Over 80 greenkeepers and groundsmen from across the country had the exciting chance to experience the inner workings of the UK's largest and most sophisticated specialist crop and turf R&D facility, during the latest Turf Science Live event.

Organised by Syngenta and Everris, the event was held at Syngenta's Jealott's Hill International Research Station in Berkshire. With over 800 scientists on site, it is a key part of the company's £1.4bn annual investment in global R&D.


Qualibra demo

During the event both Syngenta and Everris research specialists and technical advisors demonstrated how science is giving a better understanding of the issues faced by turf managers, and how it can provide practical solutions that work more effectively and reliably. A series of hands-on experiments gave an insight into how products work and where they will deliver the best possible results.

Dan Lightfoot of Syngenta had greenkeepers working with hydrophobic sand samples to investigate for themselves how the properties of Qualibra wetting agent can help assure the deep and even retention of soil moisture in the root zone.

"The unique combination of penetrant and polymer characteristics was designed by Jealott's Hill formulation scientists from over 30,000 potential chemicals they use," reported Dan. "It was their knowledge and experience that enabled the development of a product that could move water down from the surface to keep greens firm and playable, but then retain moisture at depth to promote rooting and enhance the uptake and efficient use of water and nutrients."


Biokinetics demo

The theme of understanding a product's properties and utilising its strengths to enhance turf health was continued by Everris' International Technical Manager, Dr Andy Owen. He presented research focused on the innovative water soluble seaweed product SeaMax. A key message of his presentation was that seaweed products are all very different, and we cannot expect them all to provide the same benefits to turf in practice.

"Although seaweed products are natural it is important to understand that, biochemically, they are extremely complicated, with multi-component modes of action in the plant and in the soil," he advised. "The seaweed species, the harvesting process and how it is extracted will all impact upon its biochemical profile and so its performance in turf."

Everris have an ongoing programme of research in place to demonstrate the benefits of SeaMax to turf and to justify any marketing claims. As one example, Andy demonstrated Seamax could give a significant five to 10% improvement in seedling rooting. "An in-depth understanding of a product is absolutely essential to make the most informed decisions on where it can be most effectively used," he added.