– stress-resistance as standard 4turf® – tetraploid perennial ryegrass bred with you in mind As a groundsman you have high standards. You want to produce a perfect pitch because that’s what your athletes expect, but you also require a turf that is easier to maintain with lower input costs. 4turf® was bred with the groundsman in mind, it has the performance characteristics you need to make this happen. 4turf® is a new turf-type tetraploid perennial ryegrass. Agricultural grass-growers have long understood the value of tetraploid perennial ryegrasses: rapid establishment, growth in cool temperatures, and better environmental stress tolerance like drought and diseases. Our breeders set out to pass on these characteristics to sport fields and pitches. They developed tetraploid technology to the point where you, too, can experience the tetraploid advantage in a unique range of fine-leaved, high density turf-type ryegrasses. 4turf® ryegrasses are as far removed from agriculture as their diploid relatives. 4turf® – tetraploid perennial ryegrass explained Diploid and tetraploid plants have different amounts of chromosomes in the nucleus of each plant cell. Diploid plants have two sets of chromosomes in each cell; tetraploid plants have four. Polyploidy – the ability of a plant to contain more than two sets of chromosomes – can be artificially induced by the application of the natural alkaloid plant hormone, colchicine. Colchicine, which is derived from the autumn crocus, acts as a mitosis inhibitor; it leads to a doubling of chromosomes within each cell. Historically, perennial ryegrasses bred for amenity use have been diploid. Tetraploid perennial ryegrasses are a technological step forward. They perform better because they have twice as many chromosomes and therefore twice as much chloroplast in each cell. The extra chloroplast boosts chlorophyll production, creating a healthier, high-energy plant. DLF has been breeding tetraploid varieties for many years. Resilient varieties with improved stress tolerance and ability to recover, even in cooler temperatures.
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