`BA 77 700` Kentucky Bluegrass

Abstract

A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a medium to high level of resistance to a broad spectrum of serious diseases, including leaf spot, dollar spot, rusts, and necrotic ring spot; an attractive green color throughout the growing season; good early spring greening; medium to high quality turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; a moderately wide blade; and a high 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 pretensis that has been designated Ba 77-700 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 on 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; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,209 issued Jul. 18, 1995; and pending U.S. plant pataent application Ser. No. 08/453,864, filed May 30, 1995 now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,611, Ser. No. 08/532,995, filed Sep. 22, 1995, now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,848 and Ser. No. 08/604,763 filed Feb. 23, 1996, as well as U.S. plant patent application Ser. No. 08/680,168, filed coextensively herewith.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Ba 77-700 plant material was selected from an old turf area on a farmstead in Union County, Ohio. After testing and observing this variety, it was determined to be a distinct variety, and it was asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules.

Seed of Ba 77-700 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 77-700 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 77-700 is approximately 95% based upon examining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from different crop years in a growth chamber.

Ba 77-700 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a medium to high level of resistance to Drechslera spp. that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot, Puccinia spp. that causes several types of rust infections, Schlerotinia homoeocarpa that causes dollar spot and Leptosphaeria korrae that causes necrotic ring spot. Ba 77-700 has an attractive leafy turf type growth habit; moderately wide leaf blades and an attractive dark green color which can be maintained throughout the entire growing season. Ba 77-700 demonstrates good early spring greening and winter color under mild winter conditions. Ba 77-700 is an overall good turfgrass performer as evidenced by medium to high scores for quality and color. Ba 77-700 has a high seed yield potential in the bluegrass seed production region of the northwestern United States.

In comparison with a number of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, Ba 77-700 seed is above average in length; and is average in width and rachilla length. The panicle is average in length; below average in width and whorl numbers and above average in branch numbers for both the lower and third whorls. Ba 77-700 has average size spikelets and glumes and below average number of florets. The peduncle is significantly longer and wider than many other grasses. The culm and top internode are of average length but the number of nodes on the culm are significantly lower.

Ba 77-700 has a flag leaf that is average in length, above average in width and significantly thicker than many other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. The ligule and leaf margin hair are significantly longer and more abundant than many other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. The vegetative leaf is average in length and width but above average in thickness. The ligule of the vegetative leaf is significantly shorter than many other grasses and the sheath color is above average.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a Ba 77-700 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle;

FIG. 2 is a Ba 77-700 Kentucky Bluegrass seed; and

FIG. 3 is a Ba 77-700 Kentucky Bluegrass plant during anthesis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

77-700 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 39.7 cm in length and 2.9 nodes per culm and the uppermost internode averages 9.7 cm in length. The peduncle averages 26.9 cm in length and 0.82 mm in width. The leaf averages 4.3 cm in length, 3.7 mm in width and 0.22 mm in thickness and the ligule 1.3 mm in length. The vegetative leaf averages 18.6 cm in length, 3.8 mm in width, 0.341 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 0.21 min.

The panicle averages 77.5 mm in length, 56.1 mm in width, and 8.7 whorls. The lowest whorl averages 4.0 branches and the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle averages 3.5 branches. A spikelet in the lowest whorl averages 4.6 mm in length, 2.4 mm in width, 3.3 florets and the outer glume and inner glume average 2.7 and 3.3 mm in length, respectively. A spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle averages 4.8 mm in length, 2.6 mm in width, 3.4 florets, and the outer glume and inner glume averages 2.8 and 3.3 mm in length, respectively.

After the seed has been conditioned, the lemma has a generally smooth keel with occasional short hairs and a few long fine hairs at the base. The conditioned seed of Ba 77-700 averages 3.05 mm in length, 0.88 mm in width, a rachilla length of 0.82 mm and an average quantity of lemma hairs. The seed count for Ba 77-700 averages approximately 1,065,922 seeds per pound.

Comparisons of Ba 77-700 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in terms of seed numbers per pound are shown in Table 1 as follows:

TABLE 1______________________________________Comparison of Seed Numbers Per Pound of Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Marysville, OHAfter Conditioning SeedsVariety Per Pound______________________________________Ba77-700 1,065,992Abbey 1,003,037Adelphi 1,383,976Allure 1,359,914America 1,659,824Ascot 1,039,000Baron 1,051,693Bristol 1,270,821Buckingham 978,000Cannon 1,171,000Chateau 1,300,105Coventry 1,246,200Eclipse 1,335,668Fairfax 1,250,997Georgetown 1,431,000Gnome 1,017,641Kelly 921,166Marquis 1,054,642Midnight 1,227,000Nassau 1,127,130Ram I 1,214,000Touchdown 1,211,000Victa 1,038,298Viva 1,025,586______________________________________

Ba 77-700 differs significantly morphologically from many other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to the following characteristics: (1) peduncle length and width; (2) culm nodes; (3) flag leaf thickness, ligule length and leaf margin hairs and (4) vegetative leaf ligule length.

Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent, comparisons of morphological characteristics of Ba 77-700 were made with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties under like conditions and the comparisons are set forth in the following Tables 2-10:

TABLE 2______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Seed and Rachilla Measurements andLemma Hair of Ba 77-700 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties atMarysville, OH After Conditioning Seed Length Width Rachilla Lemma*Variety mm mm mm Hair______________________________________Ba 77-700 3.05 0.88 0.82 3.8Abbey 2.97 0.89 0.80 3.8Adelphi 2.70 0.84 0.65 4.4Allure 2.78 0.86 0.70 4.7America 2.40 0.68 0.68 2.8Ascot 2.99 0.85 0.82 3.9Baron 3.08 0.81 0.71 5.0Bristol 2.94 0.88 0.73 4.3Buckingham 3.23 0.89 0.88 4.2Cannon 3.00 0.94 0.86 4.9Chateau 2.81 0.86 0.71 4.5Coventry 2.71 0.81 0.70 4.0Eclipse 2.77 0.83 0.68 3.5Fairfax 2.77 0.89 0.68 4.4Georgetown 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 3.5Viva 3.04 0.91 0.80 4.4LSD (.05) 0.16 0.05 0.13 0.86______________________________________ *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = longest row of hairs TABLE 3______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Panicles, Whorl Number and WhorlBranches of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in theGreenhouse at Marysville, OH Number ofPanicles Branches Length Width Whorl Lowest ThirdVariety Nodding* mm mm Number Whorl Whorl______________________________________Ba 77-700 1.2 77.5 56.1 8.7 4.0 3.5Abbey 1.6 80.4 59.3 9.3 3.8 3.3Adelphi 1.8 106.8 76.4 10.0 3.6 3.0Allure 2.2 60.8 47.6 8.4 3.9 3.0America 2.3 67.7 51.1 8.8 3.3 3.5Ascot 2.4 77.1 66.0 9.2 2.3 2.1Baron 2.2 92.6 71.0 10.0 3.4 2.8Bristol 2.0 85.5 61.5 8.4 2.8 2.7Buckingham 2.0 88.8 62.0 9.3 2.1 2.1Cannon 1.1 80.2 55.3 9.8 4.1 3.9Chateau 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 2.1Fairfax 1.5 67.4 46.6 8.8 3.3 3.1Georgetown 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 3.5Viva 1.6 88.8 68.4 8.8 4.3 3.7LSD (.05) 0.68 7.35 8.62 0.66 0.72 0.50______________________________________ *Rate Scale: 1-9; 9 = most nodding TABLE 4______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba 77-700 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH Number ofSpikelet* FloretsLowest Whorl Third Whorl Per Spikelet Length Width Length Width Lowest ThirdVariety mm mm mm mm Whorl Whorl______________________________________Ba 77-700 4.6 2.4 4.8 2.6 3.3 3.4Abbey 4.4 2.2 4.5 2.2 3.0 3.0Adelphi 4.6 2.2 4.8 2.2 4.4 4.4Allure 4.3 2.2 4.3 2.2 3.4 3.2America 4.6 2.2 4.4 2.3 4.5 4.3Ascot 5.4 2.6 5.3 2.9 3.1 3.1Baron 5.4 2.8 5.4 3.1 4.0 4.2Bristol 4.9 2.4 5.0 2.5 4.2 4.5Buckingham 5.6 3.2 5.6 3.3 4.1 4.1Cannon 4.7 2.4 4.6 2.6 2.7 2.7Chateau 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 3.6Fairfax 4.6 2.3 4.7 2.4 3.2 3.3Georgetown 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 3.0 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 3.2Viva 4.6 2.5 4.7 2.6 2.6 2.8LSD (.05) 0.41 0.35 0.38 0.35 0.58 0.53______________________________________ *Microscope measurements TABLE 5______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba 77-700 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OHGlume Length (mm) Glume Hairs* LowestOuter Inner Whorl Lowest Third Lowest Third In- Third WhorlVariety Whorl Whorl Whorl Whorl Outer ner Outer Inner______________________________________Ba 2.7 2.8 3.3 3.3 2.4 2.2 1.9 2.177-700Abbey 2.7 2.7 3.1 3.1 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.0Adelphi 2.7 2.6 3.0 3.1 0.6 2.7 1.1 1.9Allure 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.0 2.5 3.0 2.5 2.5Am- 2.1 2.1 2.5 2.5 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.3ericaAscot 3.7 3.7 4.1 4.0 2.1 3.0 2.0 2.3Baron 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.7 4.8 4.4 4.2 4.6Bristol 2.8 3.0 3.3 3.4 1.0 2.2 0.8 2.2Buck- 3.5 3.3 3.9 3.8 2.6 3.2 2.2 2.8inghamCannon 2.8 2.9 3.2 3.1 1.7 2.3 2.1 2.3Chateau 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2 1.6 2.6 2.0 1.8Cov- 2.7 2.8 3.1 3.1 1.5 2.7 1.6 2.4entryEclipse 3.0 3.0 3.4 3.4 1.5 1.9 1.8 1.9Fairfax 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 3.1George- 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.1 1.7 2.7 1.2 2.5townGnome 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.3 1.0 1.9 1.2 1.6Kelly 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.5 1.3 1.5 1.1 0.8Marquis 2.8 2.7 3.1 3.1 0.9 1.1 1.7 1.8Mid- 2.6 2.6 3.0 3.1 1.8 2.8 1.0 2.4nightNassau 2.6 2.7 2.9 3.0 2.1 2.6 4.2 4.4Ram I 2.9 3.0 3.6 3.5 1.1 2.3 0.7 1.2Touch- 3.3 3.3 3.8 3.8 0.7 2.1 1.1 1.4downVicta 2.8 2.7 3.1 3.1 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.3Viva 2.8 2.8 3.2 3.1 1.7 1.3 1.3 2.0LSD 0.23 0.22 0.22 0.23 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9(.05)______________________________________ *Ratings Scale: 0-9; 9 most hairs TABLE 6______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves of Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH Length Width Thickness Leaf LeafVariety cm mm mm Angle.sup.1/ Curve.sup.2/______________________________________Ba 77-700 4.3 3.7 0.22 2.0 4.6Abbey 3.8 3.4 0.14 2.7 4.1Adelphi 5.7 3.4 0.18 5.2 5.0Allure 3.8 2.9 0.21 1.0 4.9America 4.3 2.6 0.21 4.6 5.0Ascot 4.7 3.5 0.29 2.1 4.5Baron 7.0 4.2 0.15 9.2 4.4Bristol 4.3 3.2 0.21 2.3 5.0Buckingham 5.3 3.4 0.23 1.4 5.0Cannon 4.3 3.5 0.22 1.9 5.0Chateau 4.0 2.7 0.19 3.4 2.0Coventry 3.7 3.0 0.14 0.7 4.3Eclipse 3.9 3.2 0.19 8.7 5.0Fairfax 4.3 3.2 0.20 1.0 4.9Georgetown 5.7 2.8 0.22 1.9 5.0Gnome 4.5 3.5 0.19 4.3 5.0Kelly 4.8 4.1 0.18 3.1 4.4Marquis 5.5 3.6 0.24 2.7 4.6Midnight 3.8 2.6 0.19 1.1 5.0Nassau 6.0 3.7 0.19 5.9 4.7Ram I 3.5 3.1 0.19 1.0 4.8Touchdown 4.1 2.7 0.16 3.4 4.1Victa 3.9 3.7 0.27 2.1 4.6Viva 4.5 3.6 0.18 5.1 4.4LSD (.05) 1.0 0.4 0.02 2.5 0.4______________________________________ .sup.1/ Degrees from the stem .sup.2/ Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down TABLE 7______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves (Ligule Length, Hairs on theLeaf Margin and Ligule, and Sheath Color) of Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH. Hairs.sup.1/ Li-Variety Ligule Length (mm) Leaf Margin gule Sheath Color.sup.2/______________________________________Ba 77-700 1.3 1.5 2.3 1.8Abbey 1.3 0.8 1.6 0.2Adelphi 1.1 1.8 1.6 0.4Allure 0.8 0.4 2.3 2.0America 0.6 0.4 0.7 1.9Ascot 1.5 0.6 0.7 0.9Baron 1.2 1.0 3.8 2.6Bristol 0.6 0.4 1.9 2.0Buckingham 1.2 0.5 2.1 2.0Cannon 1.3 0.4 3.6 1.5Chateau 0.9 1.1 3.1 0.3Coventry 0.9 0.8 1.7 2.0Eclipse 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.2Fairfax 1.0 0.1 2.5 1.7Georgetown 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 2.0Nassua 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 0.5Viva 1.5 0.4 2.2 0.5LSD (.05) 0.17 0.47 0.7 0.76______________________________________ .sup.1/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many .sup.2/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = dark purple TABLE 8______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Node Numbers PerCulm and Internode Length of Ba 77-700 and Other Kentucky BluegrassVarieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH Peduncle Peduncle Culm Top Length Width Length Nodes InternodeVariety cm mm cm Per Culm Length (cm)______________________________________Ba 77-700 26.9 0.82 39.7 2.9 9.7Abbey 23.2 0.65 41.3 4.1 11.0Adelphi 24.5 0.66 40.0 4.0 10.4Allure 17.9 0.61 28.0 3.1 7.7America 16.2 0.62 31.8 3.1 11.0Ascot 20.0 0.64 36.3 3.0 12.7Baron 34.0 0.70 52.8 4.2 12.8Bristol 22.9 0.73 43.5 4.0 12.6Buckingham 24.7 0.71 44.9 3.7 13.4Cannon 24.3 0.81 39.5 3.1 10.8Chateau 20.7 0.61 38.9 4.4 9.9Coventry 19.6 0.49 34.7 4.5 7.9Eclipse 23.7 0.66 39.2 4.9 9.9Fairfax 21.0 0.60 31.9 3.2 7.2Georgetown 21.7 0.68 37.5 3.2 11.1Gnome 19.4 0.84 35.3 3.1 9.2Kelly 29.4 0.75 46.6 3.6 11.8Marquis 27.1 0.83 34.1 3.4 7.8Midnight 20.5 0.72 29.5 2.8 7.6Nassau 25.0 0.66 36.0 3.9 7.4Ram I 22.2 0.69 30.5 2.5 6.6Touchdown 23.6 0.52 38.0 4.0 8.4Victa 21.2 0.81 37.9 3.7 10.3Viva 26.4 0.70 42.7 4.1 9.2LSD (.05) 3.2 0.08 3.3 0.4 1.9______________________________________ TABLE 9______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves (Length, Width, Thick-ness, Angle and Curvature) of Ba 77-700 and Other Kentucky BluegrassVarieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OHLength Width Thickness LeafVariety cm mm mm Angle.sup.1/ Curve.sup.2/______________________________________Ba 77-700 18.6 3.8 0.34 61.6 7.7Abbey 20.7 3.6 0.28 51.3 7.4Adelphi 19.4 3.7 0.28 67.0 4.6Allure 18.1 3.5 0.30 53.0 6.2America 21.4 3.1 0.32 66.0 6.4Ascot 17.4 3.4 0.35 67.9 5.5Baron 18.2 4.3 0.29 35.0 4.4Bristol 18.2 3.7 0.32 65.5 6.9Buckingham 18.9 4.5 0.36 50.9 5.0Cannon 22.1 3.3 0.30 62.5 8.2Chateau 23.1 3.3 0.33 39.7 5.4Coventry 23.4 3.6 0.25 63.0 7.3Eclipse 20.3 4.4 0.30 65.5 5.4Fairfax 21.9 3.5 0.28 51.7 8.3Georgetown 19.5 3.6 0.29 56.7 5.8Gnome 18.2 2.9 0.29 43.2 6.6Kelly 22.8 3.9 0.30 55.5 7.0Marquis 19.7 3.7 0.38 46.4 7.8Midnight 19.5 3.5 0.31 63.3 5.0Nassau 16.3 3.7 0.29 63.2 4.9Ram I 19.1 3.6 0.27 70.8 6.5Touchdown 16.7 3.7 0.24 51.3 4.0Victa 21.5 3.6 0.36 56.3 6.7Viva 22.9 3.8 0.40 53.0 7.1LSD (.05) 3.50 0.43 0.04 15.9 1.5______________________________________ .sup.1/ Degrees from the stem .sup.2/ Rating scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down TABLE 10______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves (Ligule Length, Hairson the Leaf Margin and Ligule, Sheath Roughness and Color) of Ba77-700 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse atMarysville, OHLigule Hairs.sup.1/ Length Leaf Leaf Sheath SheathVariety mm Ligule Margin Roughness.sup.2/ Color.sup.3/______________________________________Ba 77-700 0.21 3.1 2.0 7.3 1.4Abbey 0.32 4.4 2.8 7.7 0.0Adelphi 0.34 2.6 3.4 8.8 0.0Allure 0.14 2.0 1.6 8.3 1.9America 0.12 1.7 2.1 8.4 2.0Ascot 0.22 1.5 2.0 8.8 0.2Baron 0.33 4.6 3.6 7.4 0.4Bristol 0.12 2.6 3.0 8.9 2.0Buckingham 0.14 3.3 2.6 8.7 2.0Cannon 0.16 3.2 0.7 8.2 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 0.2Fairfax 0.14 2.7 1.4 8.1 1.7Georgetown 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 0.1Viva 0.23 5.2 4.2 8.5 0.0LSD (.05) 0.04 0.79 0.70 0.89 0.57______________________________________ .sup.1/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many .sup.2/ Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = rough; 9 = smooth .sup.3/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple color

Ba 77-700 has performed well as exhibited by medium to high turf quality ratings throughout the United Sates in comparison to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. Ba 77-700 has an attractive green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season.

With regard to a comparative analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba 77-700 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba 77-700 during mid-October 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 77-700 was determined to be 5 GY 4/6. 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: Victa -- 5 GY 4/4; Bristol -- 7.5 GY 4/4; Ascot -- 5 GY 4/4; Midnight -- 7.5 GY 4/4; Abbey -- 5 GY 4/6; and Buckingham -- 7.5 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.

Ba 77-700 demonstrates good early spring greening and winter color in mild winter climates.

Comparisons of Ba 77-700 with other varieties for quality, genetic color, spring greening and winter color, living ground cover, leaf texture and seedling vigor are set forth hereinafter in Tables 11-17:

TABLE 11______________________________________A Comparison of Quality of Ba 77-700 and Other Kentucky BluegrassVarieties at Five (5) Test Locations in the U.S. Locations Fort Collins, Lexington, Adelphia, Kingston, Beltsville,Variety Co Kentucky NJ RI MD______________________________________Ba 77-700 6.3 6.5 4.8 5.7 6.5A-34 5.2 5.8 5.2 5.6 6.7Abbey 6.3 6.2 4.7 5.7 6.3Able I 6.3 6.9 6.2 5.8 5.9Allure 5.9 5.4 4.9 5.3 6.5Ascot 6.7 6.5 5.9 5.7 6.0Banff 6.1 5.8 5.6 5.0 5.2Baron 5.3 6.0 4.6 5.7 6.5Buckingham 5.6 5.9 5.0 4.6 5.3Challenger 6.1 6.6 5.4 5.2 6.6Cannon 6.1 6.0 4.9 5.4 6.4Classic 5.8 5.8 5.5 5.4 5.6Coventry 6.1 5.6 4.7 5.0 6.6Eclipse 6.6 6.5 6.3 6.1 6.8Estate 5.8 4.8 5.0 5.2 6.3Fairfax 5.9 5.1 5.1 5.3 6.8Georgetown 5.8 5.9 5.1 5.3 5.3Glade 6.1 6.4 5.1 5.8 6.7Gnome 5.9 6.2 4.6 5.4 6.5Haga 5.6 6.0 4.8 5.2 6.0Kelly 5.9 6.1 4.5 5.2 6.4Kenblue 3.7 5.0 2.4 4.9 5.4Liberty 6.2 5.6 5.7 5.3 5.9Marquis 6.2 6.9 4.5 5.6 6.4Merion 5.1 5.9 4.0 5.4 5.7Merit 6.1 6.5 4.2 5.7 6.3Midnight 7.1 8.2 6.7 5.1 7.5Monopoly 4.7 5.5 5.0 5.5 5.9Nassau 5.8 6.5 4.7 5.2 4.9Ram I 6.1 5.0 4.6 5.7 6.9South Dakota 4.1 4.3 2.3 4.6 5.2Touchdown 6.4 5.8 5.3 5.2 6.4Viva 6.1 6.3 4.2 5.9 6.3LSD (.05) 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.7 0.8______________________________________ Quality Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = ideal turf TABLE 12______________________________________A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba 77-700 and Other Kentucky Blue-grass Varieties in Three Test (A-C) Conducted at Ten (10) Locationsin the US TESTS (Annual Means)Variety A B C______________________________________Ba 77-700 5.7 5.5 5.8A-34 5.0 5.4 4.6Abbey 5.6 5.9 5.8Able I 6.6 6.8 6.8Allure 5.7 5.2 5.6Ascot 6.9 6.8 7.2Banff 5.1 6.0 5.5Baron 6.0 6.0 5.9Buckingham 7.0 7.2 7.2Cannon 6.0 5.7 6.4Challenger 6.0 6.2 5.9Classic 5.2 5.9 5.2Coventry 5.9 5.6 5.8Eclipse 6.3 6.6 6.4Estate 5.8 5.3 5.3Fairfax 6.0 5.4 5.4Georgetown 5.2 6.1 5.3Glade 6.7 6.3 6.7Gnome 6.0 6.1 5.8Haga 5.1 5.8 5.3Kelly 5.6 5.7 6.1Kenblue 4.6 5.0 5.3Liberty 5.9 4.0 6.1Marquis 6.1 6.1 6.4Merion 5.7 5.8 5.4Merit 5.7 5.7 6.2Midnight 7.1 7.3 7.7Monopoly 4.8 4.9 4.8Nassau 6.0 6.6 6.5Ram I 6.7 5.9 6.6South Dakota 4.5 4.8 4.7Touchdown 5.5 5.5 6.3Viva 5.5 5.5 5.9LSD (.05) 0.5 0.4 0.7______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = dark green. TABLE 13______________________________________A Comparison of Spring Greenup of Ba 77-700 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at Martinsville, New JerseyVariety Spring Greenup______________________________________Ba 77-700 6.0A-34 6.0Abbey 5.3Able I 6.3Allure 4.3Ascot 3.7Banff 3.7Baron 4.0Buckingham 5.0Cannon 5.3Challenger 5.3Classic 5.3Coventry 4.3Eclipse 4.7Estate 5.0Fairfax 4.0Georgetown 4.7Glade 4.0Gnome 4.7Haga 5.7Kelly 4.0Kenblue 3.0Liberty 4.7Marquis 5.0Merion 3.7Merit 4.0Midnight 2.7Monopoly 4.7Nassau 5.3Ram I 5.0South Dakota 4.0Touchdown 5.7Viva 5.0LSD (.05) 1.8______________________________________ Spring Greenup Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Completely green TABLE 14______________________________________A Comparison of Winter Color of Ba 77-700 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in Two Tests (A-B).Variety A.sup.1/ B.sup.2/______________________________________Ba 77-700 5.0 5.0A-34 6.7 2.0Abbey 1.7 6.3Able I 6.3 3.3Allure 6.0 6.3Ascot 4.7 4.3Banff 9.0 3.7Baron 2.3 5.7Buckingham 5.3 6.3Cannon 2.3 6.0Challenger 7.3 4.3Classic 9.0 3.3Coventry 7.0 3.7Eclipse 4.7 3.7Estate 5.7 5.0Fairfax 6.0 4.5Georgetown 8.0 3.3Glade 1.7 3.7Gnome 1.0 5.7Haga 9.0 3.0Kelly 2.3 5.7Kenblue 1.3 3.0Liberty 7.3 3.3Marquis 2.0 5.0Merion 6.7 3.3Merit 3.7 6.0Midnight 3.0 1.7Monopoly 4.3 2.7Nassau 7.7 5.0Ram I 1.7 3.7South Dakota 2.3 4.0Touchdown 3.0 2.3Viva 2.3 4.0LSD (.05) 1.9 2.1______________________________________ Winter Color Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Complete color retention .sup.1/ Location of Test A: North Brunswick, NJ .sup.2/ Location of Test B: Post Falls, ID TABLE 15______________________________________A Comparison of Percent Living Ground Cover in the Fall of Ba 77-700and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Haymarket, VA % Ground Variety Cover______________________________________ Ba 77-700 70.0 A-34 30.0 Abbey 68.3 Able I 28.3 Allure 83.3 Ascot 11.7 Banff 21.7 Baron 71.0 Buckingham 30.0 Cannon 75.0 Challenger 60.0 Classic 31.7 Coventry 65.0 Eclipse 48.3 Estate 71.7 Fairfax 70.0 Georgetown 33.3 Glade 68.3 Gnome 70.0 Haga 53.3 Kelly 83.3 Kenblue 94.3 Liberty 33.3 Marquis 88.3 Merion 81.7 Merit 71.7 Midnight 38.3 Monopoly 85.0 Nassau 36.7 Ram I 65.0 South Dakota 86.0 Touchdown 33.3 Viva 85.0 LSD (.05) 29.9______________________________________ TABLE 16______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 77-700 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in Two Tests (A-B)Variety A.sup.1/ B.sup.2/______________________________________Ba 77-700 4.0 4.0Abbey 5.0 4.3Able I 5.7 6.3Allure 4.3 4.0Ascot 5.3 6.0A-34 4.3 5.2Banff 5.3 5.2Baron 5.0 4.2Buckingham 4.0 3.7Cannon 4.0 4.0Challenger 5.0 4.5Classic 5.3 5.3Coventry 5.0 4.2Eclipse 5.7 5.7Estate 4.3 3.8Fairfax 4.7 4.0Georgetown 6.0 4.8Glade 5.0 4.6Gnome 5.3 4.2Haga 5.7 5.2Kelly 4.3 4.0Kenblue 6.0 5.8Liberty 5.0 4.7Marquis 4.3 4.2Merion 4.0 4.2Merit 4.7 4.0Midnight 6.7 6.0Monopoly 5.0 4.5Nassau 5.0 4.3Ram I 5.0 4.8South Dakota 3.7 4.8Touchdown 5.3 5.8Viva 4.3 4.0LSD (.05) 0.9 0.8______________________________________ Leaf Texture Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine .sup.1/ Test Location: Martinsville, NJ .sup.2/ Test Location: Martinsville, NJ; and pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR TABLE 17______________________________________A Comparison of Seeding Vigor of Ba 77-700 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at Six Locations in The U.S. and Canada.sup.1/ SeedlingVariety Vigor (Mean)______________________________________Ba 77-700 6.8A-34 6.0Abbey 6.4Able I 6.3Allure 6.2Ascot 6.2Banff 7.7Baron 6.7Buckingham 5.3Cannon 6.3Challenger 5.6Classic 7.1Coventry 6.1Eclipse 6.1Estate 6.1Fairfax 6.4Georgetown 7.0Glade 6.7Gnome 6.3Haga 7.1Kelly 6.6Kenblue 7.4Liberty 6.4Marquis 6.3Merion 2.6Merit 6.4Midnight 5.4Monopoly 7.1Nassau 6.4Ram I 6.5South Dakota 6.7Touchdown 5.8Viva 6.3LSD (.05) 0.7______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Maximum vigor. .sup.1/ Locations: Fort Collins, CO; Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick, NJ; Adelphia, NJ; Richmond Hills, Ontario; pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR.

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance. Ba 77-700 has been found to have a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out caused by Drechslera poae (formerly called Helminthosporium vagans). Ba 77-700 furthermore has been found to have a medium to high level of resistance to dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoecarpa and to several rust diseases caused by Puccinia spp. as well as to necrotic ring spot caused by Leptosphaeria korrae.

Comparisons of disease incidence of Ba 77-700 as compared with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, dollar spot, rusts and necrotic ring spot are presented in Tables 18-23 as follows:

TABLE 18______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Spot Incidence in Ba 77-700 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in Two Tests (A-B) Conducted at Four Locations inthe U.S. MeansVariety Test A.sup.1/ Test B.sup.2/______________________________________Ba77-700 7.2 5.7A-34 7.2 5.4Abbey 7.8 5.1Able I 7.8 7.1Allure 7.7 5.8Ascot 8.1 7.4Banff 4.8 5.9Baron 7.1 5.4Buckingham 8.3 6.8Cannon 8.0 5.8Challenger 8.0 6.9Classic 7.8 5.4Coventry 6.8 5.8Eclipse 7.9 7.4Estate 7.9 5.9Fairfax 6.6 4.9Georgetown 8.0 6.3Glade 4.8 4.8Gnome 7.6 5.7Haga 7.2 5.9Kelly 7.2 5.1Kenblue 1.2 1.8Liberty 8.1 6.8Marquis 7.4 5.6Merion 8.0 7.3Merit 7.4 5.4Midnight 8.1 6.6Monopoly 7.1 5.2Nassau 8.2 6.2Ram I 3.4 4.9South Dakota 2.2 1.8Touchdown 7.4 6.3Viva 7.4 5.1LSD (.05) 0.9 0.7______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease .sup.1/ Locations: Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick and Adelphia, NJ .sup.2/ Locations: Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick and Adelphia, NJ; Marysville, OH TABLE 19______________________________________A Comparison of Dollar Spot Disease Incidence of Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two Tests Conducted in the U.S. MeansVariety Test A.sup.1/ Test B.sup.2/______________________________________Ba 77-700 7.0 7.0A-34 6.7 6.0Abbey 6.8 6.3Able I 6.8 6.1Allure 6.4 5.3Ascot 7.8 7.0Banff 6.4 6.2Baron 6.9 6.8Buckingham 7.9 4.8Canon 6.6 6.4Challenger 6.4 4.7Classic 7.4 6.3Coventry 5.9 5.9Eclipse 7.5 7.2Estate 5.3 5.6Fairfax 5.8 6.0Georgetown 6.9 6.1Glade 7.0 6.4Gnome 6.7 6.1Haga 6.3 6.2Kelly 7.3 6.3Kenblue 6.8 6.8Liberty 7.3 6.8Marquis 6.8 6.7Merion 6.9 6.1Merit 6.8 6.7Midnight 8.0 6.6Monopoly 7.1 6.7Nassau 7.4 6.7Ram I 6.0 4.9South Dakota 7.3 5.8Touchdown 6.8 6.1Viva 7.1 6.2LSD (.05) 1.1 0.8______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease. .sup.1/ Locations: Urbana, IL; Adelphia, NJ; Kingston, RI; Haymarket, VA .sup.2/ Locations: Urbana, IL; Silver Spring, MD; Kingston, RI TABLE 20______________________________________A Comparison of Stem Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Adelphia, NJ Variety Stem Rust______________________________________ Ba 77-700 7.3 A-34 4.3 Abbey 7.0 Able I 3.3 Allure 6.3 Ascot 7.3 Banff 7.7 Baron 7.0 Buckingham 5.7 Cannon 7.3 Challenger 4.0 Classic 8.0 Coventry 6.7 Eclipse 4.0 Estate 6.3 Fairfax 6.3 Georgetown 8.7 Glade 7.7 Gnome 7.0 Haga 8.0 Kelly 8.0 Kenblue 5.7 Liberty 7.7 Marquis 6.7 Merion 1.0 Merit 6.3 Midnight 8.0 Monopoly 6.3 Nassau 8.0 Ram I 8.0 South Dakota 4.3 Touchdown 2.3 Viva 6.7 LSD (.05) 1.4______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease TABLE 21______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Kingston, R.I. Variety Leaf Rust______________________________________ Ba 77-700 8.0 A-34 6.0 Abbey 6.3 Able I 7.0 Allure 6.0 Ascot 6.0 Banff 7.0 Baron 8.3 Buckingham 6.7 Cannon 6.3 Challenger 5.7 Classic 8.7 Coventry 7.0 Eclipse 5.7 Estate 6.3 Fairfax 6.0 Georgetown 7.7 Glade 7.0 Gnome 6.7 Haga 7.0 Kelly 5.0 Kenblue 6.7 Liberty 7.3 Marquis 6.3 Merion 2.3 Merit 6.0 Midnight 6.0 Monopoly 5.3 Nassau 7.0 Ram I 6.7 South Dakota 6.7 Touchdown 3.7 Viva 5.7 LSD (.05) 2.4______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease. TABLE 22______________________________________A Comparison of Stripe Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Tests Conducted at ThreeLocations.sup.1/Variety Stripe Rust______________________________________Ba 77-700 5.0A-34 5.0Abbey 4.3Able I 6.0Allure 4.3Ascot 6.0Banff 6.0Baron 6.0Buckingham 5.7Cannon 4.7Challenger 5.3Classic 6.3Coventry 5.0Eclipse 6.0Estate 5.7Fairfax 5.7Georgetown 6.3Glade 3.0Gnome 4.7Haga 6.3Kelly 5.0Kenblue 3.3Liberty 5.3Marquis 5.3Merion 3.7Merit 5.0Midnight 4.7Monopoly 5.3Nassau 5.3Ram I 6.0South Dakota 4.0Touchdown 3.0Viva 5.0LSD (.05) 1.2______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease .sup.1/ Pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, Oregon. TABLE 23______________________________________A Comparison of Necrotic Ring Spot Incidence in Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Post Falls, ID Nocrotic Variety Ring Spot______________________________________ Ba 77-700 7.3 A-34 6.0 Abbey 7.3 Able I 7.3 Allure 3.3 Ascot 8.0 Banff 7.7 Baron 7.3 Buckingham 8.7 Cannon 7.0 Challenger 8.3 Classic 6.7 Coventry 5.0 Eclipse 7.7 Estate 4.7 Fairfax 3.5 Georgetown 7.7 Glade 8.3 Gnome 7.3 Haga 7.7 Kelly 7.3 Kenblue 5.7 Liberty 6.7 Marquis 7.7 Merion 5.3 Merit 7.7 Midnight 8.3 Monopoly 6.7 Nassau 7.7 Ram I 7.0 South Dakota 7.0 Touchdown 6.3 Viva 7.7 LSD (.05) 1.9______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease

Ba 77-700 has shown good drought tolerance and seed yielding capability. Comparisons for drought tolerance and seed yields of Ba 77-700 with other Kentucky Bluegrasses are presented in Tables 24-26.

TABLE 24______________________________________A Comparison of Drought Tolerance of Ba 77-700 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at Haymarket, VAVariety Drought Tolerance______________________________________Ba77-700 5.3A-34 3.0Abbey 4.3Able I 3.3Allure 4.0Ascot 4.0Banff 3.3Baron 4.0Buckingham 4.0Cannon 4.0Challenger 3.3Classic 3.7Coventry 3.7Eclipse 4.3Estate 4.3Fairfax 4.3Georgetown 3.7Glade 5.0Gnome 3.7Haga 3.0Kelly 4.0Kenblue 4.0Liberty 3.0Marquis 4.7Merion 3.7Merit 4.7Midnight 3.7Monopoly 4.0Nassau 3.3Ram I 4.3South Dakota 4.0Touchdown 4.0Viva 4.7LSD (.05) 1.1______________________________________ Dormancy Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no dormancy. TABLE 25______________________________________A Comparison of Drought Recovery of Ba 77-700 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in Two Tests (A-B)Variety Test A.sup.1/ Test B.sup.2/______________________________________Ba 77-700 4.8 3.0A-34 3.3 1.0Abbey 4.5 2.7Able I 4.3 1.3Allure 4.7 5.3Ascot 3.2 1.0Banff 3.5 1.0Baron 5.5 4.0Buckingham 2.8 2.0Cannon 4.3 2.7Challenger 3.5 3.3Classic 4.2 1.3Coventry 4.7 2.7Eclipse 3.3 2.0Estate 5.5 3.0Fairfax 5.0 3.0Georgetown 3.5 1.0Glade 4.2 2.3Gnome 4.8 2.7Haga 4.0 2.7Kelly 4.5 4.3Kenblue 4.8 4.7Liberty 4.2 1.7Marquis 4.2 4.7Merion 3.5 4.3Merit 5.7 3.7Midnight 4.5 1.0Monopoly 4.7 5.3Nassau 5.0 2.3Ram I 4.3 3.0South Dakota 3.7 3.3Touchdown 4.3 1.3Viva 4.8 3.7LSD (.05) 1.2 1.8______________________________________ Drought Recovery Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Complete recovery .sup.1/ Locations: Carbondale, IL; and pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR .sup.2/ Locations: Haymarket, VA TABLE 26______________________________________A Comparison of Seed Yield in Pounds Per Acre of Ba 77-700 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) TestsVariety Test A.sup.1/ Test B.sup.2/______________________________________Ba 77-700 1495 1569Abbey -- 1549Allure 859 --Bristol 862 --Buckingham 865 748Cannon -- 1551Coventry -- 1046Fairfax -- 1159Victa 1342 --Viva 1382 1612LSD (.05) 216 160______________________________________ .sup.1/ Test Location: Gervais, OR .sup.2/ Test Location: La Grande, OR

Claims

1. A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot, dollar spot, rusts, and necrotic ring spot; an attractive green color throughout the growing season; good early spring greening; medium to high quality turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; a moderately wide blade; and a high level of seed yielding capacity.