Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8420 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2016 THE TURF AND grass seed industry remains extremely competitive and continues to grow rapidly due to a strong demand for both residential and commercial property develop- ment, and the environmental and aesthetic benefits of turfgrass, particularly in urban landscapes. The industry contributes to the national economy through employment, spending on inputs, income from sales of turfgrass and lawn care products and services (irrigation, pest control). There’s also business taxes and supporting sectors, such as lawn equipment manufacturing, sod farms, golf courses and more. Kevin Morris, president of the National Turfgrass Federation (NTF) in Beltsville, Md., says the grass seed portion of the turf industry has always been very competitive. “Most turf species are cross-pollinated and population improvement results not in hybrids, but multiselection-based cultivars,” he says. “This system does not lend itself to patent protection; therefore, there is less opportunity to protect and market extremely unique cultivars.” He says the turf industry, even with increasing competition from synthetic turf, the flattening out of the number of golfers, and the recession (which not only reduced the number of golf courses, but also demand for seed/sod used in new housing) has been growing steadily during the past 25 years or so.  “This growth has largely been fueled due to increased urbani- zation, as well as demand for recreational facilities, such as parks, soccer fields, etc,” Morris says. “As the U.S. population grows, the demand for turf areas will likely increase, as turf is still one of the best land uses for recreation, storm water management, cooling the air and generally protecting the urban environment.”  NTF promotes the value and benefits of turfgrass, particularly within the federal government. It also works to secure funding for unique research projects.   “Funding within the federal government is severely lacking, especially considering that turfgrass is the fourth or fifth largest crop in the U.S. (by acreage),” Morris says. “We want funding to be available for long-term projects that researchers would other- wise not have an opportunity to conduct.” At Texas A&M University, the Soil and Crop Sciences Department is one of the largest groups of plant breeders in the U.S. Comprised of about 80 faculty, research areas include turf- grass, plant physiology, crop quality, biotic and abiotic stress, as well as several plant breeding and genetic research programs. “The seed industry has always been competitive, so we do not see a significant change with the cool season overseeding species used in Texas,” says Lloyd Nelson, professor emeritus and ryegrass breeder, Texas A&M AgriLife Research in College Station, Texas. “There has been some consolidation of seed companies in Oregon, which will likely result in less competition between seed producers for some markets in Texas,” he says. “Of course, much of the turf used in Texas has always been and continues to be installed by sodding lawns, which requires no seed. Some Bermuda grass is also seeded in Texas.” While Nelson cannot speak about the industry on a national scale, he says grass seed usage in Texas has changed over the past decade due to several factors. “With winter turf overseeding, there has been a reduction due to at least two factors,” he says. “First, many school districts and colleges have installed artificial turf fields and, therefore, no longer need to overseed athletic soccer and football fields. Secondly, water restrictions and high water costs have limited overseeding, especially in the San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth areas. On some golf courses and athletic fields, colorants are now sprayed on the dormant warm-season grasses during the fall and winter seasons, in place of overseeding.” Demand is at an all-time high for both more aesthetically pleasing and drought-resistance products and services. Lisa Kopochinski SELLER’S MARKET At M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, workers sodded with Bermudagrass after removing synthetic turf this spring. PHOTO: NATIONAL TURFGRASS EVALUATION PROGRAM.