Fairway/Tee Trial Te 2020 trial provides data on new experimental
entries that may become commercialized in the future. Tis latest trial consists of eighteen creeping entries and one colonial bentgrass entry, planted at eight standard trial locations and seven ancillary trial locations. Turfgrass quality collected and analyzed from 2023
was divided into three LPI groups, with virtually no statistical separation among entries in two of those groups. In contrast, LPI group 3, encompassing only the North Brunswick, NJ, location, showed Spectrum, Oakley, DLF- AP-3084, and PVF-PV-2 as the top turf quality performers. An ancillary trial at Fort Collins, CO, evaluation
performance under saline irrigation yielded small statistical differences in 2022, but greater significance in 2023. Even though no entry delivered acceptable quality, Penncross, Piper, and Piranha had the top mean turf quality in 2023. It will be interesting to watch these entries over the next couple of years. Traffic tolerance ancillary evaluations at Amherst,
MA, showed great statistical significance in year three. Creeping bentgrasses 007XL, Tour Pro, Match Play, Piranha, and PVF-PV-1, along with the colonial bent Musket, were top turf quality performers at Amherst. When traffic tolerance alone was considered, PST-0R2O, Piper, Oakley, and Shark showed the best performance. Disease resistance is an important feature of any
fairway or tee bentgrass and is a major need for golf course superintendents. Dollar spot, the most prevalent and concerning disease on golf course fairways, was noted at three locations in 2023 over the trial period. Typically, colonial bentgrasses display excellent dollar spot tolerance, which Musket did at these locations. Musket finished in the top statistical group for overall dollar spot tolerance (8.1, scale is 1-9, 9=no disease, LSD=0.8), but it is impressive that the creeping bents Spectrum (7.6) and PVF-PV-2 (7.3), for the second year in a row finished with a statistical equal dollar spot rating to Musket. In addition, brown patch data was collected at North Brunswick, NJ, with the best entries including DLF-AP-3084, Piper,
PST-0MRN, and Spectrum creeping bentgrasses. Water use and drought tolerance was evaluated at
Amherst, MA, as an ancillary trial. However, no statistical differences were noted among entries in 2023. Penncross, PST-0R2O, PST-R0DS, and Shark were noted at Blacksburg, VA, in 2023 with the best tolerance to wilting.
Low Input Cool-Season In 2015, NTEP established its first management-
based trial, with seventeen locations that manage under ‘low input’. Te first trial of this type includes cool-season grass cultivars, experimentals, blends and mixtures of grasses, and other species. Tirty-two entries were submitted by sponsors, including single cultivars and blends of Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass; mixtures of several grass species, with some including strawberry, white, or Microclover®
(Trifolium spp.); and even a western yarrow entry (Achillea millefolium L.). Management is minimal for the five-year trial,
with no fertilizer applications or irrigation after establishment, no pest control at any time during the trial, and mowing at 3 – 3.5 in. (76.2 mm – 88.9 mm) on the thirteen standard trial sites. Tree ancillary trial sites evaluate the effect of one annual grass pre-emergence application (spring 2016) only, then following standard trial protocols for the remaining four years of the trial. One additional trial location (West Lafayette, IN) made an additional fertilizer application on one half of each plot for 2016 and 2017 only, to evaluate the effect of the small increase of fertilizer on performance and survival. Overall, these locations are maintained very minimally, which is of interest to an increasing number of our customers. Te entries in this low input trial, with no annual
grass or broadleaf weed control, need excellent establishment, and then good ground cover to resist weed invasion and deliver good quality. With many different species, mixtures with clovers, and even non-grasses (western yarrow), turfgrass quality ratings are more difficult to assess, sometimes leading to less significance among entries. And considering the trial length, entry performance in a low input trial was expected to decline over time. With five years of data and the trial complete, a
As well as the standard NTEP trials, NTEP trials bentgrasses onsite at golf courses. Tis shot taken at Tokatee Golf Course trials shows stress on the collars.
TPI Turf News July/August 2024
five-year summary is now available. With various mixtures of species, including clovers, it is difficult to identify any single species, blend, or mixture that provided superior performance under the low input regime. Obviously, establishment rate was important in the first year as each entry competed with weeds for cover. Terefore, entries with a significant percentage of tall fescue or fine fescue such as DLFPS TFAStC, DLFPS TFAM, Vitality Low, CS Mix, and CRS Mix #3 performed well in year one. Year two (2017) finished with mixtures with high percentages of either tall fescue or hard fescue as top performers in many locations. Te exception to that was in West Lafayette, IN, St. Paul, MN, and Logan, UT, where Yaak western yarrow was very good.
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