Stampede Hybrid Buffalo - Exciting New Buffalo Grass Coming 2026

After 6 years of trials both here and in the US, LSA is pleased to announce we have selected a new buffalo grass for release to the Australian market – Introducing Stampede Hybrid Buffalo.

• Drought resistance: High
• Shade tolerance: Over 75%
• Wear: High
• Maintenance: Very low
• Leaf: Broad

Stampede® Hybrid Buffalo is the next evolution in premium buffalo turf, developed to deliver improved resilience and reliability in Australian conditions. Through advanced hybrid breeding, Stampede brings together proven genetics and next-generation performance to deliver outstanding results year-round.

Stampede has improved winter performance and colour retention, allowing it to hold its appearance longer through cooler months compared to traditional buffalo types. Stampede delivers strong establishment, vigorous growth and excellent recovery, enabling it to handle wear, repair quickly and establish with confidence after installation. The result is a robust, high-performing buffalo lawn built to thrive year-round.

Drawing on the best traits of elite buffalo genetics, Stampede offers improved disease resistance, helping it stay healthier and looking better for longer, even under challenging conditions. This makes it a smart choice for both residential and commercial areas where superior performance is essential.

Buffalo Turf Trials

Stampede Hybrid Buffalo is an interploid hybrid St. Augustinegrass (buffalograss; Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze). Researchers developed it using embryo rescue technology by carrying out controlled pairwise crosses between a polyploid buffalograss (chromosome number: 2n = 2x = 30) and a diploid buffalograss (chromosome number: 2n = 2x = 18).

During trials, while cultivar performance varied across different sites, one consistently outperformed the rest, excelling in all key areas. Stampede Hybrid Buffalo Grass proved to be the best-performing cultivar during winter in some very cold and harsh environments. Therefore, it’s performance was a crucial factor in it’s selection for many turf producers. Remarkably, Stampede showed no signs of disease during the humid summer, while disease affected most other buffalo cultivars. Additionally, it boasted an impressive appearance and excellent harvest quality.

Stock Expansion

The next step in releasing this new grass to the market has involved stock expansion. When a new variety enters Australia through quarantine, we receive only a few runners of plant material to expand from for testing.

This year, LSA has set up propagation facilities for planting stock. LSA will supply this stock to foundation farms for expansion. This process will ensure members receive supply for production. LSA expanded all material supplied to members from the few pieces of trial stock that entered quarantine in 2022.

Stampede Hybrid Buffalo is an AusGAP Certified turf variety.

LSA engaged the services of the Australian Genetic Assurance Program (AusGAP) to monitor and enact protocols to ensure the purity of this variety every step of the way. As you can imagine, the process of creating supply for a new grass variety is slow and tedious. However, it is essential to ensure genetic purity. This step ensures the grass performs consistently as it has throughout trials.

Supply of this exciting new buffalo grass is expected throughout Australia in spring 2026 and early 2027.