BTME launch for Scotts Professional Seed icon programme

Scotts launched its brand new grass seed range for golf courses at BTME and with it the Seed Icon Programme, which makes it easier for turf professionals to select grass varieties that are bred for tolerance to extreme conditions and to solve common turfgrass problems.

The icons help end-users identify, at a glance, varieties with specific attributes that help them meet the challenges they face in the establishment, maintenance and ongoing health of their turf, reducing the use of inputs and saving money as a result. Each of the six trait-specific programmes - drought, cold, shade, wear, salt and visual merit - is identified by a distinctive icon.

Grasses suitable for use across the golf course are available with wear resistance, shade tolerance, salt tolerance and other important qualities, identified by one or more icons.

It may be that Scotts isn't a name you'd generally associate with seed, but The Scotts Company has, in fact, got a long history in turf seed. Orlando McLean Scott founded O.M. Scott & Sons in 1868. Born and raised in Ohio, he purchased a hardware store in Marysville in 1870 that included a machine used for cleaning crop seed for farmers. Starting with a firm conviction that "farmers need and shall have clean, weed-free fields," Scott embarked on a new business venture that is today, The Scotts Company.

Today, Scotts Professional has over 90 hectares of turfgrass trials at four research centres located in different climatic zones, allowing both warm and cool season grasses to be tested, screen and evaluated. In cooperation with Pure-Seed Testing Inc., a pioneer in turf seed breeding and one of the most productive and respected breeding companies in the World, they've selected the best performing varieties from their various research programmes to enter the UK market.

Mark Rayner, Scotts' Key Account Manager points out that each icon is a symbol of excellence: "Water restrictions, environmental pressures, disease and heavy wear all impact the quality and performance of grasses and overcoming these pressures costs turf professionals time and money. Years of research led to the development of these trait-specific grasses, which have been subjected to intense trials and have met or surpassed rigid standards for measuring tolerance or resistance. Only the best performing varieties in the testing programmes are awarded an icon. Therefore, turf professionals can be confident that the grasses they select will meet their specific needs."

For more information about Scotts Professional Seed, visit the new website at www.scottsproseed.co.uk.