Future Grasses Species and Cultivar Selection Leah A. Brilman, Ph.D Director of Product Management and Technical Services DLF Pickseed USA

Transcription

1 Future Grasses Species and Cultivar Selection Leah A. Brilman, Ph.D Director of Product Management and Technical Services DLF Pickseed USA

2 Choosing grasses for the Future Long term breeding Golf course in Ireland Oct Similar reports from Denmark Unirrigated fairways drought, heat, loss of stand (red fescues) Difficult to get new plants established Poa annua recovering from dormant tillers

3 Cool-season Species for Golf courses Bentgrass - Greens and Fairways Creeping Browntop Velvet Fine Fescues Greens, Fairways and Rough Hard fescue Chewings fescue Strong creeping red fescue Slender creeping red fescue Tall fescue Perennial Ryegrass Tetraploid and Diploid Smooth stalked meadowgrass

4 Cool-season Species for Golf courses The species used for golf courses in Europe are primarily native species Found in natural grasslands, originally grazed by rabbits and other animals Adapted to the environment but the environment is changing United States uses same species but have golf carts on most courses and significantly more stress (heat, humidity, drought) In most US turf trials high nitrogen (higher than I recommend for new cultivars), irrigation, no traffic Most turf trials single cultivars of one species yet most sold as blends and mixtures

5 Low Maintenance Fairway Grasses Purdue University No irrigation, fungicides, insecticides, 1 kg N /100 sq. m (2 lbs. N per year), 12 mm (½ inch) cutting height (Newer Tall Fescues are even better) (2 hours South of Chicago) Summer Quality, 1-9, 9 = Best Cultivar Cultivar L-93 crp bent Rebel Exeda TF Declaration crp bent Jaguar 4 TF crp bent Guardian 21 TF Penncross crp bent Grande II TF SR 7150 BT bent Justice TF SR 5130 Chew fes DaVinci TF SR 5130/SR Touche KBG Annual blue ND 4.1 Midnight KBG LSD Thermal Blue KBG

6 Low Maintenance Fairway Grasses Univ. of Minnesota Mostly older cultivars

7 Low Maintenance Fairway Grasses Univ. of Minnesota

8 Low Maintenance Fairway Entries Browntop Bentgrass Capri Tiger II FT12 SR7100 Chewings Fescue (Festuca rubra ssp. commutata) Treasure II Rushmore Hard fescue (Festuca brevipila) Beacon Predator Creeping Bentgrass 007 Penncross 13m Strong Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra L. rubra) Ruddy (PSG 54RM) Shademaster III Slender Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra L. var. litoralis) Seabreeze GT

9 Low Maintenance Fairway Entries cont. Velvet Bentgrass Greenwich Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) Midnight II Bluenote Tall Fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) Shenandoah III Rambler SRP Mixtures Capri + Treasure II ChF Capri + Rushmore ChF Capri + Beacon HF Capri + Predator HF Capri + Ruddy(PSG 54RM) STCRF Capri + Shademaster III STCRF Treasure II + Shademaster III + Beacon

10 Low Maintenance Fairway Entries cont. Mixtures cont. Capri Capri + Penncross Capri + Greenwich Greenwich

11 Low Maintenance Fairway Trial Mowed at 12.2 mm (½ inch) Curative fungicide and weed control treatments Limited irrigation Wear applied with a golf cart

12 Turf Quality of Cultivars and Mixtures in 2009 Low Maintenance Fairway Trial Rank Cultivar or Selection Turf Quality Rank Cultivar or Selection Turf Quality 1 Capri BT + Rushmore ChF Capri + Ruddy STCRF Capri BT + Treasure II ChF Rushmore Capri BT + Greenwich VB Capri Greenwich VB Seabreeze GT FT12 BT Capri + Penncross Capri BT + Beacon HF SR Capri BT + Predator HF Capri BT CrB + Greenwich VB Tiger II BT M Treasure II ChF 6.4 LSD Capri + Shademaster III STCRF 6.3 Ratings are based on a 1-9 scale with 9= best turf quality

13 Rank Turf Quality of Cultivars and Mixtures in 2009 Low Maintenance Fairway Trial Cultivar or Selection 21 Treasure II + Shademaster III+ Beacon Turf Quality Rank Cultivar or Selection Turf Quality Bluenote KBG Shenandoah III TF Midnight II KBG Rambler SRP TF 4.7 LSD Beacon Ruddy Predator Penncross Shademaster III 3.6

14 Rank Wear Tolerance in 2009 Low Maintenance Fairway Trial Cultivar or Selection Wear Tolerance Rank Cultivar or Selection Wear Tolerance 1 Greenwich Velvet Capri + Penncross Capri BT+ Greenwich VB Capri Capri BT+ Beacon HF SR Capri BT+ Rushmore ChF Capri BT + Predator HF Greenwich Capri BT+ Treasure II Ch M Capri BT Rushmore Capri + Ruddy STCRF Treasure II Capri + Shademaster III Seabreeze GT FT LSD Tiger II 4.3 Ratings are based on a 1-9 scale with 9= best wear tolerance

15 Rank Wear Tolerance in 2009 Low Maintenance Fairway Trial Cultivar or Selection Wear Tolerance Rank Cultivar or Selection Turf Quality 21 Rambler SRP TF Bluenote Shenandoah III TF Midnight II Treasure II + Shademaster III + Beacon Shademaster III Penncross 2.7 LSD Beacon Predator Ruddy 2.0

16 Conclusions Mixtures had the best turf quality, wear tolerance They were better than both the individual cultivars by themselves Chewings, Hard and Slender creeping red fescue had the best disease resistance while creeping and colonial bentgrasses had the poorest Colonial/Chewings and Colonial/Hard fescue proved to be promising mixtures for low maintenance fairways Hard fescues slower to establish (like smooth-stalked meadowgrass) but high stress tolerance

17 Rutgers Low input fairway with wear Fine fescue blend with new hard fescue Browntop + creeping bentgrass Browntop + strong creeping red Penncross creeping bentgrass All cultivars US developed for stress tolerance Fine fescue blend Browntop + Creeping bent Browntop + strong Creeping red Penncross creeping

18 Rutgers Low input fairway with wear Tall Fescue Browntop + hard fescue Browntop + Chewings Chewings alone Chewings Browntop+ Chewings Browntop + Hard Tall fescue

19 Fairway trials Rutgers Low maintenance Browntop Bentgrass plus Ruddy Strong creeping red fescue with wear Trial at STERF demonstrated better drought tolerance in Strong creeping red fescues than other Fine fescues

20 2011 Fairway Trial Browntop Bentgrass 2013 Brown Patch Performance Rutgers Univ. Rank Entry Brown Patch Rank Entry Brown Patch 12. CMD Comp Capri CEM Comp CED Comp PST-0HME Bulk PPG-AT FDC Comp EBM A08-FT Alister Puritan SR PST-0HFN Bulk Tiger BCD SR 7150 Brown Patch rated on 1-9 scale, where 9 = best disease tolerance. 4.7 Data average of two ratings throughout 2013 growing season. Lsd at 5% = 1.3

21 Fine Fescue Fairway Trial Univ. of MN Longfellow 3 and SR 5130 Chewings Shoreline and Barcrown II slender creeping red Part of US program for reduced maintenance Red fescues have been shown to have natural herbicide Dr. Leah A. Brilman - Seed Research of Oregon

22 Chewings Fescue Strengths Rapid germination - close to perennial ryegrass Cool Weather Active Growth Heat tolerance - improved cultivars Tolerant of low height of cut - most improved cultivars Shade tolerance Recent studies on low maintenance fairways in WI, MN and IL showed highest performance by Chewings WI NTEP Fairway Trials with wear applied Chewings fescue was highest ranked Good Summer Patch and Leaf Spot Resistance

23 European vs. US Origin Fine Fescues Northern European Chewings and slender creeping red Much higher density Selected at lower mowing heights Less selection for heat and drought Selected for resistance to spring and winter diseases United States Chewings and slender creeping red Lower density in trials at STRI and Scanturf Selected at higher mowing heights Heavy selection for heat and drought Selected for resistance to summer diseases Hard and sheep fescues used more in US for stress tolerance

24 European vs. US Origin Fine Fescues Northern European Chewings and slender creeping red at Rutgers University vs. US origin 2015 NTEP photo Aug. 2018

25 Chewings Fescue Comparison of fine fescue with Penncross creeping bentgrass in fairway under drought conditions WI Dr. Leah A. Brilman - Seed Research of Oregon

26 Tall Fescue High turf quality, rapid establishment Blend with Poa pratensis at 10% Wear tolerance Drought / Heat tolerance Rhizomes and broad based types Higher percentage of plants with rhizomes More rapid rhizome production Broad base - higher tillering Brown Patch Screening at multiple sites - remove survivors Screening progeny from drought / rhizome work Salt tolerance Increased Winter hardiness

27 Tall Fescue 12.2 mm cut (1/2 inch)

28 Tall Fescue For Winter Sports - STRI TABLE SOWN TALL FESCUE WINTER SPORTS TRIAL DATA SUMMARY Trial data summary, given in Turfgrass Seed type format, for the 11 cultivars of tall fescue (including 4 control cultivars*) in the 2016 sown winter sports uses trial. The values given are a summary of the assessments made during 2016, 2017 and Cultivar Alphabetical order Live ground cover Visual merit mean Recovery Shoot density Fineness of leaf Winter greenness Summer greenness Turfway Greenbrooks* Foxhound Essential Armani Granditte Justice* PPG-TF Debussy Cochise* Barlexus II*

29 Tall Fescue Height of cut tolerance Rutgers, 28 to 35 mm Oregon, 12.5 mm

30 Wear Tolerance Tall Fescue TN, 2016 Data American Football Wear, September through November (20 games) Cultivar 20 game Dec. Quality Cultivar 20 game Dec. Quality Ares Houndog Firecracker SLS Raptor III Crossfire Faith Falcon IV Falcon V Grande Bullseye Rowdy Catalyst Fayette th Millennium Firewall Michelangelo Foxhound Regenerate Rhizing Moon KY Avenger II

31 Tetraploid perennial ryegrass Double the chromosome number and DNA = tetraploid Not quite as dense so blends better with many other species Larger seeds so faster germination Germination under colder soil temperatures Crown set deeper so wear tolerant and fast wear recovery also helps with cold tolerance More drought tolerant than standard diploid ryegrass

32 Tetraploid perennial ryegrass Oregon 110 days drought Diploid perennial drought Tetraploid perennial drought

33 Tetraploid perennial ryegrass Germinate and establish Cold Seeded November in Arizona Tetraploid perennial

34 Drought Perennial Ryegrass NTEP Diploid ryegrasses Percent green cover of Named Perennial Ryegrass Cultivars In Drought Study at Blacksburg, VA 2011 Data -% Green cover 1 month Irrigation Recovery 1 month Irrigation Recovery Variety Withheld (7/24) 9/6 Variety Withheld (7/24) 9/6 Aspire Palmer V Sideways Pangea GLR Wicked Insight SR Rio Vista Thrive Allante Banfield Sienna Pizzazz 2 GLR Brightstar SLT Dominator Haven Octane Pinnacle Sox Fan LSD@5%

35 Thrive Monsieur Hancock Aspire Double

36 MATERIALS & METHODS Experimental Design Strip-split plot design 3 replications 10 turfgrass species as horizontal treatments, two mowing heights (16 mm and 51 mm) as vertical treatments, and two nitrogen levels (49 and 195 kg/ha/yr) as subplot treatments Spring seeding 60 days old when started reduced water Species Kentucky Bluegrass Poa pratensis Creeping Bentgrass (fairway type) Agrostis stolonifera Colonial Bentgrass Agrostis capillaris Velvet Bentgrass Agrostis canina Perennial Ryegrass Lolium perenne Tall fescue Festuca arundinacea Slender Creeping Red Fescue Festuca rubra Chewings Fescue Festuca rubra ssp. tryachyphylla Strong Creeping Red Fescue Festuca rubra Annual Bluegrass Poa annua var. reptans Rate kg per ha Variety Prosperity, Langara, Touche Crystal Blue Links, 007, MacKenzie 73.2 Alister, SR7150, SR Greenwich, SR7200, Vesper Silverdollar, Express II, Zoom Coronado TDH, SR8650, Mustang Seabreeze GT, Shoreline Treazure II, SR5130, Windward Shademaster III (8000), Garnet Sod Northwest Poa Greens

37 MATERIALS & METHODS Treatments: Plots maintained at a 16 mm and 51 mm height of cut were mowed three times and 1 time per week respectively 45 days

38 Irrigation Inputs (mm) 2009 RESULTS 250 WATER USE OF COOL-SEASON TURFGRASS 200 SPECIES SE = Annual Bluegrass Strong CRF Slender CRF Chewings Fescue Colonial Bentgrass Velvet Bentgrass Kentucky Bluegrass Creeping Bentgrass Perennial Ryegrass Tall Fescue Low Mow 203,2 196,85 184,15 144,78 138,43 106,68 105,41 105,41 96,52 93,98 High Mow 189,23 144,78 132,08 128,27 120,65 105,41 100,33 91,44 87,63 81,28

39 2009 RESULTS Days between irrigation to prevent stress

40 Evapotranspiration comparison Over 45 days in Oregon with no rain average of 0.2 inch of ET per day (One summer was hot and other milder but ET same) 30 days = 6 inches Reference ET Each plot entered stress before watering = reduce water use

41 SUMMARY Cool Season Turfgrass Species 1 Mean Summer ET Rate (mm d -1 ) 2 Mean Summer Two Year Study ET Rate (mm d -1 ) 2 Relative Ranking Hard Fescue * Medium Chewings Fescue Red Fescue Perennial Ryegrass High Tall Fescue Creeping Bentgrass Annual Bluegrass > Kentucky Bluegrass 4 - > Colonial Bentgrass * 2.7 Velvet Bentgrass * 2.7 TF = 0.55 in/wk, KBG, PR, Bent = 0.75 in/wk, RF = 0.93/wk, ABG = 1.1 in/wk

42 Drought Screening as part of Breeding process Drought screening Oregon ET over 100 days 11.8 inches Watered when last cultivar dropped to 25% Green cover

43 Goal Low maintenance Superior performance Think Outside the box Avalon Velvet + SR 1119 Creeping Bentgrass 10 years old in NJ Reduced inputs

44 2014 NTEP Green Snow Mold Rating PINK SNOW MOLD RATINGS OF BENTGRASS CULTIVARS GROWN ON A GREEN 2015 DATA PINK SNOW MOLD RATINGS 1-9; 9=NO DISEASE NAME MO1 DECLARATION 9.0 MACDONALD (DLFPS-AP/3018) 8.3 KINGDOM (DLFPS-AP/3054) 8.0 ARMOR 8.0 BARRACUDA 8.0 IGNITE (V-8) 8.0 PENNCROSS 7.7 SHARK 7.7 NIGHTLIFE 7.3 PIRANHA (DC-1) 7.3 PURE SELECT 6.0 L-93 XD 5.7 PENN A LUMINARY 3.7 LSD VALUE 2.4