Fairway/Tee Trial Te 2014 trial consists of fourteen creeping and three

colonial bentgrass entries and is planted at nineteen locations. First year data often reflects establishment rate and any initial seedling disease issues, therefore, long-term performance needs to be determined before making a cultivar choice. In 2015, creeping bentgrasses generally outperformed

their colonial bentgrass cousins. Past top creeping bents 007 and Crystal Blue Links are the entries that any new experimental needs to outperform, and in 2015, those two standard entries demonstrated their excellent qualities. However, new entries DC-1 and L-93XD, along with commercial cultivars Barracuda, Shark, Nightlife, Kingdom and Armor looked impressive at several locations in 2015 and may challenge the past top performers by trial’s end. For colonial bentgrass, top performer Greentime has some serious competition with PPG-AT 104 and DLFPS-AT/3026 performing well at East Lansing, MI, Lexington, KY, and Blacksburg, VA. Our trial location in Riverside, CA, utilized a reduced

irrigation level but no significant differences have been seen yet among entries. Te story was different at the three ancillary traffic locations, Amherst, MA, Blacksburg, VA, and Fayetteville, AR. Colonial bentgrass DLFOS- AT/3026 was excellent at all three locations, finishing within the top three entries. No other entry showed consistent traffic tolerance at all three entries in 2015, but of course, more testing is needed to confirm these results. Disease resistance is a very important trait for

bentgrasses used on fairways or tees. Two particularly devastating diseases, brown patch and dollar spot, were rated a several locations in 2015. Brown patch was noted at three locations during the test period. As we have seen in the past, results showed the colonial bentgrasses, as a group, with inferior brown patch tolerance. In fact, the creeping bentgrasses overall were mostly tolerant of brown patch infection. Te creeping bentgrass entries with the least brown patch in 2015 were L-93XD and Armor, however, several entries performed statistically equal to those two entries. In contrast, data collected showed the colonial

bentgrasses DLFOS-AT/3026, PPG-AT 104 and Greentime with the highest tolerance to dollar spot. More variation was noted among creeping bentgrasses with L-93XD, H10G-OP, 007 and Shark rating high for dollar spot tolerance at one or two locations, but not all locations.

Other Species Other cool-season species, such as prairie junegrass

(Koeleria spp.), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa), rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis), supina bluegrass (Poa supina) and annual bluegrass (Poa annua) are potential sod products, although limited in their utility and geographical area of adaptation.

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Native species, such as junegrass and tufted hairgrass,

under low maintenance can form a dense sward with an appearance somewhat like perennial ryegrass or Kentucky bluegrass. One tufted hairgrass cultivar has been tested by NTEP (1998 NTEP Fineleaf Fescue trial). Te other bluegrass species, rough, annual and supina are still very much under development without a lot known about their performance characteristics and production needs. Other native species, such as inland saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and poverty grass (Danthonia spicata), have special traits such as salt tolerance (inland saltgrass) or tolerance to infertile soils (poverty grass), but are probably several years away from commercialization.

WARM-SEASON In spring/summer 2013, new trials of bermudagrass

and zoysiagrass were established, with 35 entries in each trial. In addition, a unique new trial was established in conjunction with the United States Golf Association (USGA). Te trial evaluates bermudagrass (15 entries), zoysiagrass (11 entries) and seashore paspalum (2 entries) at eleven locations under putting green conditions. Te second year of data from each of these three warm-

season trials is now available from NTEP. Even though each trial features a different set of data, a common theme of all these trials is data on initial establishment from 2013. However, due to the unusually harsh winter that many locations experienced in 2013/2014, several entries were never able to establish at some locations. Data on winter injury was collected and the cooperators were consulted on the condition of their trials. Since 2013-14 was the worst winter in more than thirty years, the decision was made by NTEP to replant several or all entries at the worst winter injury sites. NTEP has never replanted so many entries and locations in our history, but we felt it was necessary to give all entries an equal opportunity to establish and perform. No more replanting will take place for these three trials. Te information on the entries replanted at each location is noted on the data tables.

Bermudagrass Te new bermuda NTEP trial contains eighteen (18)

seeded entries and seventeen (17) vegetative entries. Many of these entries are experimental cultivars or new commercial cultivars. NTEP evaluates warm-season grasses by comparing seeded and vegetative entries, and also by separately comparing seeded vs. seeded and vegetative vs. vegetative. Turfgrass quality ratings this early in a trial cycle are

partially reflect establishment and winter survival, and not necessarily long-term performance. However, these ratings can indicate the potential of new entries vs. established

TPI Turf News July/August 2016