Bermudagrass Selections and Cultivars for Sports Fields

Who is Your Mother?
Bermudagrasses for Sports Fields
Beth Guertal, Professor
Turfgrass Management
Auburn University, AL USA
Bermudagrass
•
•
•
•
Grows best in high heat and sun.
Will go dormant after a hard frost.
Discolors in cold.
Originally from tropical and sub tropical
climates.
• A widely distributed perennial grass.
Bermudagrass in the United States
Cold Limits Northern Expansion
Plant Taxonomy
• Plant taxonomy - a system of classification used by botanists and horticulturists. We
use the model instituted by Linnaeus (1707-1778).
• Linnaeus' ‘binomial system’ uses one Latin name to indicate the genus, and another
to indicate the specific epithet. Together, the genus and epithet comprise the
"species.“
• Ex: plant taxonomy classifies common bermudagrass as Cynodon dactylon. The first
part of the name indicates the genus, the second the specific epithet. The entire
thing is the species, but we often short-hand this and call ‘dactylon’ the species.
Things to Know:
1. The species is a subset of the genus. For all bermudagrasses – genus is Cynodon.
2. The genus begins with a capital; the epithet with lower-case. Both are italicized.
3. Sometimes you'll see a third name. Simply getting more specific, accounting for
variation within a species. Ex: Poa annua var. reptans
4. Sometimes yet another word is added after the genus name and epithet – it is the
name of the person who first described the plant. These names are sometimes
abbreviated. When the name is abbreviated as "L," it stands for "Linnaeus."
Bermudagrass Taxonomy
• Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. – common
bermudagrass
• Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt-Davy – ‘African’
bermudagrass
..
• Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst – forage type
Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.
•
•
•
•
Common bermudagrass.
Seeded types.
Highly fertile.
Tends to be our coarsest textured
bermudagrasses.
• Best cold tolerance.
• We also have vegetative selections that are
from common bermudagrass.
Hybrid Bermudagrass
• Hybrid – union of different parents which
combine to give different lines – the first cross is
sexual reproduction.
• Intraspecific hybrid – between same
species (very common in our seeded
bermudagrasses)
• Interspecific hybrid – between different
species.
Seeded Bermudagrasses
• Arden Baltensperger – 1958 – AZ Common
• Then, NuMex Sahara – considered our
‘standard’
• Newer Varieties (Most from Oklahoma State program):
– Riviera
– Princess-77 (Baltensperger)
– Yukon
• These are all C. dactylon
There are Many Varieties
2007 NATIONAL BERMUDAGRASS TEST
* 1
* 2
* 3
* 15
* 16
* 25
* 27
* 28
* 29
Riviera
Princess 77
NuMex-Sahara
Gold Glove (PST-R6FLT)
Sunsport
Pyramid 2 (IS-CD10)
Yukon
Veracruz
Royal Bengal (PSG 9BAN)
seeded
seeded
seeded
seeded
seeded
seeded
seeded
seeded
seeded
* COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE IN THE USA IN 2013.
Standard entry
Standard entry
Standard entry
The Scotts Company
LESCO John Deere Landscapes
DLF International Seeds
Seed Research of Oregon
Seed Research/Pickseed
Seed Research of Oregon
‘Intraspecific Hybrids’ – sometimes it gets weird
‘Princess 77 brand Bermudagrass seed is the
world's first dense, fine textured, seeded hybrid
Bermudagrass variety. Princess 77 Bermuda
Grass rules the Bermuda grass Kingdom! It will
cost you a fraction of what you would pay for
sod and it is the first and only true hybrid
Bermuda grass available from seeds.’
Hybrid seeded bermudagrass
• Intraspecific hybrid – two C. dactylons
• Federal Seed Act – hybrid seed is the first
generation seed of a cross produced by:
‘controlling the pollination and by
combining….two selected clones’.
• SO – Princess-77 is an intraspecific hybrid.
• Other seeded bermudagrasses are technically
(and most correctly) ‘synthetics’.
Intraspecific Hybrid
Princess-77 – two clones (A-3 and A-4) (self
incompatible but cross-fertile). Seed is from the
F1 generation.
Synthetics – Seeded Bermudagrasses
Synthetic
• A set of parents that are crossed in a polycross
nursery. The plants will differ genetically. Several
clones may be used in the cross.
• Synthetics are sometimes allowed to intercross for a
few generations so that there will be enough seed
production to sell.
Synthetics
• Riviera – cross among three cold-hardy C.
dactylon clones.
• Yukon (1997) - a seed-propagated, turf-type,
synthetic cultivar produced by the
intercrossing of six highly out-crossing clonal
parent plants.
Research with Seeded Bermudagrasses
CULTIVAR
Cold
Shade
Traffic
Tolerance
Germination
Emergence
Princess-77
Poor
Good
Good
?
Riviera
Good
Good
Excellent
Slowest
Yukon
Excellent
?
Poorer
Slow
Spring
Greenup
Growth Establishment
Texture
Quality
?
Faster
Fine
High
Riviera
Good
Faster
Medium
High
Yukon
?
Slow
Medium
Medium
CULTIVAR
Princess-77
Deaton and Williams, 2013 and 2014; Anderson et al., 2003; Williams et al.,
2010; Munshaw et al., 2006
Seeding Rates and Dates
• Seed on a Pure Live Seed basis.
• ~1 pound 1,000 ft-2 is fine. (49 kg ha-1)
• Don’t increase seeding rate – this decreases
stolon weight.
• Optimum N is 1 lb N 1,000 ft-2 mo-1.
• Optimum dates are June 1 – July 15 (>950 GDD)
• Dormant seeding in Feb, Mar also works.
• Seed coatings do not affect germination.
Munshaw et al., 2001; Patton et al., 2004 & 2010; Shaver et al., 2006; Deaton and
Williams, 2013 & 2014.
Pure Live Seed
PLS = (%purity) x (% germination)/100
% purity = 50%
% germination = 85%
PLS = (50% x 85%)/100 = 43%
THUS, to plant at 1 pound PLS
need 1/0.43 = 2.3 pounds seed
Interspecific Hybrids
Cynodon dactylon
Cynodon transvaalensis
36 chromosomes
(tetraploid)
18 chromosomes
(diploid)
C. dactylon var. dactylon
54 chromosomes
(hexaploid)
Cynodon dactylon x Cynodon transvaalensis
27 chromosomes
(triploid)
Interspecific Hybrid
Bermudagrass Cultivars for Athletic Fields
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tifgreen (328)
Tifway (419)
Tifway II
TifSport
TifGrand
Celebration
Patriot
Discovery
Latitude 36
Tifway (Tifton 419) - 1960
• A chance hybrid between C. transvaalensis and
C. dactylon.
• Still a standard.
• Highly variable appearance from farm to farm.
• Found in a lot of seed supplied in 1954 – did
chromosome counts to determine it was
interspecific hybrid.
Burton, 1966
Tifway II
• Mutant of Tifway
• 1984 release
• Dormant sprigs of Tifway were exposed to 9000
rads of gamma irradiation.
• Tifway II was selected because it was denser,
established quicker, was more frost tolerant and
often greened earlier in spring.
Burton, 1985
TifSport - 1995
• A vegetative selection from one of 66 mutants
from gamma-radiation of ‘Midiron’ hybrid
bermudagrass.
• Released for better cold tolerance.
Hanna et al., 1997
Celebration - 2000
• Commercial release.
• Vegetative selection of a common
bermudagrass – Australia.
• Deep green color.
Riley, 2000
Patriot - 2006
• A cross from Tifton 10 bermudagrass (blue-green
in color), Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon & a
selected Cynodon transvaalensis.
• Cold tolerance.
Taliaferro et al., 2006
TifGrand - 2007
• Vegetative selection from an initial planting of
27,000 C. dactylon x C. transvaalensis hybrids.
• Demonstrated shade tolerance.
Hanna and Maw, 2007
Latitude 36 - 2010
• Clonally propagated F1 hybrid from a cross of C.
dactylon and C. transvaalensis.
• Cold tolerance.
Han, 2009
Wu, 2012
Discovery - 2012
• Commercial release.
• Vegetative selection of a common bermudagrass –
Australia.
• ‘No mow’ – prostrate, low growth.
de Bruijn, 2012
Celebration
TifGrand
Discovery
TifGrand
TifSport
Patriot
Tifway
Tifway
TifSport
Celebration
Research versus Claims – fact from anecdote
• Research studies published in refereed
scientific journals.
• Two years (or more) of data.
• Carefully controlled studies, with appropriate
data collection.
SHADE:
What happens to bermudagrass in shade?
•
•
•
•
•
Succulence increases
More upright
More open
Longer, skinnier leaves
Longer internodes
Shade
Shade – How much light does
bermudagrass need?
• TifEagle
• Treatments were 12, 8 or 4 hours of sunlight.
• This produced Daily Light Integrals (DLI) of 41.1, 35.5 or
22.1 mol m-2 d-1 of average daily light.
• Few differences in turf quality between 8 and 12 hours of
sun. Consistent best was 12 hours of sun.
• Growth and performance greatly reduced with only 4
hours of sun.
• Need 32.6 mol m-2 d-1 of DLI for commercially acceptable
turf.
• Afternoon shade more harmful than morning.
Bunnell et al., 2005
Shade and Athletic Field Bermudagrasses
• In 71% continuous shade Celebration had
acceptable quality. Acceptable quality was
found in Tifway and TifSport in 41% shade.
(Bunnell et al., 2005)
• In 60 days of 64% shade Celebration and
TifGrand had highest quality, poorer shade
tolerance in Tifway, TifSport and Patriot.
(Baldwin et al., 2008)
Traffic
Traffic and Shade
• Full sun or 49% shade.
• Traffic to simulate two football games per week, for 4
weeks (start July).
• Interaction between traffic and shade.
• Patriot often affected by shade – reduced cover in shade,
and made worse with traffic.
• In full sun + traffic – Princess 77, Riviera, TifSport and
Tifway – best cover.
• Consistent best growth (> 90%) in shade w/o traffic Princess 77 and Riviera. Lowest – Patriot, TifSport and
Tifway.
Trappe et al., 2011
Traffic
• Crumb rubber applied to create a 2-cm (~ 1 inch
depth).
• Traffic applied to coincide with fall athletic
seasons. Arkansas and TN.
• Riviera and Tifway had better wear tolerance
than Quickstand.
Goddard et al., 2008
Research – Traffic
• Percent green cover: Celebration = TifGrand >
TifSport (Williams et al., 2010).
• Shoot density of Tifway = TifSport, but Tifway had
better wear tolerance (Trenholm et al., 1999 &
2000).
• As a fairway (overseeded or not) Tifway had best
green color, Patriot had lowest (Thoms et al., 2011).
•
Research - Traffic
• Summer and Fall traffic – once a week for four-five
weeks. (same number of cleat marks for two NFL
games @ the 40-yard line).
• Summer – Celebration, Princess 77, Patriot,
Riviera, TifGrand, TifSport, Tifway, Yukon – all in
top statistical category for cover.
• Fall – Celebration – best statistical group for fall
cover.
Trappe et al., 2011
Traffic
• Simulated traffic applied during the KY high school
football season, with and without trinexapac-ethyl
(0.09 lb/acre), with and without overseed.
• Traffic tolerance: Tifway = Riviera > Quickstand =
Yukon.
• Overseeding also provided greater turf cover in
Yukon and Quickstand.
• TE – no improvement in traffic tolerance.
Deaton and Williams, 2010
Research - Cold
• Any seeded common is best (except Princess 77).
• Yukon and Riviera > Princess 77.
• Bermudagrass grown for 4 week s @ 46.4/35.6F
(day/night). Then placed into 28.4F.
• Poorest cold hardiness – Tifgreen and Princess 77.
Second worst – Tifway and TifSport. Most cold
tolerant? Patriot.
(Anderson et al., 2003)
Cold – 2014 Observations
• New NTEP bermudagrass trials in Fayetteville
• Greatest winter survival?
–
–
–
–
Northshore SLT
Latitude 36
Riviera
Patriot
• Worst survival?
- Tifway, TifSport
(Richardson et al., 2014)
Research - Drought
• Celebration – best tolerance and quickest
recovery from 60 days of drought.
• Next best? Tifway and TifSport.
• All can survive with quality at 70 to 80% of ET.
Research - Salinity
• Poorest tolerance? Tifway and Tifton 10
• Best? TifSport
• BUT – High rates of salinity evaluated – up to 42
dS m-1
• That’s really high – in the field we consider ‘saline’
at 10 dS m-1
The Sum-Up From the Research
Shade
Cold
Traffic
Celebration
Patriot
Celebration
TifGrand
Seeded cultivars
TifGrand
Tifway
Patriot
Princess 77
Tifway
Tifway
TifSport
TifSport
Drought
Celebration
TifSport
Tifway
Patriot
Current Partial Enigmas
(we need more research on these grasses)
•
•
•
•
Discovery
Patriot
TifGrand
Pretty much everything except Tifway
Grass Selection?
•
•
•
•
Look at the research.
Look at other courses.
Talk to experts (not just the marketer).
Think about what you wish your turfgrass to do –
Traffic? Shade? Cold?
• What’s available in your market?
QUESTIONS?