Pure Dynasty with ACCe is the latest breakthrough in paspalum turfgrass

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 award-winning breeding program of Pure-Seed Testing, which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year. The new product, representing the first herbicide-resistant paspalum, usesACCe technology developed by the University of Georgia (UGA). 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 making up 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 fifteen or twenty years, 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 says. “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.”

Rose-Fricker says: “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. 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 of the advanced 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. However, 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, tropical signal grass, and more. 

John Holmes, president of Atlas Turf International, says: “Pure Dynasty with ACCe will make turf conversion easier than ever. 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,” says Rose-Fricker. “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,” says Rose-Fricker. “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. 

About Atlas Turf

Atlas Turf is the source for the highest quality turfgrasses around the world. With an expansive portfolio of warm season, cool season, and native grasses, we are uniquely qualified to provide the complete turf selection for nearly every environment. Keeping pace with the newest developments in turfgrass research, the Atlas Turf collection of licensed and certified grasses includes the latest, most advanced varieties, receiving top ratings in performance, sustainability, and appearance. 

With the ability to deliver almost anywhere in the world, projects in nearly every corner of the globe have trusted Atlas Turf with their grassing needs. Extensive experience in the golf and sports industries, knowledge of worldwide distribution channels, and relationships with the leading turf experts give Atlas Turf an unparalleled position in the global turfgrass market. More than a supplier, Atlas Turf collaborates with clients to provide complete grassing solutions from selection through to grow-in.

Atlas Turf International is affiliated with the most influential organizations in golf worldwide and serves in a leadership capacity for several of these groups. Atlas Turf President John Holmes served in multiple capacities with the Asian Golf Industry Federation for many years, including Vice President, Board member, and more. He leads the international committee of the Golf Course Builders Association of America. Atlas Turf is a member of Turf Producers International and is a longtime merit-level partner of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. 

About Pure-Seed

Pure Seed is a wholesale company selling warm and cool season turfgrass and forages developed by Pure-Seed Testing. From the development of the varieties, to the grower who produces the seed, to the coating, packaging and shipping of the seed, Pure Seed is a fully integrated family run-business based in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.