SportsTurf

November 2013

SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.

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It seems that more breeders are submitting materials to the Grass Variety Review Board than for Plant Variety Protection (PVP). What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing this? Chandra: The purposes of the Grass Variety Review Board (GVRB) and the Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA) are very different and should not be confused. The GVRB provides a third-party screening process which is administered by the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) to evaluate the scientific merits, genetic purity and novelty of new varieties based on adequate data provided by plant breeders. The GVRB ensures that new varieties meet the eligibility requirements of AOSCA's genetic seed certification standards. Recommendations made by the GVRB are considered by the state seed/plant certification agencies, permitting inclusion of the new variety into their state certification program. Plant Variety Protection (PVP), on the other hand, provides plant-patent type protection to sexually-reproducing varieties for 20 years from the certificate's date of issue. This gives the breeder/company rights to exclude others from sexually reproducing the variety; or selling or distributing it without any prior agreement/contracts in place with the breeder/company. To be eligible for a PVP certificate, the breeder/company must show that the new variety is unique (new and distinct), uniform and stable. Some companies/breeders decide to apply only to the GVRB. This is a decision each company makes based on the market and utility of the new variety. Wipff: Many newer entries are not capable of meeting PVP standards for exhibiting distinctive turf characteristics whereas the guidelines for GVRB approval focus on seed certification only. Unfortunately, the GVRB does not evaluate the merits/distinctiveness of the entry and many "look alike" varieties will flood the market. Ultimately, the disadvantages to the industry are the reduction and hindrance of turf innovation. At a time when significant gains in turf research are required to sustain a healthy, vibrant industry, GVRB paves the path towards mediocrity and similarity. but also work with several sod producers in my state to conduct the final stage of research at their farms to look for grasses that they can profitably grow. By giving them enough of a potential future release, we have been able to determine if the establishment, lifting, sod strength and regrowth are satisfactory. If we can save money on the production side, we can increase farm profitability even if prices fall to the level of older varieties. Chandra: We have several ongoing breeding projects, including the development of St. Augustinegrass cultivars with improved drought and disease resistance (funded by the Turfgrass Producers of Texas); development of seeded zoysia grass varieties (USGA funded); and development of cold tolerant and large patch disease resistant zoysiagrasses (USGA funded). We also are developing hybrid bluegrasses (Texas bluegrass x Kentucky bluegrass) adapted to the southern US (funded by NGTurf; funding expired April 2012); and a multi-state project for the development of drought and salinity tolerant grasses for suitable turfgrass production in the southern US (funded by USDA-NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative). We work closely with producers to help find solutions and develop cultivars that meet their needs and generate profits in their businesses. Wipff: Ultimately the market needs to bear the cost of innovation. Unfortunately, most professional and non-professional end-users are not willing to pay for innovation or investigate the advantages gained by purchasing improved turfgrasses. Be it a penny a square foot or a nickel a pound, far too many end users are willing to 'go cheap' and bear the consequences. Whether seed or sod, the amount of planning, effort, installation and planting dollars, water, fertilizer, etc. required to grow and establish a square foot or a pound is virtually the same regardless of the quality of sod or seed. For both situations, the only extra cost to be incurred is the investment in quality, innovation and long term performance. n How is patenting varieties (vs. PVP) going to change the future of turfgrass breeding? Engelke: Breeders must be able to protect their varieties with intellectual property rights. If others do not respect these rights, we will not have turfgrass breeding programs with any kind of stability or longevity. And, if intellectual property rights are not respected, we will not see continued funding to support turfgrass development. Chandra: Plant patents and plant variety protections should not be confused. PVP provides protection to sexually-reproducing varieties (seeded turfgrass varieties). Plant patents, on the other hand, provide protection of asexually reproducing varieties (vegetatively propagated sod or apomictically produced seed). Schwartz: Plant and utility patents definitely change what and whose plant material you can or cannot use as parents in your breeding program. It will likely lead to individual programs collecting or breeding their own germplasm pools or, in some instances, may lead to collaborations where a turf breeder licenses a patented variety from another breeder for use in their program. Time will tell. Wipff: Patenting a turfgrass allows that the unique, distinctive characteristics of a variety are protected from theft, whereas with the current PVP system of registration, only the name is protected. At five times the monetary cost of a PVP, patented turfgrasses readily identify those research programs that are focused on proven innovation, true improvement and the willingness to protect them. Is there anything else that you would like to share with turfgrass sod producers about your particular research interests or about turfgrass breeding in general? Schwartz: I am not only looking for grasses that have end-user benefits, www.stma.org SportsTurf 37

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