelhoud started the day, by saying: ”Our innovations are going to help you to grow in the future.”

It is our pleasure to present the unique Masterline brand with superior grass varieties. Our focus is on fine-leaved, dense varieties with outstanding disease resistance, wear and drought tolerance. All Masterline mixtures are based on the large portfolio from the DLF Group and only the very best varieties are selected for our mixtures.