94 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2019 SINCE1915 ThefirstissueofSeedWorldwaspublishedin1915.Heretheeditorswilltakeyoubackintimeto explorethenumbers,newsandissuesthatimpactedtheseedindustry—allcoveredbySeedWorld. 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1943 1945 1950 1953 1955 1959 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 First soybeans with complete nematode resistance developed. Coastal bermudagrass released; revolutionized forage grass production in the southern U.S. A MOMENT IN TIME Our February 1990 issue focused on turfgrasses for the future. Seed marketers predicted improvements to turfgrass species would intensify over the coming decade. Turf-type tall fescues, perennial ryegrasses, bluegrasses, bermudagrasses and bentgrasses would all be new and improved due to more education among consumers in regard to turfgrass quality. Experts predicted the release of 10-20 new bermudagrass cultivars to be released in the 1990s. Awareness of water shortages was also a major reason for the demand. As a result, municipalities were drawing up lists of varieties not requiring as much water. FACTS AND FIGURES FROM THIS 1990 ISSUE: 400% is the increase in prices of warm and cool season grass seed between 1987 and 1990. $16 is the cost per pound of green needlegrass seed in 1990. 2 million is the number of miles traveled by John Bodger as head of the John Bodger & Sons Company over his lifetime. Bodger was profiled by Seed World in 1990. $113.31 is the price of an acre of land in the Gardenia Valley in 1904, according to a biography of John Bodger. 11.52% is the percentage of sales shown on the payroll of 58 seed companies sur- veyed as part of the American Seed Trade Association’s 1990 Industry Benchmark Survey. Total operating expenses were 22.37 percent of sales. This means payroll was running more than half of all operat- ing expenses. Tiffine released; hybrid bermudagrass for turf. Controlled Rhodesgrass mealybug on range grass in Texas using biological control.