Focus On Specific Traits NTEP is designing its trial programs so that more data
on specific traits are collected. For instance, standard trial locations, conducted at university sites using prescribed management schemes, collect traditional data, such as turfgrass quality, color, density, any diseases present, etc. NTEP also sponsors ancillary trial locations that collect data on specific traits, such as shade tolerance, traffic tolerance and sod strength. Tese ancillary trials must often be conducted in unique locations (i.e. under shade trees) or using specialized equipment (i.e. a traffic simulator). Because ancillary trials are applying unique stress to the entries, the data from these locations are often summarized and reported in separate tables. NTEP plans on conducting more of these ancillary
trials in the future and is, in fact, planning to co-sponsor with USGA, an entire trial just to evaluate cool-season and warm-season grasses for drought. Trial protocols for this new national water use/drought tolerance trial are under development, so look for data from this trial within the next two to three years. In addition, NTEP sponsored a low input trial for cool-season grasses and mixtures in fall 2015, and is planning a warm-season low input trial for summer 2017. It is our hope that these types of data will provide much needed information to consumers on these important traits.
Update On Cultivars Te following is an overview of the latest information on commercially available and experimental cultivars.
COOL-SEASON
Kentucky Bluegrass For this report we are utilizing the fourth year of data
from our latest Kentucky bluegrass trial established in fall 2011. Particularly with bluegrasses, due to their slow establishment rate, first year data is often reflective of establishment rate for each entry and may not be indicative of long-term performance. By the third year of a bluegrass trial, some thatch buildup has occurred and therefore, the data should give a better representation of performance. Data from 2015 revealed some thatch buildup differences, hence this report and next year’s report will give the truest picture of sustained performance. Turfgrass quality ratings provide a view of overall entry
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performance, hence why they are so important to consider. For this review, we look at locations in the different regions and identify top performers. In the Midwest (Ames, IA, Urbana, IL, and West Lafayette, IN), many entries finished in the top statistical group at each test site in 2015, including these: SRX 466, Mazama, Bluebank, J-1136, Sudden Impact and Midnight. In 2014, no entry was excellent at all three Northeast locations (Amherst, MA, Adelphi, NJ and North Brunswick, NJ). Tis trend changed in 2015 with the entries Blue Note, Midnight, Bluebank, J-1770, and BAR PP 110358 finishing in the top statistical group at all three Northeast trial sites. As in past trials, our six Transition Zone locations
most likely provided the most environmental stress on the entries. No entry separation was noted at our standard trial location in Knoxville, TN, but this was not the case at the other sites (Manhattan, KS, College Park, MD, Raleigh, NC, Stillwater, OK and Blacksburg, VA). BAR PP 110358, Barvette HGT, SRX 466, Bluebank and Skye, are a few of the entries that finished in the top turf quality statistical grouping at three or more of these locations. Top performers at the Guelph, Ontario, Canada, site
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(managed using ‘organic’ methods) included an interesting mix of older cultivars such as America and Barduke, along with new experimentals and commercial cultivars like H99-1653 and Keeneland. Unlike 2014, the Upper Midwest locations of St. Paul, MN, Madison, WI, and East Lansing, MI showed large statistical entry separation in 2015. Some of the better entries at both Upper Midwest locations include Award, Endurance, Blue Note, H99- 1653 and PST-K9-90. Te 2011 Kentucky bluegrass trial has ancillary
locations testing for tolerance to various stresses. For example, since 2012, shade tolerance has been evaluated at
TPI Turf News July/August 2016 33
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