Everything You Need to Know About Turf Certification

Although it may be news to you, turf certification is actually very important. But what even is turf certification? And why do we need it?

To explain the importance of turf certification, we will use Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo grass as our topic. This turf variety has been around for 20+ years, with over 420,000 m² of grass laid in Australia – and it is the number 1 turf in the country.

But, how do you know if you are buying genuine Sir Walter turf when purchasing some lawn? Enter turf certification.

The International Turfgrass Genetic Assurance Program, otherwise known as ‘ITGAP’, was developed to ensure the years of research and development into a new turf variety wouldn’t be lost to contamination or cross-pollination. One of the most important things ITGAP does is provide licenses for turf producers to grow and sell particular certified grasses. This also allows them to monitor their productions systems and supply of planting material, which ensures the traits for selection are not lost.

In Australia, the ITGAP program is implemented through The Australian Genetic Assured Purity Program, otherwise known as AusGAP (Rosemount Turf are AusGAP Certified). The certification process is broken down as follows:

1. Certification begins with the turf developer or breeder, who are the inventors of the new variety. They must complete an application for approval of the variety to be certified, which includes information such as breeding history, leaf colour, leaf shape, stolon colour, length of internodes – all of the characteristics that determine a variety. Other characteristics such as shade tolerance and/or drought resistance must also be substantiated.
2. Once a new lawn variety has been certified, it can be licensed to turf growers. Turf growers then must plant it on sterilised land, free of weeds, pests and foreign turf varieties. 
3. As the turf grows, a minimum of four inspections must be carried out by the grower and two inspections by an ITGAP representative. AusGAP, as a registered agent for ITGAP in Australia, undertakes these inspections. This means that, in Australia, only AusGAP Accredited turf farms are provided with a license to grow certified turf varieties.

All Lawn Solutions Australia turf growers are AusGAP Accredited, which means if you purchase your turf from a Lawn Solutions Australia turf grower (like Rosemount Turf), the turf variety you are purchasing is exactly what you are paying for. This is particularly important if your location requires particular characteristics, such as a level of shade tolerance, wear resistance, drought tolerance or required growth rate.

The only assurance you can have as a consumer that you are getting the turf variety you have selected, is through AusGAP Certification. Give Rosemount Turf a call if you would like to know more – our team are fully certified By AusGAP and are a Lawn Solutions Australia turf grower.

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