Atlas Turf International and Pure Seed release herbicide-resistant paspalum variety

Pure Dynasty with ACCe, the new herbicide-resistant seeded paspalum developed by Pure-Seed Testing and marketed by Atlas Turf International and Pure Seed, will be officially launched at the Pure Seed Field Day, held at the company’s eastern research center in Rolesville, North Carolina, on June 20. Pure Dynasty with ACCe, a breakthrough in paspalum production, is now available in limited quantities.  

Pure Dynasty with ACCe is the newest release from the breeding program of Pure-Seed Testing, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The new product, representing the first herbicide-resistant paspalum, uses ACCe technology developed by the University of Georgia. Crystal Rose-Fricker, president of Pure Seed and Pure-Seed Testing, and her team conducted multi-year, multi-location research to incorporate UGA’s ACCe technology into the paspalum strains currently comprising the successful Pure Dynasty seeded paspalum blend. Pure Dynasty with ACCe is the result.  

UGA professor Paul Raymer is credited with developing the paspalum ACCe technology. “For 15 or 20, I have had a goal to identify a strain of paspalum with herbicide resistance, as I felt this would be a great help in eliminating Bermuda and other grasses in paspalum stands,” he said. “This is difficult - it is very hard to kill Bermuda – and I have long believed this to be one of the greatest obstacles to the adoption of seashore paspalum. I knew that mutations producing resistance to ACCase herbicides had been reported in several grass species, though not, until now, paspalum. We analyzed billions of cells and eventually identified a mutation that achieved what we needed.”  

“Paul sent the mutated plants to us, and the Pure-Seed Testing team spent years evaluating and selecting the best parents to cross for the varieties in Pure Dynasty ACCe using natural breeding practices,” Rose-Fricker said. “We now have a substantial quantity of seed harvested and ready for sale, enough for courses to trial. Next year, we will have enough for the complete renovation of several courses.”  

Featuring all characteristics of its namesake, Pure Dynasty with ACCe offers exceptional salt, wear and disease tolerance with a dark green color, medium to fine texture, tighter density and versatility in mowing heights for wall-to-wall applications. The new variety adds improved tolerance to ACCe-inhibiting herbicides, including sethoxydim, fenoxaprop, fluazifop-butyl and pinoxaden. This allows for control of unwanted annual and perennial grasses such as Bermudagrass, crabgrass, goosegrass and tropical signal grass   

“Pure Dynasty with ACCe will make turf conversion easier than ever,” Atlas Turf International President John Holmes said. “Turf managers will be able to interseed Pure Dynasty with ACCe into their existing turf stands. As soon as the new paspalum is established, the old turf can be sprayed out with any of the approved herbicides. The process works for all turf areas, including greens, tees, fairways and roughs, as well as sports fields and landscaping. In most cases, the project can remain open for play throughout the transition.”   

“There are other applications as well as interseeding,” Rose-Fricker added. “Suppose you were building a new course, and a lot of weed grasses came up during construction. Traditionally, you would have to fumigate with methyl bromide, but this is now banned in the European Union and many other parts of the world. But with this new seeded product, you would be able to spray with a standard herbicide and ensure the purity of your turf stand. 

“In addition, people are concerned about keeping Bermuda out of paspalum because Bermuda is so aggressive. This has always been a challenge with other varieties of paspalum, but I feel this new Pure Dynasty with ACCe is going to be a real game changer.”  

Pure Dynasty with ACCe is non-genetically modified, using natural breeding practices, and is available exclusively through Atlas Turf International and Pure Seed.