Research and Development

Meeting customer needs

Our R&D focuses on what our customer needs, even on what he is dreaming of. Barenbrug’s R&D is inventive and aims to obtain scientific proof that all our products deliver on their claims. Our innovations are also supported by many official trials and top positions in the recommended variety lists across the world.

Think global, act local

The Barenbrug R&D organization is decentralized with 22 locations on 5 continents in the main climate regions of the planet. This strategy provides knowledge and innovative products for local applications and climate conditions. In addition, this organization is supplemented by an international network of collaborations and strategic alliances with leading universities, research institutes and partner companies. These partnerships enable us to get the best out of plant genetics and seed technologies.

Innovations in grass and legumes   

Innovation is the driver of our future growth worldwide. A comprehensive portfolio of grass and legume varieties designed to meet the needs of diverse customers around the world enables us to make a significant contribution to farmers’ productivity and sport and leisure facilities.

Among the interesting innovations over the last years have been: 

• BarOptima PLUS E34 which revolutionizes tall fescue for forage production at livestock farming and is bred in association with the revolutionary beneficial endophyte E34 for top performance under extreme climatic conditions.
• Water Saver to achieve a healthy green turf in regions exposed to drought & heat around the world.
• NutriFibre is the new grass technology for silage production. The foundation of NutriFibre is soft-leaf tall fescue, a development stemming from the Royal Barenbrug Group’s international breeding programme ‘Grass for highly productive dairy cattle’. NutriFibre technology combines mineral efficiency, high protein production, digestible, effective fi bre-rich cell walls and rooting intensity.

• RPR – Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass stands for Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass: an extremely strong type of grass that spreads horizontally via determinate stolons. It is the first perennial ryegrass having this specific characteristic. RPR retains its strength and good looks even during the most intensive use. Its high wear tolerance makes it ideal for sports applications.

• Sustainable and economical grass. Barenbrug is helping greenkeepers and green space managers to achieve a more sustainable use and management of grass. A GreenEarth label means that the grass scores better than the previous generation in terms of at least one of the following aspects:reduced water use, reduced use of fertilisers, reduced use of herbicides and less mowing.  

“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We focus on rolling out more innovations, faster and to more markets.”