Other ancillary trials include salinity tolerance,
shade tolerance, divot recovery, and spring dead spot (Ophiosphaerella spp.) tolerance. In 2022 and 2023, significant statistical differences emerged from the Las Cruces, NM, salinity tolerance evaluations. In both potable and saline water field sites at Las Cruces, TifTuf, MSB-1042, Tifway, FB 1903, Celebration Hybrid, Tahoma 31, Latitude 36, MSB 1048, and MSB 1050 were in the top turf quality group. However, when data from 2020 was added to the analysis, no statistical differences were noted among entries in either potable or saline irrigation at Las Cruces. Spring dead spot ratings collected at West
Lafayette, IN, and Raleigh, NC, show small statistical differences as Astro, Tahoma 31, and OKC 1666 showed the least disease. Divot recovery, evaluated in 2020 and 2021 at Stillwater, OK, gave high marks to JSC 2013-10S, Riviera, and OKS2015-7. Finally, the shade evaluations at College Station, TX, delivered higher overall quality ratings each year of the trial. For the summary report, MSB-1050, Celebration Hybrid, and MSB-1075 exhibited better tolerance of shade than about two-thirds of the entries.
Zoysiagrass Meyer zoysiagrass was released in the early 1950s
and has been a standard in the industry ever since. Meyer is known for its medium leaf texture (for a zoysia japonica type) and excellent winter hardiness. Zeon is a zoysia matrella type that is finer textured than Meyer. Zeon is a standard for use on golf course fairways and tees because it can develop a dense turfgrass at mowing heights of 0.5 in. (12.7 mm) or lower. Both grasses are included in this trial as standard entries. Our latest zoysiagrass trial, established at nineteen
locations in 2019, consists of thirty-nine (39) vegetative entries, almost all experimental. Tese new entries demonstrate how far zoysiagrass breeding and development has advanced in the last few years. At least some of these new experimentals are destined for commercialization within the next few years, which is exciting news for the future of zoysiagrass use and adaptation. Te final summary of 2019-2023 data was
published in the fall of 2024. Turfgrass quality ratings analyzed by management schedule showed several new promising entries with improved performance. Brazos (FAES 1319) was a top entry under both Schedule A (0.5 - 1.0 in. [12.7 – 25.4 mm] mowing height, 0.25 - 0.33 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. [1.22 – 1.61 kg/92.90 sq. meters] per growing month, irrigation to prevent visual drought stress) and Schedule B (1.0 - 2.0 in. [25.4 – 50.8 mm] mowing height, 0.0 - 0.25 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. [0.0 – 1.22 kg/92.90 sq. meters] per growing month, irrigation to prevent dormancy or severe stress) management regimes. Brazos and the long-time standard Emerald performed almost equally under both managements, however, the Emerald evaluated is close to the original cultivar released in 1955, while many Emerald products sold are not the original. Other entries that performed well under both management regimes
TPI Turf News July/August 2025
Many grasses went dormant during the July 2024 drought in the Mid- Atlantic region. Te zoysiagrass patch, shown here, although dormant is still holding the soil and providing ground cover in this cemetery.
include DALZ 1701, DALZ 1707, and FZ 1422. Te Florida locations of Ft. Lauderdale,
Gainesville, and Jay, which represent a huge potential market for zoysia, delivered data that included many new top-performing entries as well. Te top entries at the average of those locations include Brazos and FZ 1722 (both at turf quality = 7.5). Data from Transition Zone locations in West
Lafayette, IN, Manhattan, KS, Columbia, MO, and Knoxville, TN, also showed significant improvement in the performance of new entries, providing winter tolerant alternatives to Meyer. Entries that performed well at all three locations include not only standards Zeon and Emerald, but also DALZ 1701, DALZ 1707, Brazos, FZ 1422, and DALZ 1808. Top performers at our only western U.S. location, Riverside, CA, were new names DALZ 1802 and FAES 1335. A key factor for adoption of zoysiagrass is winter
survival in the most northern U.S. locations. Winter injury was recorded at West Lafayette, IN, and Manhattan, KS. In Indiana, DALZ 1701, DALZ 1808, DALZ 1707, Zeon, and Meyer suffered the least winter injury. At Manhattan, FZ 1311, DALZ 1707, DALZ 1808, Brazos, DALZ 1701, FZ 1410, DALZ 1603, and DALZ 1601 all showed less than 10 percent winter injury in the last year. Ancillary trials of traffic, drought, and shade
tolerance were initiated in 2020 and continued through 2023. Summary data from Raleigh, NC, again ended with excellent entry separation as FZ 1368 and DALZ 1802 finished with the highest ground cover scores after eight weeks of traffic. Shade tolerance was tested at College Station, TX, but virtually no statistical difference is observed among the entries. Te Dallas, TX, site evaluated performance under drought (reduced irrigation) with Empire, DALZ 1311, Brazos, and FZ 1407, finishing in the top statistical groupings in three of the four years of evaluations. Tese entries were not only able to maintain quality during the induced drought but were also some of the better entries to recover following re-watering.
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