If you grow it, they will come

Turns out, it is interesting to watch the grass grow. I also picked up a few more key points about grass biology, pinot noir and the ongoing discussion over genetically modified turfseed during this year's seed company tours in Oregon.

Beatles fans go to Liverpool. Grass fans go to Oregon. The fertile Willamette Valley is home to a handful of the most productive seed companies (large and small) that research and breed, grow test plots and cultivate the grass varieties that end up on lawns and golf courses across the country.

Seed Research of Oregon's Dr. Leah Brilman welcomes the group.  Can you spot the fine fescue at Pickseed West?  Turf-Seed visitors loaded up on hay wagons to check out the trials.  Guenhwa Jung, University of Wisconsin, Madison, with Sharon Davidson, Agri Seed Testing, Inc, and Harley. This photo courtesy of Larry Kassell/TMI

Every few years the companies open their doors to their distributors, research partners and members of the media to learn more about the science behind the green carpets. A lot of pure research goes on out here, but like any agricultural crop, it's easy to see that what starts in the field today ends up on the table tomorrow, so to speak.

Seed companies work ahead, planning and testing varieties for the next NTEP trial, cultivating proven winners and hoping the weather holds out for a good crop.

At Seed Research of Oregon, Dr. Leah Brilman spoke about the digital imaging programs that Drs. Mike Richardson and Doug Karcher are developing and testing at the University of Arkansas. These small digital "boxes" can gauge turf coverage, density and disease via imaging programs. The group is working to fine-tune these programs and translate the data gathered into useful terms, but the possibilities are endless, Brilman said.

Researchers with the company are also on the quest to develop a protein-based test to determine annual vs. perennial ryegrasses at the point of germination. This knowledge would make the shipping process much more efficient.

Up the road at Pickseed West, I tried to apply my new turf knowledge to distinguishing ryes, blues and tall fescues on their neatly mown plots. I'm getting there. At least I can identify bentgrasses!

Speaking of bents, the showpiece at Turf-Seed later in the week was the putting green. More than a few people slipped off a shoe or two to feel the grass.

Besides the explanation of current research on drought tolerance in Kentucky blues, the talk around Turf-Seed was its acquisition earlier in the summer by the Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.

Sure, mergers and acquisitions happen all the time (particularly among these seed companies in recent years) but this one has a bit of a back story: Turf-Seed founder Bill Rose has been a critic of Scotts' development of Roundup Ready creeping bentgrass (RRCB), a genetically modified turf now under consideration for deregulation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

But, business is business and in a press release Rose said: "This is a very exciting union of two companies that maintain the same philosophies on the importance of turfgrass and its role in the health of the environment. We look forward to joining the Scotts Miracle-Gro team and advancing the business."

Tours that week concluded at Turf Merchants, where visitors heard from guest researchers Dr. Wayne Hanna and Dr. Geunhwa Jung. Digital analysis and DNA fingerprinting came up again here.

Oh, and about the pinot noirs? Just try one and you'll know what I'm talking about.