The total market for turfgrass seed in the five Nordic countries has been estimated at about 6000 tonnes. About 200 cultivars of the approx. 15 grass species and subspecies used for amenity grasslands are available in the Nordic countries. Instead of basing their seed purchases on more or less subjective recommendations from seed companies, many greenkeepers have long been requesting unbiased information on the turfgrass varieties available on the Nordic market. Therefore, in March 2007, STERF established a one-year project with the objective of compiling an independent Nordic turfgrass variety guide in lay language. A printed version, published in Norwegian, was introduced at the Elmia Park & Golf exhibition in September 2007. Since then the guide has been translated into Swedish, and electronic versions are now available on the national Golf Federation websites.
The variety guide is primarily based on the STERF-funded project ‘Evaluation of Agrostis and Festuca cultivars for use on golf greens in Scandinavia (2003-2006)’ and on official variety testing in the Nordic countries during the past 20 years. The guide gives a detailed description of the varieties that have been tested during this period and recommends species and varieties for greens, fairways/tees, lawns, football pitches and low-maintenance areas (including roughs). The recommendations are differentiated for the two major climatic zones in the Nordic countries, namely a southern/coastal zone covering Denmark and coastal areas in Southern Sweden and Southern Norway; and a northern/continental zone covering Iceland, Finland, Central and Northern Sweden, Central and Northern Norway and continental areas in Southern Sweden and Southern Norway. A total of 289 varieties are mentioned by name, of which 177 are described in detail in terms of various characteristics, and 105 varieties are recommended for use in at least one type of amenity area in at least one climatic zone. The Nordic Turfgrass Cultivar Guide was compiled by Norwegian turfgrass scientists Bjørn Molteberg and Trygve S. Aamlid and the manuscript was reviewed by research colleagues, teachers and golf course consultants representing the national Golf Federations in Sweden, Finland and Denmark.
