Held in Valencia, Spain, the first European Turfgrass Society (ETS) Field Days, topically focused on the management of turf during hot weather and in dry Mediterranean climates. President of the ETS Dr Marco Volterrani said, “We are extremely pleased with the response to this event which gave professionals a wonderful opportunity to take part in site visits, discussions and exchange ideas.
“This follows on from the highly successful international conference held in Pisa, Italy, last year organized with the help of the Polytechnic University of Valencia.”
More than a hundred turf professionals listened to high-level speeches on the theme of efficient and effective water management given by researchers Stephen Baker of the STRI and Bernd Leinauer of New Mexico State University. Skilled grass seed breeders Christophe Galbrun from DLF Trifolium and Koos de Bruijn from Barenbrug also talked about the vital role new cultivar development plays in meeting changing climatic conditions.
Guided by Professor Diego Gomez de Barreda, participants had the opportunity to assess important turf uses within Valencia, including:
• turf for sports surfaces at a Valencian golf club and the Valencia football
• team training centre
• turf for recreational purposes in the main public park (the Jardin del Turia)
• experimental trials at the polytechnic university
• trials of a local seed company looking at turf varieties and blends.
Looking ahead Abstracts are being invited from those wishing to give oral presentations at the 2nd ETS International Conference to be held in Angers, France, from 11th – 13th April 2010. Deadline for the presentation of papers is 15th September: short abstracts (max. 200 words) and 15th November: extended abstracts (max. 2 pages)
These should be sent to papers-angers2010@turgrasssociety.eu