`Ba 69-82 ` Kentucky Bluegrass

Abstract

A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot, melting out disease, several rust diseases, dollar spot, powdery mildew and stripe smut; a desirable green color throughout the growing season; the ability to form a strong sod and a high quality dense persistent turf under a wide variety of environmental conditions; and has a medium level of seed yielding capacity.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis that has been designated Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass.

2. Description of Related Art

Kentucky bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156 issued May 9, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,186 issued May 23, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,280 issued Sep. 6, 1988; U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 6,537 and 6,538, issued Jan. 17, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,831, issued Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,490, issued Dec. 7, 1993; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,036, issued Jan. 3, 1995 and pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/308,699, filed Sep. 19, 1994, now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,209.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass plants are a distinct variety which can be produced and asexually propogated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules. The plants originated from random seed that germinated in the O. M. Scott and Sons plant nursery and were allowed to grow in the nursery for a period of one year. The seed and pollen parents of the random seed are believed to come from a set of 88 plants collected from several locations throughout the U.S.

Seed of Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass was produced first at Marysville, Ohio and later at Gervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluation trials and later seed production fields. Asexual production of Ba 69-82 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistently produced progeny plants indistinguishable from the mother plant. The apomixis level of Ba 69-82 is approximately 99% based upon examining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from different crop years in a growth chamber.

Ba 69-82 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a high level of resistance to Drechslera spp. that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot; Laetisaria fuciformis that causes red thread; Schlerotinia homoeocarpa that causes dollar spot; Puccinia spp. that causes several types of rust infections; Erysiphe graminis that causes powdery mildew; Leptosphaeria korrae that causes Necrotic ring spot and Ustilago striiformis that causes stripe smut. Ba 69-82 has an attractive leafy turf type growth habit, moderately wide leaf blades, attractive green color which can be maintained throughout the entire growing season, good drought and heat tolerance, and good turf performance as evidenced by consistently high scores for quality, color and density.

In comparison with most commercially available varieties, Ba 69-82 produces a small seed, has a short ligule and is late maturing. Under mowed conditions, Ba 69-82 develops a moderately wide blade and high sod strength. Ba 69-82 has a medium level of seed yield potential in the bluegrass seed producing regions of the northwestern U.S.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass plant at anthesis;

FIG. 2 is a Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle at anthesis; and

FIG. 3 is a Ba 69-82 Kentucky Bluegrass seed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Ba 69-82 Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is perennial with creeping rhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in the field under freezing temperatures and are then brought into the greenhouse during late winter to continue growth undisturbed by clipping under moderate temperatures (60.degree.-80.degree. F.), culms are erect averaging 31.9 cm in length, 3.2 nodes per culm and the uppermost internode 7.2 cm in length. The peduncle averages 21.0 cm in length, and 0.595 mm in width. The vegetative leaf averages 21.9 mm in width, 0.279 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 0.14 mm. An average quantity of ligule and leaf margin hairs was observed. The flag leaf averages 4.3 cm in length, 3.2 mm in width and 0.198 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 1.0 mm. The panicle averages 67.4 mm in length, 46.6 mm in width and 8.8 whorls. The lowest whorl averages 3.3 branches and the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle 3.1 branches.

The spikelet at the tip of a branch in the lowest whorl averages 4.6 mm in length, 2.3 mm in width, 3.2 florets and 2.8 mm and 3.1 mm for the outer and inner glumes in length, respectively. A similar spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle averages 4.7 mm in length, 2.4 mm in width, 3.3 florets and 2.9 mm and 3.2 mm for the outer and inner glumes in length, respectively. The hair content on the glumes average 2.2 and 2.2 for the outer and inner glumes on the lowest whorl, respectively, and 2.1 and 3.3 on the outer and inner glumes on the third whorl, respectively.

Ba 69-82 averaged significantly more hairs on the glumes on the third whorl than most other grasses in the study. The seed of Ba 69-82 averages 2.77 mm in length, and 0.89 mm in width, 0.68 mm in rachilla length and approximately 1,250,997 seeds per pound. The dorsal side of the lemma keel contained an average population of hairs.

Comparisons of Ba 69-82 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in terms of seed dimensions and numbers per pound are shown in Tables 1 and 2 as follows:

TABLE 1______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Seed and Rachilla Measurementsand Lemma Hair of Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky BluegrassVarieties After Conditioning.Seed Length Width Rachilla Lemma.sup.1Variety mm mm mm Hair______________________________________Ba 69-82 2.77 0.89 0.68 4.4Ba 73-540 2.77 0.86 0.70 4.7Abbey 2.97 0.89 0.80 3.8Adelphi 2.70 0.84 0.65 4.4America 2.40 0.68 0.68 2.8Baron 3.08 0.81 0.71 5.0Bristol 2.94 0.88 0.73 4.3Chateau 2.81 0.86 0.71 4.5Coventry 2.71 0.81 0.70 4.0Eclipse 2.77 0.83 0.68 3.5Georgetown 2.94 0.82 0.74 4.9Gnome 2.78 0.83 0.75 4.1Kelly 3.07 0.89 0.75 4.2Marquis 2.97 0.87 0.83 4.7Midnight 2.94 0.76 0.78 5.7Nassau 3.07 0.86 0.68 3.4Ram I 3.23 0.89 0.80 6.0Touchdown 2.93 0.88 0.71 4.6Victa 3.00 0.80 0.82 3.5LSD (.05) 0.16 0.05 0.13 0.86______________________________________ .sup.1 Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = abundant row of hairs along keel. TABLE 2______________________________________Comparison of Seed Numbers Per Pound of Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties After ConditioningVariety Seeds per Pounds______________________________________Ba 69-82 1,250,997Ba 73-540 1,359,914Abbey 1,003,037Adelphi 1,383,976America 1,659,824Baron 1,051,693Bristol 1,270,821Chateau 1,300,105Coventry 1,246,200Eclipse 1,335,668Georgetown 1,431,000Gnome 1,017,641Kelly 921,166Marquis 1,054,642Midnight 1,227,000Nassau 1,127,130Ram 1 1,214,000Touchdown 1,211,000Victa 1,038,298______________________________________

Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent, comparisons of morphological characteristics of Ba 69-82 were made with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties and the comparisons are set forth in the following Tables 3-8:

TABLE 3______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Panicles, Whorl Number andWhorl Branches of Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky BluegrassVarieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH. Panicles Number of Whorl Branches Nod- Length Width Num- Lower ThirdVariety ding mm mm ber Whorl Whorl______________________________________Ba 69-82 1.5 67.4 46.6 8.8 3.3 3.1Ba 73-540 2.2 60.8 47.6 8.4 3.9 3.0Abbey 1.6 80.4 59.3 9.3 3.8 3.3Adelphi 1.8 106.8 76.4 10.0 3.6 3.0America 2.3 67.7 51.1 8.8 3.3 3.5Baron 2.2 92.6 71.0 10.0 3.4 2.8Bristol 2.0 85.5 61.5 8.4 2.8 2.7Chateau 2.9 65.2 57.3 8.5 3.3 2.8Coventry 2.5 64.0 54.2 8.4 3.3 2.5Eclipse 1.3 89.2 74.0 10.7 3.3 2.1Georgetown 1.0 80.0 57.0 7.4 2.1 2.6Gnome 1.1 80.6 56.0 10.6 4.6 3.9Kelly 2.0 88.0 70.2 9.8 4.6 3.7Marquis 1.1 82.0 63.0 10.3 3.9 3.6Midnight 2.0 75.8 48.4 7.1 2.9 3.0Nassau 2.2 91.2 68.6 10.0 2.5 2.1Ram I 1.3 67.7 47.0 7.3 3.0 3.2Touchdown 1.1 73.1 75.0 7.6 2.1 2.3Victa 1.7 74.9 58.3 10.0 4.7 3.5LSD (.05) 0.68 7.35 8.62 0.66 0.72 0.50______________________________________ *Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = most nodding TABLE 4______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba 69-82and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse atMarysville, OH. Spikelet Number of Third Whorl Florets Lower Whorl Width Per Spikelet Length Width Length Num- Lower ThirdVariety mm mm mm ber Whorl Whorl______________________________________Ba 69-82 4.6 2.3 2.7 2.4 3.2 3.3Ba 73-540 4.3 2.2 4.3 2.2 3.4 3.2Abbey 4.4 2.2 4.5 2.2 3.0 3.0Adelphi 4.6 2.2 4.8 2.2 4.4 4.4America 4.6 2.2 4.4 2.3 4.5 4.3Baron 5.4 2.8 5.4 3.1 4.0 4.2Bristol 4.9 2.4 5.0 2.5 4.2 4.5Chateau 4.4 2.4 4.4 2.4 3.4 3.5Coventry 4.4 2.2 4.5 2.4 3.2 3.5Eclipse 4.6 2.4 4.6 2.4 3.6 3.6Georgetown 5.0 2.3 5.0 2.6 4.8 4.9Gnome 4.6 2.5 4.6 2.9 3.2 3.2Kelly 5.1 2.5 5.2 2.8 3.7 3.8Marquis 4.3 2.2 4.4 2.3 3.1 2.9Midnight 5.3 2.5 5.5 2.4 4.4 4.7Nassau 4.7 2.6 4.8 3.00 4.2 4.3Ram I 5.4 2.6 5.3 2.8 3.6 3.4Touchdown 5.1 2.9 4.8 2.8 4.1 4.0Victa 4.5 2.5 4.5 2.4 3.3 3.2LSD (.05) 0.41 0.35 0.38 0.35 0.58 0.53______________________________________ TABLE 5______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouseat Marysville, OH.______________________________________ Glume Length (mm) Outer Inner Lowest Third Lowest ThirdVariety Whorl Whorl Whorl Whorl______________________________________Ba 69-82 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2Ba 73-540 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.0Abbey 2.7 2.7 3.1 3.1Adelphi 2.7 2.6 3.0 3.1America 2.1 2.1 2.5 2.5Baron 3.1 3.2 3..6 3.7Bristol 2.8 3.0 3.3 3.4Chateau 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2Coventry 2.7 2.8 3.1 3.1Eclipse 3.0 3.0 3.4 3.4Georgetown 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.1Gnome 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.3Kelly 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.5Marquis 2.8 2.7 3.1 3.1Midnight 2.6 2.6 3.0 3.1Nassau 2.6 2.7 2.9 3.0Ram I 2.9 3.0 3.6 3.5Touchdown 3.3 3.3 3.8 3.8Victa 2.8 2.7 3.1 3.1LSD (.05) 0.23 0.22 0.22 0.23______________________________________ Glume Hairs* Lowest Whorl Third WhorlVariety Outer Inner Outer Inner______________________________________Ba 69-82 2.2 2.2 2.1 3.1Ba 73-540 2.5 3.0 2.5 2.5Abbey 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.0Adelphi 0.6 2.7 1.1 1.9America 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.3Baron 4.8 4.4 4.2 4.6Bristol 1.0 2.2 0.8 2.2Chateau 1.5 2.6 2.0 1.8Coventry 1.5 2.7 1.6 2.4Eclipse 1.5 1.9 1.8 1.9Georgetown 1.7 2.7 1.2 2.5Gnome 1.0 1.9 1.2 1.6Kelly 1.3 1.5 1.1 0.8Marquis 0.9 1.1 1.7 1.8Midnight 1.8 2.8 1.0 2.4Nassau 2.1 2.6 4.2 4.4Ram I 1.1 2.3 0.7 1.2Touchdown 0.7 2.1 1.1 1.4Victa 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.3LSD (.05) 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9______________________________________ *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs TABLE 6______________________________________Morphological comparison of Flag Leaf of Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouseat Marysville, OH.______________________________________ Length Width Thickness LeafVariety mm mm mm Angle.sup.1 Curve.sup.2______________________________________Ba 69-82 4.3 3.2 0.198 1.0 4.9Ba 73-540 3.8 2.9 0.206 1.0 4.9Abbey 3.8 3.4 0.145 2.7 4.1Adelphi 5.7 3.4 0.178 5.2 5.0America 4.3 2.6 0.211 4.6 5.0Baron 7.0 4.2 0.152 9.2 4.4Bristol 4.3 3.2 0.211 2.3 5.0Chateau 4.0 2.7 0.193 3.4 2.0Coventry 3.7 3.0 0.140 0.7 4.3Eclipse 3.9 3.2 0.193 8.7 5.0Georgetown 5.7 2.8 0.221 1.9 5.0Gnome 4.5 3.5 0.185 4.3 5.0Kelly 4.8 4.1 0.178 3.1 4.4Marquis 5.5 3.6 0.241 2.7 4.6Midnight 3.8 2.6 0.189 1.1 5.0Nassau 6.0 3.7 0.191 5.9 4.7Ram I 3.4 3.1 0.191 1.0 4.8Touchdown 4.1 2.7 0.163 3.4 4.1Victa 3.9 3.7 0.267 2.1 4.6LSD (.05) 1.0 0.4 0.02 2.5 2.4______________________________________ Hairs.sup.3 Ligule Leaf Sheath.sup.4Variety mm Margin Ligule Color______________________________________Ba 69-82 1.0 0.1 2.5 1.7Ba 73-540 0.8 0.4 2.3 2.0Abbey 1.3 0.8 1.6 0.2Adelphi 1.1 1.8 1.6 0.4America 0.6 0.4 0.7 1.9Baron 1.2 1.0 3.8 2.6Bristol 0.6 0.4 1.9 2.0Chateau 0.9 1.1 3.1 0.3Coventry 0.9 0.8 1.7 2.0Eclipse 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.2Georgetown 0.6 0.6 2.0 2.0Gnome 0.8 0.9 3.2 1.5Kelly 1.5 1.1 2.5 2.2Marquis 0.8 0.5 3.8 1.5Midnight 0.4 0.4 0.3 2.0Nassau 1.1 2.6 2.4 0.8Ram I 0.7 0.5 1.3 2.0Touchdown 1.1 1.0 1.0 7.7Victa 1.3 1.0 0.8 0.5LSD (.05) 0.17 0.47 0.7 0.76______________________________________ .sup.1 Degrees from the stem .sup.2 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down .sup.3 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many .sup.4 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; dark purple TABLE 7______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Node NumbersPer Culm and Internode Lenght of Ba 69-82 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH. Peduncle Peduncle Culm Nodes Top Length Width Length Per InternodeVariety cm mm cm Culm Length cm______________________________________Ba 69-82 21.0 0.595 31.9 3.2 7.2Ba 73-540 17.9 0.612 28.0 3.1 7.7Abbey 23.2 0.655 41.3 4.1 11.0Adelphi 24.5 0.665 40.0 4.0 10.4America 16.2 0.622 31.8 3.1 11.0Baron 34.0 0.701 52.8 4.2 12.8Bristol 22.9 0.734 43.5 4.0 12.6Chateau 20.7 0.607 38.9 4.4 9.9Coventry 19.6 0.487 34.7 4.5 7.9Eclipse 23.7 0.658 39.2 4.9 9.9Georgetown 21.7 0.683 37.5 3.2 11.1Gnome 19.4 0.836 35.3 3.1 9.2Kelly 29.4 0.752 46.6 3.6 11.8Marquis 27.1 0.831 34.1 3.4 7.8Midnight 20.5 0.722 29.5 2.8 7.6Nassau 25.0 0.663 36.0 3.9 7.4Ram I 22.2 0.694 30.5 2.5 6.6Touchdown 23.6 0.519 38.0 4.0 8.4Victa 21.2 0.808 37.9 3.7 10.3LSD (.05) 3.2 0.08 3.3 0.4 1.9______________________________________ TABLE 8______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves of Ba 69-82and Other Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse atMarysville, Ohio.______________________________________ Length Width Thickness LeafVariety mm mm mm Angle.sup.1 Curve.sup.2______________________________________Ba 69-82 21.9 3.5 0.279 51.7 8.3Ba 73-540 18.1 3.5 0.300 53.0 6.2Abbey 20.7 3.6 0.277 51.3 7.4Adelphi 19.4 3.7 0.279 67.0 4.6America 21.4 3.1 0.325 66.0 6.4Baron 18.2 4.3 0.290 35.0 4.4Bristol 18.2 3.7 0.320 65.5 6.9Chateau 23.1 3.3 0.328 39.7 5.4Coventry 23.4 3.6 0.249 63.0 7.3Eclipse 20.3 4.4 0.302 65.5 5.4Georgetown 19.5 3.6 0.287 56.7 5.8Gnome 18.2 2.9 0.290 43.2 6.6Kelly 22.8 3.9 0.300 55.5 7.0Marquis 19.7 3.7 0.376 46.8 7.8Midnight 19.5 3.5 0.310 63.3 5.0Nassau 16.3 3.7 0.292 63.2 4.9Ram I 19.1 3.6 0.271 70.8 6.5Touchdown 16.7 3.7 0.243 51.3 4.0Victa 21.5 3.6 0.360 56.3 6.7LSD (.05) 3.5 0.43 0.04 15.9 1.5______________________________________ Hairs.sup.3 Ligule Leaf Leaf SheathVariety mm Ligule Margin Roughness.sup.4 Color.sup.5______________________________________Ba 69-82 0.14 2.7 1.4 8.1 1.7Ba 73-540 0.14 2.0 1.6 8.3 1.9Abbey 0.32 4.4 2.8 7.7 0.0Adelphi 0.34 2.6 3.4 8.8 0.0America 0.12 1.7 2.1 8.4 2.0Baron 0.33 4.6 3.6 7.4 0.4Bristol 0.12 2.6 3.0 8.9 2.0Chateau 0.22 3.3 3.1 7.8 0.5Coventry 0.32 3.1 2.4 8.1 0.3Eclipse 0.38 2.8 2.6 9.0 0.2Georgetown 0.14 2.5 2.4 8.5 2.0Gnome 0.23 1.6 0.8 7.5 1.4Kelly 0.34 4.6 2.4 8.8 0.0Marquis 0.21 3.6 1.1 6.8 1.1Midnight 0.10 1.3 1.6 7.7 2.0Nassau 0.34 2.5 3.3 8.5 1.4Ram I 0.09 1.8 2.0 7.7 2.0Touchdown 0.29 1.4 1.3 7.9 8.0Victa 0.26 2.3 1.7 7.9 0.1LSD (.05) 0.04 0.79 0.70 089 0.57______________________________________ .sup.1 Degrees from stem .sup.2 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down .sup.3 Rating Scale: 0-9; 1 = none; 9 = many .sup.4 Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = rough; 9 = smooth .sup.5 Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple color

Ba 69-82 has performed well throughout the U.S. and Canada as exhibited by high turf quality ratings in a number of locations across the U.S. in comparison to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. In addition, it has a pleasant medium green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season and good winter color. It demonstrates early spring greening and good spring density.

With regard to a comparative analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba 69-82 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba 69-82 during mid-May while the turf was actively growing with adequate nutrient and water availability. The readings were taken in full sun with several actively growing leaves being compared, one at a time, utilizing color chips from the Munsell Book of Color as a reference. On this basis, the color of Ba 69-82 was determined to be 5 GY 4/4. During the same time period, the color of similar leaves of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties were determined by the same procedure to be as follows: Ba 73-381-5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-366-5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-540-5 GY 4/4; Abbey - 5GY 3/4; and Coventry-5 GY 4/4. However, it should be noted that the general apparent color of turf does not always correlate directly with the color of the individual actively growing leaves within the turf and that turf color varies with nutrient level and time of year with some varieties being darker or lighter green depending on such factors.

Comparisons of Ba 69-82 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties for quality, genetic color, winter color and spring greening are set forth hereinafter in Tables 9-12;

TABLE 9______________________________________A Comparison of Quality of Ba 69-82 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in Four Annual Tests (A-D) Conducted atForty Turfgrass Locations in the U.S. and Canada TESTS (Annual/Means)Variety A B C D______________________________________Ba 69-82 5.7 5.7 6.1 5.8Ba 73-540 5.8 5.9 6.0 5.8Abbey 5.6 5.7 5.9 5.7Able 1 5.7 5.7 6.0 6.1Amazon 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.5America 5.8 5.9 6.1 6.2A-34 5.6 5.9 6.0 6.1Baron 5.8 5.6 5.9 5.8Bristol 5.7 6.0 6.1 6.0Chateau 6.0 5.8 6.0 6.0Classic 5.9 5.8 6.0 5.9Coventry 5.8 5.8 5.9 5.8Eclipse 5.6 5.9 6.2 6.3Estate 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.8Georgetown 5.8 5.6 5.8 5.8Glade 5.7 5.8 6.1 6.1Gnome 5.5 5.3 5.6 5.5Haga 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.9Kelly 5.6 5.7 5.9 5.8Kenblue 5.0 4.7 5.0 5.2Marquis 5.3 5.6 5.7 5.7Merion 5.4 5.4 5.7 5.6Merit 5.6 5.6 5.9 5.8Midnight 6.1 6.3 6.4 6.3Monopoly 5.5 5.5 5.9 5.9Nassau 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.5Ram I 5.7 5.6 5.9 5.8Victa 5.8 5.7 5.8 5.8LSD (.05) 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = ideal turf *Not all forty locations reported data each year. TABLE 10______________________________________A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba 69-82 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at 15 Locations in the U.S. and Canada TESTS (Annual Means)Variety A B C D______________________________________Ba 69-82 6.8 6.1 6.4 6.3Ba 73-540 6.5 6.2 6.3 6.5Abbey 6.8 6.2 6.7 6.6Able I 7.1 6.8 6.7 6.9Amazon 6.2 6.9 7.0 6.5America 6.8 6.6 7.0 6.6A-34 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.7Baron 6.8 6.5 6.9 6.8Bristol 7.3 7.1 6.6 6.6Chateau 6.5 6.0 6.2 6.5Classic 5.8 5.6 6.3 5.9Coventry 6.5 6.0 6.5 6.6Eclipse 7.7 6.7 6.5 6.6Estate 6.7 5.9 6.3 6.6Georgetown 6.1 5.7 5.9 6.7Glade 7.4 7.0 6.7 6.9Gnome 6.4 6.5 6.8 6.7Haga 5.8 5.5 6.1 5.8Kelly 6.7 6.5 6.9 6.5Kenblue 5.2 5.2 5.5 6.0Marquis 7.2 6.6 6.8 6.5Merion 6.4 5.6 6.0 6.5Merit 6.7 6.4 6.5 6.1Midnight 8.0 7.9 7.5 7.7Monopoly 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.3Nassau 7.1 6.7 6.9 6.8Ram I 6.9 6.6 6.9 6.6Victa 6.7 6.3 6.7 6.5LSD (.05) 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4______________________________________ Rating Scale; 1-9:9 = dark green TABLE 11______________________________________A Comparison of Spring Greenup for Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Five Locations* in theU.S. and CanadaVariety Annual Means______________________________________Ba 69-82 4.8Ba 73-540 4.6Abbey 4.2Able I 3.7Amazon 3.7America 3.9A-34 5.2Baron 4.2Bristol 5.0Chateau 4.9Classic 4.5Coventry 4.6Eclipse 4.5Estate 4.6Georgetown 4.2Glade 4.9Gnome 3.9Haga 4.5Kelly 4.0Kenblue 5.1Marquis 4.0Merion 4.3Merit 3.9Midnight 3.9Monopoly 4.1Nassau 5.2Ram I 4.3Victa 4.3LSD (.05) 0.7______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9:9 = completely green. *Locations: Agassiz, British Columbia; Post Fall, ID; West Lafayette, In; Columbus, OH; Kingston, RI. TABLE 12______________________________________A Comparison of Winter Color of Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the U.S. and Canada Winter Color Wichita, AgassizVariety Kansas British Columbia______________________________________Ba 69-82 5.0 5.0Ba 73-540 5.0 5.0Abbey 3.0 4.7Able I 5.7 4.0Amazon 4.0 4.0America 4.7 4.0A-34 4.7 4.3Baron 3.3 4.7Bristol 5.7 5.0Chateau 5.0 5.0Classic 5.0 4.0Coventry 5.0 5.0Eclipse 4.0 4.3Estate 4.3 5.0Georgetown 5.3 4.0Glade 3.3 4.3Gnome 2.7 4.3Haga 5.0 4.0Kelly 3.7 4.7Kenblue 3.0 3.0Marquis 3.3 4.3Merion 3.0 4.0Merit 3.3 5.0Midnight 4.3 4.7Monopoly 3.7 4.7Nassau 5.7 5.0Ram I 5.0 4.7Victa 3.7 5.0LSD (.05) 1.0 0.6______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = complete color retention.

Further comparisons of Ba 69-82 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties for leaf texture and spring, summer and fall density are given in Tables 13-16 as follows:

TABLE 13______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)Conducted at Eight Locations in the U.S. and Canada* TESTS (Annual Means)Variety A B______________________________________Ba 69-82 5.7 5.8Ba 73-540 5.8 5.6Abbey 6.3 6.3Able I 7.1 7.3Amazon 7.5 7.2America 7.1 7.2A-34 6.4 6.9Baron 6.8 6.1Barzan 6.1 6.7Bristol 6.7 6.3Chateau 6.1 6.0Classic 6.6 7.0Coventry 5.9 5.7Eclipse 6.4 6.5Estate 6.3 5.9Georgetown 6.8 6.8Glade 6.8 6.7Gnome 6.1 6.2Haga 6.7 7.1Kelly 6.4 5.7Kenblue 7.8 7.3Marquis 6.1 5.7Merion 6.7 6.8Merit 6.3 6.1Midnight 7.3 6.7Monopoly 7.1 6.8Nassau 6.6 6.5Ram I 7.3 7.1Victa 6.3 6.0LSD (.05) 0.5 0.5______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine *Locations Test A: West Lafayette, In.; Columbia, Mo.; Farmington, NM; Columbus, OH.; Brookings, SD; Puyallup, WA. Locations Test B: Agassiz, British Columbia; Post Falls, ID.; Columbus, OH.; Brookings, SD,; Puyallup, WA. TABLE 14______________________________________A Comparison of Spring Density for Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)Conducted at Five Locations* in the U.S. and Canada TESTS (Annual Means)Variety A B______________________________________Ba 69-82 6.7 7.1Ba 73-540 6.5 7.6Abbey 5.8 6.8Able I 5.8 7.4Amazon 6.7 6.7America 6.2 7.1A-34 5.7 7.3Baron 6.3 6.8Bristol 5.3 6.9Chateau 6.7 7.3Classic 5.5 7.2Coventry 6.5 7.1Eclipse 5.5 7.1Estate 6.3 7.2Georgetown 5.5 6.9Glade 6.8 7.3Gnome 6.0 6.3Haga 5.5 7.3Kelly 6.3 6.7Kenblue 6.2 6.0Marquis 6.0 6.6Merion 6.3 7.3Merit 5.8 6.7Midnight 6.7 7.4Monopoly 6.2 7.0Nassau 6.2 6.6Ram I 7.0 6.4Victa 5.8 6.8LSD (.05) 0.8 0.7______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = maximum density *Locations Test A: Winnipeg, Manitoba; Columbus, OH. Locations Test B: Columbia, Mo; University Park, Pa.; Brookings, SD. TABLE 15______________________________________A Comparison of Summer Density of Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)Conducted at Four Locations in the U.S. and Canada* TESTS (Annual Means)Variety A B______________________________________Ba 69-82 6.8 8.2Ba 73-540 6.7 8.2Abbey 7.1 8.0Able I 6.8 7.8Amazon 6.8 8.2America 6.8 7.7A-34 6.8 7.8Baron 6.3 7.7Bristol 6.4 7.8Chateau 7.3 8.3Classic 6.3 8.0Coventry 6.8 8.2Eclipse 6.3 7.7Estate 6.6 8.2Georgetown 5.9 7.3Glade 6.2 8.2Gnome 6.3 7.3Haga 6.3 7.7Kelly 6.4 7.7Kenblue 6.1 7.2Marquis 6.3 7.0Merion 6.4 7.8Merit 6.3 7.8Midnight 6.5 7.8Monopoly 5.8 7.7Nassau 6.1 7.0Ram I 6.7 7.8Victa 6.2 8.0LSD (.05) 0.8 0.7______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = maximum density *Locations Test A: Winnipeg, Manitoba; Columbus, OH. Locations Test B: Columbia, Mo.; Brookings, SD. TABLE 16______________________________________A Comparison of Fall Density Ba 69-82 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B) Conducted atFive Locations in the U.S. and Canada* TESTS (Annual Means)Variety A B______________________________________Ba 69-82 8.0 7.5Ba 73-540 8.7 7.8Abbey 7.0 7.2Able I 8.2 7.4Amazon 9.0 7.8America 8.7 7.5A-34 8.2 7.9Baron 8.0 7.0Bristol 7.8 7.5Chateau 8.2 7.5Classic 8.2 7.5Coventry 9.0 7.3Eclipse 8.0 7.5Estate 8.0 7.4Georgetown 7.3 7.1Glade 7.8 7.6Gnome 7.7 7.1Haga 8.3 7.5Kelly 7.2 7.8Kenblue 8.3 7.5Marquis 6.2 6.8Merion 7.3 7.3Merit 7.2 7.0Midnight 8.3 8.1Monopoly 7.5 7.1Nassau 6.5 7.3Parade 8.7 7.5Ram I 9.0 7.6Victa 7.8 7.1LSD (.05) 0.5 0.6______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9:9 = maximum density *Locations Test A: Winnipeg, Monitoba; Brookings, SD. Locations Test B: Post Falls, ID.; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Columbia, Mo.; Columbus, OH.

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance among locations and years. Ba 69-82 has been found to have a high level of resistance to leaf spot, melting out and crown rot caused by Drechslera poae (formerly called Helminthosporium vagans), a medium to high level of resistance to several rust diseases caused by Puccinia spp., dollarspot caused by Sclerotina homeocarpa, red thread caused by Laetisaria fuciformis (formerly called Corticium fuciforme), necrotic ring spot caused by Leptosphaeria korrae, stripe smut caused by Ustilago striiformis, and powdery mildew caused by Erysinhe graminis.

Comparisons of disease incidence in Ba 69-82 as compared with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, melting out, rusts, dollarspot, red thread, stripe smut, necrotic ring spot and powdery mildew are presented in Tables 17-27. Additional comparisons are presented in Tables 28-31 for drought stress, sod strength and seed yields.

TABLE 17______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual TestsConducted at Five Locations in the U.S. and Canada* TEST (Annual Means)Variety A B______________________________________Ba 69-82 7.2 6.2Ba 73-540 5.9 5.7Abbey 4.6 5.8Able I 6.8 5.7Amazon 5.2 5.8America 5.7 6.5A-34 6.3 5.7Baron 6.0 6.5Bristol 7.9 6.5Chateau 6.4 6.2Classic 6.2 6.0Coventry 5.0 6.2Eclipse 7.4 7.0Estate 6.8 5.8Georgetown 6.7 6.5Glade 7.4 5.8Gnome 6.0 6.3Haga 6.7 6.0Kelly 5.1 6.2Kenblue 4.8 2.0Marquis 6.4 6.2Merion 6.2 6.3Merit 5.6 6.5Midnight 7.2 6.2Monopoly 5.6 6.7Nassau 6.6 6.2Ram I 4.9 5.0Victa 6.0 6.2LSD (.05) 1.0 0.9______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease *Locations Test A: Post Falls, ID.; Hubbard, OR.; Remington, VA. Locations Test B: Beltsville, MD.; Blacksburg, VA. TABLE 18______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three Annual Tests(A-C) Conducted at Marysville, OH % Leaf Spot TestsVariety A B C______________________________________Ba 69-82 4.3 1.0 16.7Adelphi 17.7 2.3 11.7Bristol 5.2 1.0 5.0Marquis 5.2 1.0 8.3Parade 7.7 13.3 16.7Park 62.5 76.7 90.0Vantage 33.3 7.0 25.0Victa 9.2 1.0 10.7LSD (.05) 3.1 15.7______________________________________ TABLE 19______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)Conducted at Gervais, Oregon % Leaf Spot TestsVariety A B______________________________________Ba 69-82 10.0 16.7Adelphi 70.0 73.3America 53.3 36.7Bristol 5.0 10.0Glade 21.7 36.7Kenblue 88.3 66.7Marquis 83.3 88.3Merit 80.0 83.3Newport 50.0 60.1Victa 80.0 78.3LSD (.05) 16.0 26.0______________________________________ TABLE 20______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Prince Fredrick, MarylandVariety % Leaf Spot______________________________________Ba 69-82 12.5Fylking 10.0Kenblue 60.0Merion 15.0Nugget 10.0Newport 40.0Vantage 20.0Victa 27.5LSD (.05) 23______________________________________ TABLE 21______________________________________A Comparison of Melting Out Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Three Locations* Melting OutVariety Spring Fall______________________________________Ba 69-82 5.0 9.0Ba 73-540 5.2 8.7Abbey 3.7 8.0Able I 4.5 9.0Amazon 4.2 7.0America 5.2 8.7A-34 4.8 8.7Baron 4.3 8.3Bristol 5.7 9.0Chateau 5.5 9.0Classic 6.2 8.7Coventry 4.3 9.0Eclipse 5.0 7.0Estate 5.3 9.0Georgetown 5.8 9.0Glade 4.5 8.0Gnome 4.5 8.7Haga 6.2 9.0Kelly 3.8 8.3Kenblue 3.7 1.0Marquis 4.8 7.7Merion 5.0 9.0Merit 4.2 8.3Midnight 4.0 9.0Monopoly 4.5 8.0Nassau 5.0 9.0Ram I 4.5 5.3Victa 5.2 8.0LSD (.05) 0.7 1.6______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease *Locations: Fall Puyallup, Wa. Spring Blacksburg, Va.; Blackstone, Va. TABLE 22______________________________________A Comparison of Stripe Smut Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in 2 Tests (A-B) Conductedat Prince Fredrick, Md % Stripe SmutVariety A B______________________________________Ba 69-B2 4.0 1.5Fylking 27.5 40.0Kenblue 5.0 2.5Merion 37.5 75.0Nugget 4.0 17.5Newport 12.5 10.0Vantage 12.5 30.0Victa 55.0 50.0LSD (.05) 30 22______________________________________ TABLE 23______________________________________A Comparison of Dollar Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Columbia, MOVariety Dollar Spot______________________________________Ba 69-82 7.7Ba 73-540 8.0Abbey 7.3Able I 7.7Amazon 6.7America 7.3A-34 7.3Baron 7.0Bristol 7.7Chateau 6.7Classic 6.3Coventry 7.7Eclipse 7.7Estate 7.3Georgetown 7.3Glade 7.3Gnome 8.0Haga 7.3Kenblue 7.3Merion 7.3Merit 6.7Midnight 6.7Monopoly 7.0Nassau 6.7Ram I 6.0Victa7.7LSD (.05) 1.4______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease TABLE 24______________________________________A Comparison of Powdery Mildew Disease Incidence inBa 69-82 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in TwoAnnual Tests Conducted at Two Separate Locations Powdery Mildew Adelphia. N J Ritzville, WAVariety Test Test______________________________________Ba 69-82 5.3 7.0Ba 73-540 5.7 6.0Abbey 1.0 3.5Able I 6.7 5.7Amazon 5.0 4.7America 7.7 8.0A-34 6.7 5.0Baron 1.3 4.0Bristol 7.0 8.0Chateau 5.3 5.0Classic 2.7 6.7Coventry 6.0 6.0Eclipse 5.0 6.0Estate 7.0 6.7Georgetown 2.7 6.0Glade 3.3 6.0Gnome 1.0 3.7Haga 3.0 6.3Kenblue 5.0 8.0Merion 1.0 5.7Merit 1.7 4.6Midnight 1.7 4.0Monopoly 6.7 7.7Nassau 2.3 5.7Ram I 6.7 4.7Victa 1.7 4.3LSD (.05) 1.4 2.3______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9' = no disease TABLE 25______________________________________A Comparison of Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Annual Testing at VariousLocations in the U.S. and Canada Crown Stripe Rust Rust Stem Rust Agassiz, Agassiz Adelphia Post Falls British British New Jersey Idaho Columbia ColumbiaVariety Test Test Test Test______________________________________Ba 69-82 8.3 8.0 8.0 9.0Ba 73-540 8.0 8.0 8.0 9.0Abbey 6.3 8.3 6.3 7.0Able I 7.0 8.0 7.3 8.3Amazon 6.0 7.3 7.0 9.0America 8.3 7.7 8.0 8.3A-34 8.0 8.0 7.0 8.3Baron 7.3 8.0 7.0 8.0Bristol 8.7 8.0 8.0 8.3Chateau 8.3 7.3 7.3 9.0Classic 8.7 8.3 8.0 9.0Coventry 8.3 8.0 8.0 8.0Eclipse 7.7 8.3 6.3 9.0Estate 7.3 7.7 8.0 9.0Georgetown 9.0 7.7 7.0 8.7Glade 7.7 8.0 6.0 6.7Gnome 7.7 8.7 7.0 7.7Haga 9.0 7.3 7.3 8.0Kenblue 8.3 7.7 7.7 6.7Merion 2.7 4.0 5.3 5.0Merit 8.0 8.0 6.7 7.0Midnight 8.3 7.3 5.7 6.3Monopoly 8.0 7.3 7.3 9.6Nassau 7.7 8.0 7.3 8.3Ram I 8.7 6.7 7.0 8.3Victa 7.7 5.7 5.7 7.3LSD (.05) 1.0 2.0 1.2 1.4______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9 9 = no disease TABLE 26______________________________________A Comparison of Necrotic Ring Spot Disease Incidence in Ba69-82 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Post Falls, Id.Variety Necrotic Ring Spot______________________________________Ba 69-82 9.0Ba 73-540 7.3Abbey 7.0Able I 9.0Amazon 6.3America 8.3A-34 8.7Baron 9.0Bristol 8.3Chateau 8.0Classic 9.0Coventry 8.7Eclipse 7.7Estate 8.3Georgetown 9.0Glade 9.0Gnome 8.3Haga 9.0Kelly 8.7Kenblue 9.0Merion 9.0Merit 9.0Midnight 8.0Monopoly 9.0Mystic 8.7Nassau 9.0Ram I 9.0Victa 9.0LSD (.05) 1.8______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease TABLE 27______________________________________A Comparison of Red Thread Disease Incidence in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OregonVariety % Red Thread______________________________________Ba 69-82 0.0Adelphi 0.0America 1.7Bristol 0.0Glade 15.0Kenblue 23.3Marquis 6.7Merit 6.7Newport 3.3Victa 10.0LSD (.05) 13.0______________________________________ TABLE 28______________________________________A Comparison of Percent Drought Damage in Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Annual Tests (A-B)Conducted at Prince Fredrick, Maryland % Drought Damage TestVariety A B______________________________________Ba 69-82 0.0 17.5Fylking 12.5 25.0Kenblue 5.0 7.5Merion 2.5 15.0Nugget 12.5 20.0Newport 7.5 10.0Vantage 0.0 15.0Victa 15.0 45.0LSD (.05) 11.0 29.0______________________________________ TABLE 29______________________________________A Comparison of Sod Strength 8 and 12 Months After Plantingof Ba 69-82 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varities atRemington, VA SOD STRENGTHVariety 8 Months 12 Months______________________________________Ba 69-82 26.0 20.0Ba 73-540 20.3 11.7Abbey 17.0 8.0Able I 16.3 8.7Amazon 18.0 8.7America 30.7 18.7A-34 21.7 9.7Baron 25.7 14.7Bristol 24.7 8.3Challenger 23.0 12.0Chateau 23.3 15.0Classic 23.0 15.3Coventry 18.0 11.0Eclipse 22.0 13.0Estate 23.3 16.0Georgetown 30.0 14.3Glade 26.3 18.0Gnome 22.0 14.3Haga 22.3 13.0Kenblue 22.0 16.3Marquis 23.0 12.7Merion 21.3 11.3Merit 25.3 13.3Midnight 22.3 14.3Monopoly 26.0 8.3Nassau 22.3 8.3Ram I 22.3 11.0Victa 29.3 16.3Wabash 16.7 10.3LSD (.05) 6.9 6.1______________________________________ Rating Scale: Kilograms of tension needed to tear sod. TABLE 30______________________________________Seed Yield Comparison in Pounds Per Acre of Ba 69-82 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three Annual Tests(A-C) Conducted in Oregon Madras, Oregon LaGrande, OregonVariety Test A Test B Test C______________________________________Ba 69-82 884 920 894Abbey -- 1253 1512Baron 1194 -- --Chateau 1113 857 876Coventry 1090 -- --Estate -- 857 876Marquis -- 1030 1174Victa 1324 1200 1419LSD 181 149______________________________________ TABLE 31______________________________________A Comparison of Seed Yields in Pounds Per Acre of Ba 69-82and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varities at LaGrande, Oregon Variety Yield______________________________________ Ba 69-82 1,159 Ba 73-366 1,612 Ba 73-381 1,551 Ba 74-114 748 Abbey 1,549 Coventry 1,046 LSD (.05) 160______________________________________

Claims

1. A variety of Kentucky bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a medium to high level of resistance to several serious diseases including leaf spot, melting out, several rusts, dollar spot, powdery mildew and stripe smut, and a desirable green color throughout the growing season, a strong sod former, forms a high quality dense persistent turf under a wide variety of environmental conditions and has a medium level of seed yielding capacity.