Since fairways and tees occupy the majority of
managed turf on any golf course, disease resistance that will allow for fungicide reduction on fairway and tees is a major need for golf course superintendents. Brown patch and dollar spot were major diseases noted over the trial period. Brown patch data collected on a few dates at four locations showed the creeping bentgrass entries with the best tolerance overall, as entries such as Chinook, L-93 XD, and Piranha exhibited very little disease. Dollar spot data was rated at six locations and Chinook, DLFPS-AT/3026, Piranha, L-93XD, Musket, 007, Barracuda, and V-8 were the highest rated entries over the five years.
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 inches 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 is expected to decline over time. Te final trial year finished with turfgrass quality
ratings from many entries lower overall than a typical NTEP trial, with some locations again finishing with a turfgrass quality average score below 5.0, the NTEP threshold for minimum acceptable quality under low maintenance. In particular, overall ratings from Logan, UT, Kennett Square, PA, and Corvallis, OR, were below 5.0 for every entry. In contrast, sites at Blacksburg, VA, East Lansing, MI, and Storrs, CT, finished the trial with many
TPI Turf News July/August 2021
entries of the 5.0 turf quality threshold. Fourteen locations submitted data in 2020.
Overall, the mixtures containing the three percent of less aggressive clovers (Microclover® or strawberry clover) were some of the most consistent performers in 2020, either mixed with improved tall fescue cultivars (DLFPS TFAM or DLFPS TFAStC), or chewings and strong creeping red fescue (DLFPS ChCrM). Possibly, the clovers’ nitrogen-fixing ability added density and survivability to the turf stands. Te tall fescue blend DLFPS TF-A and hard fescue MNHD-15 were also consistently good in 2020, along with Vitality Double, a 90 percent tall fescue/10 percent Kentucky bluegrass mixture, and Vitality Low Maintenance Mixture. Yaak, the western yarrow entry, that is interesting
as it is not a grass, nor a legume, was initially a good performer, but has declined the last three years. Yaak was still a top entry at Logan, UT, and performed reasonably well at Mead, NE, W. Lafayette, IN, St. Paul, MN, and Raleigh, NC. Yaak’s performance at Blacksburg, VA, and Corvallis, OR, has declined however since 2019. Yaak performance may have suffered from the fact that it is a ‘non-traditional’ lawn species and therefore its appearance is quite different from grasses, which may hurt its quality ratings. Terefore, Yaak may still have a place as a lawn species or ground cover where low maintenance and native plants are requested.
Cool-Season Water Use With the need to reduce turfgrass water use, the
United States Golf Association (USGA) is partnering with NTEP to evaluate both cool- and warm-season grasses for water efficiency and performance under lower water use. Te USGA has paid to install rain exclusion shelters at ten sites, five in the northern or transition zones (to evaluate cool-season grasses) and five shelters in the southern U.S. to evaluate warm-season grass water use and drought tolerance. Within these shelters, cooperators restrict irrigation for a period of 100 days on cool-season grasses,
Tis photo shows the 2015 National Low Input Cool-Season test plots at Corvallis, Oregon.
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