Sustainable fungal disease treatment

UVC180

  • Prevent grass disease outbreaks
  • Keep your playing surface healthy
  • Utilise climate-friendly technology
Greenkeeper walking with the SGL UVC180 to prevent diseases on the Stamford Bridge pitch.

UVC light

UVC light effectively destroys the DNA of actively growing fungi. As a result, the fungi die before causing any damage to your turfgrass. This decreases the disease pressure of your playing surface and diminishes the chance of disease outbreaks. Importantly, grass cells are much more resistant to UVC light compared to fungal cells. Thus, the UVC180 radiates a sufficiently high level of UVC light to eliminate fungal cells while leaving the grass plants unaffected. The effectiveness of UVC treatment depends on its spectrum and dosage. The UVC180 operates at a wavelength of 253.7 nm, a range of which research has proven to be the most effective against viruses, bacteria, and fungi. For over 40 years, UVC radiation has been used to disinfect water, air, pharmaceutical products, and surfaces. Microorganisms, including fungi and viruses, possess genetic material—either DNA or RNA. DNA molecules consist of two strands bound together by four bases: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). When biological organisms are exposed to UVC light within the range of 200 nm to 280 nm, the light penetrates their cell walls and disrupts the DNA molecules, specifi cally targeting the thymine bases. Disrupted DNA becomes unable to replicate, leading to the demise of the fungi or virus before it can harm your turfgrass or players.

The SGL UVC180 on the Friends Arena pitch with in the background the LED440's.

The science behind UVC light

The sun emits radiation of various wavelengths. Some of this radiation is visible to the human eye, such as the light forming the colours of the rainbow. The portion of radiation beyond the violet end of visible light is known as Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which our eyes cannot perceive due to its shorter wavelength and higher frequency compared to the light our brain sees as images. UV radiation consists of three types of rays: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVA light has the longest wavelength and passes through the ozone layer, reaching the Earth. It’s the least harmful UV light and is commonly known as “black light.” UVB light causes sunburns with prolonged exposure and increases the risk of skin cancer. Approximately 95% of all UVB light is absorbed by the ozone in Earth’s atmosphere. UVC light is very harmful to living organisms, which is why it’s often used as a disinfectant in food, air, and water to kill microorganisms. UVC is entirely absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere.

Greenkeeper walks with the SGL UVC180 on the pitch of Estadio de la Ceràmica.
SGL TurfBase - Disease forecast module

Data driven technology

The SGL TurfBase is the user-friendly tool for grounds managers to log, monitor and analyse data, to make and justify decisions regarding pitch quality and efficient use of resources. In addition, it optimises operation and efficiency of all SGL products, adding value to the hardware.

Data from TurfBase will help you use your UVC180 to its full capacity. The most important module to support the UVC180 is the Disease Forecast, which provides a 7-day prediction of disease pressure for more than 10 common grass diseases.

The disease forecast is only included in our Expert Plan, but you can also add this module to other plans via the Flex option. Let the data help you take your pitch management to the next level!

Learn more about TurfBase
The SGL UVC180 treats grass playing surfaces with UV-C light to kill fungi before it can harm the grass plant.

UVC180 specifications

Treatment width 180 centimeters
Treatment surface 11.000 m² on a fully charged battery
Machine dimensions unfolded L 2 m | W 1.96 m | H 1.48 m
Machine dimentsions folded L 2 m | W 1.14 m | H 1.48 m
Adviced cruise speed 4.2 km/h
Weight 340 kg
Voltage 24 V drive + 220 V lamps