Turf Collection

Australia’s Warm-Season Turf Collection and Genetic Resource Centre (GRC)

In 2000, a Turf Research program was established and led by Dr Loch at the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Redlands Research Station. The lifestyle horticulture program was disbanded in 2012 following a machinery of Government change.

Within the turf research program was a “living library” of turfgrasses containing some 200 varieties of warm-season grasses from the USA and Australian ecotypes. The collection also served as a Genetic Resource Centre (GRC) for the purpose of Plant Breeder’s Rights (PBR) testing of turfgrasses in Australia.

After the research program was abounded the turf collection was in limbo. In 2015 Greenspace 4D negotiated a deal with the DAF to remove and relocate the collection which would be used for education, and research by ASTC.

Considerable effort was required to reselect the appropriate plant material (Aug 2015), terminate the existing Redlands in-ground and tub collections (Oct 2015) and then replant the chosen plant material (Feb 2017).