A look at the ryegrasses used on the Russian World Cup pitches

By Alistair June 9, 2018 05:31 Updated

This summer’s world-class football in Russia draws closer. As expectations of organisers, players and fans worldwide for green and hard-wearing surfaces grow, the groundsmen are really working hard to deliver just that. On their side, once again, is DLF with their technology and innovation of turf-grasses. Its mixtures have been selected at most of the 12 stadiums, as well as two-thirds of the training pitches and base camps.

Contrary to previous events, the chief groundsman and local sub-contractors at each stadium are responsible for grass selection at their individual facility, taking on recommendations from the STRI and local organising committees. However, the consistent factor across all of the host pitches is the demand for them to be top quality natural sports surfaces.

All Russian stadiums will have been overseeded during the spring with perennial ryegrass, with most choosing mixtures containing traditional diploid perennials and new 4turf varieties – only available from DLF. 4turf tetraploid perennial ryegrasses germinate faster than traditional varieties, being developed especially for rapid installation and unique stress tolerance. They’re especially suited to the Russian climate, exhibiting fast and strong establishment at soil temperatures as low at 3oc.

For groundsmen in the UK looking to take advantage of the same technology, 4turf is available in a number of Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures including J Pitch, J 4Turf and J Rescue Stadia.