Cynodon dactylon
Green couch
Sciencia® (registered trade mark); UQ-539 (protected by Australian Plant Breeder's Rights); EcoTurf 539 (breeder's code).
Sciencia® is a coarse- to medium-textured turf type that is not your standard grass. It is not fine textured, nor does it produce a really dense sward. However, Sciencia® has drought resistance superior to all current commercially availablegreen couch varieties. It’s superiority is due to water and nutrient use efficiency and largely its vigorous underground rhizomes. This in turn allows the turfgrass to maintain and acceptable quality of turf for longer, especially under periods of dry conditions.
With its vigorous underground rhizome system (roots) Sciencia® has great potential for soil stabilisation, including roadsides. Sciencia® was selected from over 1,000 turfgrasses (genotypes) that were collected from across Australia as part of a collaborative reserach project between Jimbooma Turf Group, The University of Queensland, The Dept of Primary Industries and Fisheries and the Council of Mayors. The eight-year experiment allowed researchers to test and evalaulte the green couch varieteis collected against each other and commercial varieties. Testing included water and fertiliser usage and wear tolerance and recovery just to name a few. Sciencia® (UQ-539) was one of three green couch varieties selected by Jimboomba Turf Turf due to possessing favourable traits. The other two varieties which are protected by Plant Breeder's Rights are 'UQ-490' and 'UQ545'.
Pests, disease and weeds
Check to see which Pests, Diseases and or Weeds this turf variety may be susceptible to and how to successfully control them in your home lawn or sports turf.
