The first ‘Nordic turfgrass variety guide’ was launched in 2007. It was based partly on the STERF project ‘Evaluation of Festuca and Agrostis varieties for use on Scandinavian golf greens’ (2003-2006) and partly on national testing of turfgrass varieties in the Nordic countries from 1980 to 2005. The guide was a ‘heavy’ publication with 125 pages, about 100 of which were variety descriptions. It was well received, but many users asked for simpler ranking lists similar to those published by the STRI /BSPB in the UK. Another response was that the guide would be more useful if variety descriptions were replaced by general information about species.
When publishing the guide in 2007, it was predicted that it would have to be updated every 3-4 years based on data obtained in the SCANGREEN projects funded by STERF and on SCANTURF, a joint Nordic evaluation programme for all types of turf except greens. SCANTURF is coordinated by Bioforsk and funded entirely by variety entrance fees.
When this project started in spring 2011, it was decided to split the guide into two parts: 1. A general Grass Guide to be published in both English and Scandinavian languages at http://sterf.golf.se. This guide would advise on turfgrass species, but not go into detail about varieties. 2. Variety ranking lists to be published at http://sterf.golf.se and www.scanturf.com
The Grass Guide was presented in September 2012 and is now available in English, Norwegian and Swedish. Besides agronomic descriptions of 15 cool-season species and subspecies, the guide includes tables that rank the grasses for important aesthetic and functional characteristics and show their recommended area of use. It also contains a grass glossary.
The variety lists that are now available include results from various Scandinavian testing programmes since 1985. Amalgamation has been possible because control varieties were mostly the same in all programmes. Varieties for greens are presented separately for a southern Scandinavian zone including Denmark and coastal areas of Southern Sweden and Southern Norway; and a northern zone including Finland, Iceland and the remaining parts of Sweden and Norway. In contrast, varieties for lawns, fairways and football pitches (SCANTURF) are presented as joint lists for the entire Nordic regions because of fewer test sites and less external funding.
It is the intention to update both the SCANGREEN and SCANTURF lists every year in December as new varieties come to the market and others are withdrawn. The first update was made in December 2012.
