water needed ranged from 34.0 mm (1.338 in) to 80.7 mm (3.177 in) in 2020. No statistical differences were noted among water needed when comparing all Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue entries. However, there was some statistical significance among tall fescues when compared only to other tall fescue entries. Nonet (38 mm [1.469 in]), MRSL TF15 (47 mm [1.850 in]), BarRobusto (51 mm [2.008 in]), Stetson II (51 mm [2.008 in]), and Titanium 2 LS (51 mm [2.008 in]) used the least water of the tall fescue group. Various factors resulted in limited data collection
in 2019 at the Amherst, MA, site (Approach 1), therefore they collected 2020 data using two distinct dry-down ‘seasons.’ Te first dry-down season of 2020 showed excellent entry differences under the rainout shelter with NAI-13-14 and PST-K11-118 Kentucky bluegrass requiring the least water to maintain green cover (8.7 mm [0.343 in]). Other bluegrasses such as Everest, Babe, Midnight, and NAI-13-132 also finished in the top statistical group, surprisingly ahead of every tall fescue entry. Te second dry-down season delivered very similar water use numbers, but with much less statistical significance. NAI-13-14, PST-K11-118, Babe, and Everest needed the least water again in ‘Season 2’ but with several tall fescues performing equally well. Two sites, Logan, UT, and Fort Collins, CO,
collected 2020 data under the Approach 2 regime. In 2018 and 2019, no Kentucky bluegrass season average reached the acceptable lawn quality level at any ETo
level
in Logan, with many falling below even the minimally acceptable quality score for low maintenance (5.0). Tis trend continued in 2020, except a few bluegrass entries did finish with turf quality averages of at least 5.0. Under the 40 percent ETo
above 5.0, also with PST-K13-141 and PST-K11-118 (6.0). At 80 percent ETo
Te 60 percent ETo
level did deliver one tall fescue entry
(Tunderstruck) with a minimally acceptable average score of 5.0. Several tall fescues, but no Kentucky bluegrass, finished with a minimally acceptable average quality under 80 percent ETo
replacement. Te best tall fescues under
this level were PST-5SDS (5.5), DLFPS 321/3679 (5.4), Kingdom (5.4), and Tor (5.4). Data collection is complete with this trial and
all data is available on our website. A new cool-season trial, focusing on grasses for fairway turf, mainly bentgrass and fineleaf fescue, is co-funded with USGA and was established in the fall of 2022.
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. 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.
PST-K13-137 finished at 5.0 or 5.1 in turf quality. Under the 60 percent ETo
regime, Dauntless, NAI-13-14, and level, those same entries were at or , only PST-K13-141, Dauntless,
and NAI-13-14 finished above 5.0. Tall fescues again performed better overall than
Kentucky bluegrass at Logan as several entries maintained lawn turfgrass acceptable quality (6.0+) under 40 percent ETo
. Tall fescue entries Kingdom, Tor, and PST-5SDS finished with the highest turfgrass quality under the 40 percent ETo
replacement with season average turfgrass
quality scores of 6.6, 6.5, and 6.4 respectively. Also noteworthy is that the turf quality scores of those three tall fescue entries did not fall below acceptable (6.0) for any of the last eight weeks of the drought ‘season.’ Te story with the 2020 Fort Collins, CO, data
was 1) statistical significance was very small, and 2) no entries delivered acceptable turfgrass quality scores
(6.0 or above), even under the optimum 80 percent ETo replacement level. All entries struggled under 40 percent ETo
replacement as tall fescues DLFPS 321/3677 and PST-5SDS had the highest average turf quality at 4.3.
58
NTEP trials provide data on grasses’ ability to resist specific challenges, such as summer patch attacking this trial in Nebraska.
TPI Turf News July/August 2023
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