Germinal has modified its best-selling sports pitch seed mixture, A20 Premier Ryesport, with the inclusion of three new perennial ryegrasses for 2015. 

Southampton FC were joint winners of the IOG’s Premier League Pitch of the Year in 2014.

A20 stalwarts, Eugenius and Cadix, are joined by new signings, Promotor, Calico and Eurocordus, to create a seed mixture that now offers an even greater genetic diversity and an improved ability to cope with key stresses such as wear and extremes of temperature.

“A20 Premier Ryesport has always fielded a mixture of five top quality perennial ryegrasses,” explains Richard Brown, Amenity Sales Manager for Germinal.  “Following on from recent successes – A20 was used on the pitch at Southampton FC when they were joint winners of the IOG’s Premier League pitch of the year in 2014, and at Swindon Town FC in 2013 when the club won the League One pitch of the year – we have updated the standard A20 mixture for 2015 to give even greater genetic diversity and improved disease and stress resistance.

“All three of the new cultivars have been selected for their consistent fineness of leaf and their ability to produce a sward that stripes really well, and for their uniformity of high shoot density which aids sward recovery,” Richard continues. “But it is the inclusion of Promotor which is really exciting,” he explains.

Promotor gives strong performances across all the important parameters on the BSPB’s Table S1 list for sports use, with excellent scores for shoot density [7.4], recovery [7.4], live ground cover [7.4] and visual merit following wear [7.4].  As such it enhances the new A20 mixture by offering improved performance in all key areas.

“This year’s A20 squad has been selected on its ability to provide a strong package for the majority of pitches,” Richard continues.  “However, we appreciate that a seed mixture which works well for one groundsman isn’t necessarily correct for a groundsman in another part of the UK where light levels, temperature, local climatic conditions and soil types may differ significantly.”

The A20 mixture can therefore be tailored to suit each pitch’s specific needs by allowing users to substitute one or more of the standard cultivars with a more suitable alternative from Germinal’s extensive portfolio of ryegrasses.  This unique service also allows groundsmen to include the creeping perennial ryegrass, Galleon, into their A20 mixture for even greater wear tolerance and sward recovery.

“We are always striving to improve the quality of our cultivars and seed mixtures,” Richard continues, “and are happy to provide a free and unbiased recommendation on which varieties will work best for each specific set of circumstances.  By offering a truly bespoke collection of cultivars, A20 ensures all pitches can benefit from excellent disease resistance, effective post-winter recovery, and a dark green playing surface all year round.”

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