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15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on

May 26, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on: DLF’s continued focus on breeding environmentally responsible varieties has seen the introduction of a number of exceptional cultivars, helping facilities and turf managers achieve their own objectives for more sustainable management. In trials for the Chewings Fescue category, DLF’s Orionette demonstrated a high-quality sward […]

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s

May 24, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s: Reported as the first vehicles on site and the last to leave any project, a fleet of RTV’s from Kubota have been described as pivotal in the delivery of works by one of the UK’s largest specialist contractors. MJ Abbott purchased their very first Kubota RTV back in […]

15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on

May 26, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s

May 24, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

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15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on

May 26, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on: DLF’s continued focus on breeding environmentally responsible varieties has seen the introduction of a number of exceptional cultivars, helping facilities and turf managers achieve their own objectives for more sustainable management.

In trials for the Chewings Fescue category, DLF’s Orionette demonstrated a high-quality sward that is more drought tolerant and resistant to disease, reducing the reliance on inputs. It is therefore no surprise to see its inclusion in a number of top-performing DLF golf mixtures and find it ranked as number one in the 2023 BSPB Seed Guide!

15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on

Chewings Fescue grass (Festuca rubra commutata) is a popular cool-season grass, valued for its fine texture, early growth habit, attractive green colour and ability to thrive in a range of soil conditions. Its upright growth results in dense tufts without rhizomes, so it doesn’t spread like it’s Slender or Strong Creeping cousins. Over the years, Chewings Fescue has been extensively bred and developed to offer a hardier and even more adaptable turf, tolerant of close mowing and typically blended with other fescues to create a golf mixture with exceptional ball roll and playability.

In recent years, breeding efforts – including those by DLF – have focussed on developing Chewings Fescue cultivars that require less water and fertiliser and be naturally more resistant to pests and disease, reducing the need for chemical inputs and therefore improving environmental sustainability. Orionette is the result of more than 15 years of research and development, created by combining plants of the very best germplasm available in DLF breeding. Extensive screening across DLF’s European trials network followed, including for drought tolerance in France, winter tolerance in the Czech Republic as well as green trials conducted in Denmark.

The results showed superior performance in all aspects and thanks to its high tiller density, Orionette is more tolerant to winter diseases such as Red Thread and highly resilient to wear and tear.

It’s ability to perform under a lower Nitrogen-input programme is another reason why Orionette excels in a number of popular Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures for fine turf – both as a drought-tolerant fairway cultivar in J Premier Fairway or in a disease and weed resistant capacity in a greens mix such as J Fescue and J Green. J Premier Fairway is a high-performance blend of seven fescue cultivars for the sustainable management of non-rye tees and fairways. Orionette makes up 15% of both J Fescue and J Green, requiring less water and fertiliser and contributing to fast and sustainable surfaces.

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MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s

May 24, 2023/in News, Press Release/by Louise Challiss

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s: Reported as the first vehicles on site and the last to leave any project, a fleet of RTV’s from Kubota have been described as pivotal in the delivery of works by one of the UK’s largest specialist contractors.

MJ Abbott purchased their very first Kubota RTV back in 2006, and now have a total of 29 units supporting operations around the country – with some of their older models clocking up more than 15 years and over 4000 hours of reliable service!

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s

MJ Abbott are renowned for delivering unrivalled expertise in all areas of sports turf contracting – from golf course reconstructions and irrigation installations to natural, hybrid and artificial pitch constructions and renovations. Over their near-on sixty years of trading, it’s not just the team and list of services that have grown but their machinery fleet has also expanded at a similar rate to keep pace with the requirements of their long and varied list of clients.

“Our requirements are unique and very different to that of most of our customers” explains Technical Director Adrian Abbott. “Any equipment we purchase has to deliver on a very demanding schedule, cope with challenging ground conditions and give us the ongoing reliability we need to complete works on time. That’s why, when we find something that ticks these boxes we will be very loyal to the brand and that’s exactly what we have with our RTV’s from Kubota.”

Among the 29 units are four RTV 900’s, nine X900’s and thirteen X1110’s – three of which were delivered in February 2023 by local dealer and long-term support partner E G Coles. “The majority of our fleet are running on turf tyres and are equipped to utility spec, with lights, which suits the variety of landscapes we work on. They’ll be the very first thing loaded onto the truck and delivered to site, where they then become the go-to method of transporting both the workforce and the equipment around.”

“As well as them being heavy duty, another big thing we like about the Kubota is the hydrostatic transmission. Compared to other methods, this makes for a smoother drive and is a much more robust mechanism when operating over uneven terrain. In addition, they also have power steering and full hydraulic tip, instead of an electric actuator, which we make full use of.”

With a fleet of that size, comes the necessity to service them effectively which Adrian says is successfully managed in-house with the support of E G Coles and Kubota when required. “When we’ve needed parts or advice, we have always had the support we need both locally and on a national level from the comprehensive Kubota network when we’re out on jobs around the country.”

“It’s testament to the quality of Kubota that we continue to get fantastic performance from RTV’s we purchased over 15 years ago. You can guarantee it will have spent half of its working life axle deep in mud and yet, will still give us everything we ask of it which is why we continue to choose Kubota now and moving forwards” he concludes.

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s

15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on

15 years of DLF R&D delivers sustainability you can rely on: DLF’s continued focus on breeding environmentally responsible varieties has seen the introduction of a number of exceptional cultivars, helping facilities and turf managers achieve their own objectives for more sustainable management.

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s

MJ Abbott take delivery of Kubota RTV’s: Reported as the first vehicles on site and the last to leave any project, a fleet of RTV’s from Kubota have been described as pivotal in the delivery of works by one of the UK’s largest specialist contractors.

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