b"INSIDERSTURF AND FORAGECelebration of Top-performance Soccer PitchesANNE METTE DAHL JENSENProduct Development Manager Turf Grass DLF2021 will be a celebration for EuropeanAll matches will be played on natu- ryegrass. In the preparations for the football fans and for fans all over theral grass. The base is living grass rootsEURO 2021 finals the stadiums are over-world. The turf seed industry will haveand shoots that will endure the tear andseeded with mixtures consisting of high a special interest in evaluating the per- wear of the games. Most stadiums willquality and thoroughly tested varieties of formance of the stadiums combining thehost 4 games and on top of this, WembleyPerennial ryegrass in order to get the per-skills of the groundsmen and top per- Stadium in London will host two semifi- fect surface for the soccer players. forming turf grass brands.nals and the final 11 July. Groundsmen ask for the best varie-The countdown has started, andLooking at the geography there is aties with proven performance and high fans are looking forward for a month ofwide difference from St. Petersburg atgermination. They need rapid recovery exciting hours cheering for their favoritethe Baltic Sea, to Bilbao at the Atlantic even in cold temperatures and robust, teams at the EURO 2021 with the open- Ocean, to Baku at the Caspian Sea orhard wearing plants with high stress tol-ing match played 11 June 2021 in Rome.Budapest in Central Eastern Europe. Allerance. The grass needs to establish fast Together with the Olympics, it will prob- these stadiums have different challengesand develop strong dense roots - and vis-ably be the most watched sporting eventto battle. Some have mild and humiduallythe pitch must be second to none. in 2021. coastal climate; some have cooler tem- The4turftetraploidperennial Normally the finals take place in oneperatures during winter and late springryegrasses are part of the variety mix-or two countries like in France 2016, andand others face heat or drought issues.tures on most of the stadiums. 4turf has in Poland/Ukraine 2012 but this yearsNo matter the given climate prereq- in a few years become a valued compo-finals will be performed in 12 cities inuisites, all the stadiums need to presentnent in many pro-turf brands where per-12 different countries. Eight of the 12themselves in the best shape at kick- sistence and stress tolerance are crucial. cities are capitals and the 24 qualifiedoff. Some stadiums will have a base ofThis is also a tribute to our plant breed-national teams over a full month will play100% Perennial ryegrass or a mixtureers results. Plant breeding matters! 51 matches, before we can salute the #1.of Smooth meadow grass and Perennial CORN, SORGHUM AND OILSEEDSBreeding Pulses for Europe FRANCK PILONIPulses Market ManagerEuralisLidea offers a range of varieties of pulses.to adapt our selection tools to hybrids inpulses popular with the general public. I This range is the result of our breedingpulses. don't know if protein from pulses in the work using genetic material sourced fromYou would be surprised about theend will completely replace meat, but around the world. Thus, we have beenexcellent nutritional qualities of pulses ifthey are certainly a very complementary able to select varieties corresponding toyou compare them with those of cereals.source of protein. the climatic conditions, adapted to ourFor example, pulses are a more importantI can add that growing pulses in regions and to the market expectations. source of protein than cereals. However,Europe is becoming more and more sus-Breeding pulses does come withthey do not contain gluten, which istainable. European countries are begin-several challenges for the pulse breeders,responsible for many celiac diseases.ning to structure their supply chains to e.g., finding varieties that correspond toPulses are rich in minerals, iron, vitaminabsorb the increase in demand and pro-regions different from their origins. E.g.,B, fibre and are a source of folate. Theyduction. It is important to structure the beans are a tropical species, and musthave a low glycaemic index, so they arechains well and to guarantee the sharing be adapted to more temperate regions.a very interesting choice in diets or forof the value to all the actors to perpetu-It is also necessary to take into accountchildren nutrition. ate this activity. The European demand is the different technological character- Pulses are an important source ofincreasing in the face of a strong and per-istics such as the resistance to cookingprotein, and as such, they are the alter- ennial tendency of consumers to modify or the resistance to seed coat cracking.native to animal protein and the stapletheir eating habits. These crops are also And finally, the crossing of these speciesfood in many countries. Environmentalbetter integrated in the evolution of the requires a lot of effort because the suc- concerns of consumers and the desirecommon agricultural policy thanks to cess rate is rather low. It will be necessaryto control one's lifestyle and diet makestheir less input consuming profile.28IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM"