Research and development manager Jayne Leyland recently welcomed Sports Turf Research Institute's (STRI) Dr Andy Newell and Fiona Crossley from the independent sports turf consultancy's research team to Cropvale, our amenity research site.

This was STRI's first visit to the 15-acre site in Worcestershire, where Barenbrug's latest cultivars and BAR mixtures are currently being studied as part of our drive to assess the performance and value of new and innovative cultivars specific to UK conditions.

Joining them was Royal Barenbrug Group plant breeder, Lian van Kruijssen, who - like Andy and Fiona - was keen to check out the newly applied wear trials. Lian also made her selections for Group's global breeding programme, identifying a couple of new intense-wear perennial ryegrass cultivars that will now be put forward for the next stages of the programme.

"Both the STRI and Lian really enjoyed the visit, with Andy and Fiona particularly positive and impressed having visited Cropvale for the very first time," Jayne reveals. "Lian's selections are exactly the positive outcome we are aiming to achieve here at Cropvale, and we very much look forward to following the progression of these new selections through the breeding programme."

Jayne also says that she and her guests made an exciting discovery during the visit: "One of our cultivars is exhibiting the capability of producing a very exciting and hugely beneficial growth habit, but we're keeping tight-lipped about it for now!" Further details coming soon...