The Barenbrug BAR Range for 2013 features new and improved mixtures, and top-performing cultivars.
Full details of the latest launches and developments are all packed into the newly available BAR Range 2013 sports and amenity grass seed catalogue. But here are the highlights of the new line-up:
- The company’s sports perennial ryegrass mixture BAR 7 was enhanced with its revolutionary new Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass – or RPR – last year to great acclaim. But now a fine turf favourite benefits from the unique creeping growth habit of cultivar Barclay II. Extreme RPR provides the proven benefits of the original BAR Extreme dwarf perennial ryegrass blend, but with Barclay II’s elongated tillers giving superior establishment, recovery, wear tolerance and surface stability. It is particularly recommended for divotting or overseeding high-wear golf tees.
- A brand new innovation for 2013 is BAR Salt & Drought. This launch is the result of extensive in-field trials on the Isle of Man at King William’s College – a very exposed coastal location affected by high salinity levels – together with in-depth laboratory studies on drought tolerance inItalyandHolland. Harnessing a blend of perennial ryegrass and fine fescue species selected specifically for increased tolerance to both salt and drought conditions, BAR Salt & Drought promises to be of great benefit to links courses, and other landscaping in coastal regions and/or affected by drought.
- And for golf courses looking to create a haven for native wildlife, there are also three dedicated wildflower mixtures to choose from. Containing 100 percent UK-provenance perennial wildflower species, Parkland, Heathland and Links have been tailored to match the environments and soil types typical to these kinds of courses. The new catalogue also includes advice on selecting the ideal companion grass seed mixtures.
Barenbrug has also, of course, enhanced its existing mixtures with the latest top-performing cultivars – many of which feature in the STRI/BSPB Turfgrass Seed 2013 guide, thanks to their impressive performance.
New to BAR 7 RPR for 2013 is Barorlando. This is a ‘standard’ perennial ryegrass in the sense that it does not have creeping properties… But can you describe gaining the number one spot on Table S1 for a sports grass as ‘standard’?! Incredibly, it scores highest on S1 for live ground cover, visual merit and shoot density, plus has the joint highest visual merit score of any grass for any use in theUK! Barenbrug has added 25 percent Barorlando to BAR 7 RPR also on the strength of its superb tolerance to Leaf Spot and its vibrant mid-green colour.
Likewise, BAR Fescue has been newly enhanced with Barlineus. Though listed as a new cultivar on Table G2, Barlineus could claim the title of the highest ranked cultivar across all grass species in theUK, thanks to its impressive Turfgrass Seed guide mean score of 8.7. It is also the top-performing Chewings fescue for red thread disease resistance (jointly with another Barenbrug-bred cultivar, Barswing), and benefits golf and bowling greens favourite BAR 2 as well.
Other noteworthy cultivars impressing in the guide include Bargold, featured in BAR Extreme and Extreme RPR, which is ranked number one on Table G4 and is one of Barenbrug’s best cultivars for Leaf Spot tolerance. Then there’s Barsignum, also featured in BAR Extreme, which ranks second on Table L1 and has the joint highest visual merit score of 8.5 (with Barorlando) for any grass across all species in the UK. Relative newcomer Viktorka also takes the number-one spot on L4, with Barenbrug dominating four of the five top spots on that table.
Commenting on the launch of the BAR Range 2013, amenity research and development manager Dr David Greenshields says: “What a fantastic line-up of new and improved products, and top-ranked cultivars! These are the fruition of another busy year of applied research, development and breeding, and promise to help turf professionals get the very best from their new construction and overseeding projects. What’s more, this year we’ve included an ‘Insights’ section in the catalogue for the first time to help customers better understand this development process, and the features and benefits of our mixtures. Together with the practical advice, the catalogue is an invaluable resource.”
To order your free copy of the BARRange2013sports and amenity grass seed catalogue call 01359 272000 or email info@baruk.co.uk Alternatively visit www.barenbrug.co.uk
where you can also download a pdf copy.