Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass

Abstract

A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out, dollar spot rusts and brown patch; a dark green color throughout the growing season; the ability to form a medium to high quality turf under a variety of environmental conditions; a moderately wide leaf blade; a strong root system 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 pratensis that has been designated Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass.

2. Description of Related Art

Kentucky Bluegrasses have been dislcosed 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 Patent No. 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Plant 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 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; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,611, issued Jul. 23, 1996; and pending U.S. Plant patent applications Ser. No. 08/532,995, filed Sep. 22, 1995, now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,848, issued Apr. 1, 1997; Ser. No. 08/604,763, filed Feb. 23, 1996, now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,977, issued Jul. 22, 1997; Ser. No. 08/680,167, filed Jul. 15, 1996 and Ser. No. 08/680,168, filed Jul. 15, 1996.

SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY

Ba 78-258 plant material was selected from the open pollinated progeny of Ba70-62 Kentucky Bluegrass, a bluegrass plant maintained at The Scott Company's Research Station in Marysville, Ohio. After testing and observing the Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass variety, it was determined to be a distinct variety, and it was asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules.

Seed of Ba 78-258 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 78-258 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 78-258 is approximately 95% based upon examining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from different crop years in a growth chamber.

Ba 78-258 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a medium to high level of resistance to (a) Dreschslera spp. that causes leaf spot, melting and out and crown rot; (b) Sclerotinia homoeocarpa that causes dollar spot; (c) Puccinia spp. that causes several types of rust infections; and (d) Rhizoctonia solani that causes brown patch. Ba 78-258 is an overall goof turfgrass performer as evidence by medium to high scores for quality and color. Ba 78-258 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 78-258 has an average size seed and rachilla; significantly more hairs on the palea than other grasses; and an above average seed count. The panicle is above average in length and width; average in whorl number, and has an above average branch count for both the lower and third whorls. Ba 78-258 has average size spikelets, floret number and glumes. The peduncle is above average in length and width, and culm length; average in node number and internode length; and below average for internode color. The flag leaf and flag ligule are significantly longer than several other grasses. The leaf is above average in width and thickness and has above average hair content on the dosal side of the ligule and the leaf sheath margin. The leaf has below average hair on the leaf's margin and dosal side. The vegetative leaf and the vegetative ligule are above average in length; but, leaf width and thickness are close to average in comparison to other gases. The hair content of the vegetative leaf is as follows: (a) significantly greater than most other grasses for the upper margin of the ligule; (b) above average for the sheath margins and the leaf dosal side; and (c) below average for the leaf margins, and ventral sides, collar margins, and the dosal side of the sheath.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle;

FIG. 2 is a Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass seed; and

FIG. 3 is a Ba 78-258 Kentucky Bluegrass plant shortly after completing anthesis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

Ba 78-258 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 undistributed by clipping under moderate temperatures (60.degree.-80.degree. F.), culms are erect averaging 48.6 cm in length and 3.2 nodes per culm and the uppermost internode averages 13.6 cm in length. The peduncle averages 22.2 cm in length and 0.71 mm in width. The vegetative leaf averages 22.4 cm in length, 3.4 mm in width, 0.24 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 0.46 mm. The flag leaf averages 5.6 cm in length, 3.7 mm in width, 0.13 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 1.73 mm.

The panicle averages 90.3 mm in length, 56.6 mm in width, and 8.5 whorls. The lowest whorl and the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle average 2.8 and 3.5 branches, respectively. A spikelet in the lowest whorl averages 4.7 mm in length, 2.2 mm in width, 3.2 florets and the outer and inner glumes average 3.1 mm and 3.6 mm in length and 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm in width, respectively. A spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle averages 4.5 mm in length, 2.3 mm in width, 3.3 florets and the outer and inner glumes average 3.0 mm and 3.5 mm in length and 0.5 mm and 0.7 mm in width, respectively.

The conditioned seed of Ba 78-258 averages 3.02 mm in length, 0.85 mm in width, and a rachilla length of 0.85 mm. The seed has a high level of hairs at the base of the lemma and palea margin.

Comparisons of Ba 78-258 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in terms of seed dimensions and seed numbers per pound are shown in Table 1 and 2 as follows:

TABLE 1______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Seed Length and Width; Rachilla,and Lemma Hairs and Palea Hairs of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning.Seed Hairs* Length Width Rachilla Lemma PaleaVariety mm mm mm Base Margin______________________________________Ba 78-258 3.02 0.85 0.68 3.50 3.10Ba 78-165 3.32 0.97 0.50 4.00 1.60Ba 77-700 3.20 0.85 0.77 2.80 0.90Abbey 3.02 0.85 0.56 1.80 0.40Ascot 3.00 0.82 0.68 6.30 1.50Cannon 3.32 0.85 0.72 0.20 2.00Gnome 2.93 0.90 0.61 2.10 0.80Merit 2.85 0.78 0.62 0.90 0.15Viva 2.72 0.77 0.79 1.20 0.20LSD (.05) 0.191 0.072 0.177 1.53 0.823______________________________________ *Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs TABLE 2______________________________________Comparison of Seeds Per Pound of Ba 78-258 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties After Conditioning. Seeds Variety Per Pound______________________________________ Ba 78-258 1,127,000 Ba 78-165 965,500 Abbey 988,500 Buckingham 978,000 Cannon 1,023,250 Coventry 1,374,750 Garfield 1,250,500 Newport 1,250,250 Viva 993,500 LSD (.05) 77,042______________________________________

Ba 78-258 differs significantly from several of the Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to the following morphological characteristics: (1) the culm and top internode length; (2) the flag leaf and flag leaf ligule; (3) significantly more hair for the upper margin of the vegetative leaf ligule; and (4) significantly more hairs on the palea. Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent, comparisons of morphological characteristics of Ba 78-258 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 and WhorlBranches of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties inthe Greenhouse at Marysville, OH. Number ofPanicles Branches Length Width Whorl Lowest ThirdVariety (mm) (mm) Number Whorl Whorl______________________________________Ba 78-258 90.3 56.6 8.5 3.8 3.5Ba 78-165 78.7 48.2 8.1 3.2 2.5Ba 77-700 87.7 57.9 8.2 3.9 3.3Abbey 86.4 54.1 9.0 4.1 3.3Ascot 91.4 60.7 9.1 2.4 2.3Cannon 91.7 49.9 8.9 4.4 3.6Gnome 85.4 43.7 9.1 3.6 3.4Merit 77.3 38.9 8.1 2.9 2.8Viva 82.5 46.6 8.0 3.4 3.0LSD (.05) 8.03 8.83 0.65 0.71 0.59______________________________________ TABLE 4______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba 78-258and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse atMarysville, OH.Spikelets Number of FloretsLowest Whorl Third Whorl Per Spikelet Length Width Length Width Lowest ThirdVariety mm mm mm mm Whorl Whorl______________________________________Ba 78-258 4.7 2.2 4.5 2.3 3.2 3.3Ba 78-165 4.3 2.1 4.5 2.2 2.8 2.9Ba 77-700 4.6 2.1 4.7 2.4 2.9 3.2Abbey 5.0 2.3 4.9 2.3 3.3 3.3Ascot 5.3 2.3 5.5 2.5 3.2 3.6Cannon 4.7 2.0 4.8 2.1 3.2 3.1Gnome 4.5 2.3 4.7 2.2 3.2 3.0Merit 5.0 2.5 5.2 2.5 3.9 3.8Viva 4.9 1.9 5.0 2.0 3.3 3.3LSD (.05) 0.43 0.35 0.46 0.34 0.52 0.59______________________________________ TABLE 5______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,______________________________________OH. Outer Glume Lowest Whorl Third Whorl Length Width Length WidthVariety mm mm mm mm______________________________________Ba 78-258 3.1 0.6 3.0 0.5Ba 78-165 2.7 0.4 2.7 0.5Ba 77-700 3.0 0.6 2.9 0.6Abbey 2.9 0.6 3.0 0.7Ascot 3.9 0.6 4.0 0.7Cannon 3.2 0.7 3.1 0.6Gnome 2.8 0.6 2.9 0.6Merit 3.0 0.6 3.0 0.6Viva 3.1 0.5 3.1 0.5LSD (.05) 0.29 0.12 0.29 0.13______________________________________ Inner Glume Lowest Whorl Third Whorl Length Width Length WidthVariety mm mm mm mm______________________________________Ba 78-258 3.6 0.8 3.5 0.7Ba 78-165 3.2 0.6 3.4 0.6Ba 77-700 3.4 0.7 3.5 0.7Abbey 3.4 0.9 3.5 0.8Ascot 4.3 0.7 4.5 0.9Cannon 3.5 0.8 3.5 0.8Gnome 3.3 0.8 3.3 0.8Merit 3.4 0.8 3.5 0.9Viva 3.6 0.7 3.6 0.7LSD (.05) 0.29 0.13 0.28 0.14______________________________________ TABLE 6______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves of Ba 78-258 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,______________________________________OH. Leaf Ligule Length Width Thickness LengthVariety cm mm mm mm______________________________________Ba 78-258 5.6 3.7 0.13 1.73Ba 78-165 4.0 3.5 0.12 1.45Ba 77-700 4.1 3.0 0.08 1.35Abbey 4.7 3.6 0.12 1.53***Ascot 4.4 2.9 0.11 1.52Cannon 5.3 3.7 0.12 1.75Gnome 4.6 3.2 0.10 1.40Merit 4.2 2.3 0.08 0.98Viva 3.4 2.5 0.11 1.45LSD (.05) 1.14 0.61 0.02 0.24______________________________________ Hairs Leaf Leaf Ligule Leaf Sheath SheathVariety Dosal Margin Margin Dosal______________________________________Ba 78-258 2.1 1.4 1.2 0.0Ba 78-165 2.0 0.2 0.1 0.0Ba 77-700 1.3 1.8 0.8 0.0Abbey 1.9 2.2 1.3 0.6***Ascot 0.8 1.9 0.5 1.2Cannon 1.4 2.4 0.8 0.0Gnome 1.8 1.3 1.0 0.4Merit 1.0 1.8 0.9 1.4Viva 2.5 1.5 0.4 0.0LSD (.05) 0.83 0.72 0.79 0.62______________________________________ *Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 =0 many TABLE 7______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Nodes NumbersPer Culm, Internode Length, and Internode Color or Ba 78-258 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse atMarysville, OH.Peduncle Culm Nodes Internode* Inter- Length Width Length Per Length node**Variety cm mm cm Culm cm Color______________________________________Ba 78-258 22.2 0.71 48.6 3.2 13.6 0.3Ba 78-165 22.4 0.73 47.5 3.1 14.8 1.9Ba 77-700 21.6 0.68 50.6 3.2 14.7 0.2Abbey 21.5 0.77 40.6 2.6 10.7 0.1Ascot 17.5 0.68 41.9 3.1 14.6 1.6Cannon 20.0 0.74 48.3 3.6 13.4 0.0Gnome 17.3 0.69 40.6 3.2 10.6 1.2Merit 23.6 0.66 44.1 3.0 11.8 0.8Viva 19.7 0.55 50.7 3.5 14.9 0.0LSD (.05) 2.6 0.8 2.6 0.5 1.2 0.8______________________________________ *Top Internode **Rating Scale: 0-9; = darkest color TABLE 8______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,______________________________________OH. Leaf Ligule Length Width Thickness LengthVariety cm mm mm mm______________________________________Ba 78-258 22.4 3.4 0.24 0.46Ba 78-165 24.2 3.9 0.23 0.35Ba 77-700 23.2 3.5 0.23 0.50Abbey 19.3 3.5 0.21 0.45Ascot 20.4 3.2 0.21 0.42Cannon 24.6 3.6 0.40 0.46Gnome 19.5 3.8 0.24 0.48Merit 21.8 3.6 0.23 0.41Viva 25.0 3.2 0.24 0.40LSD (.05) 3.67 0.42 0.14 0.06______________________________________ Hair* Ligule upper Color Sheath SheathVariety Margin Margin Margin Dosal______________________________________Ba 78-258 7.7 2.1 4.1 4.7Ba 78-165 4.5 2.0 3.3 3.9Ba 77-700 7.3 2.9 3.1 5.3Abbey 3.9 2.9 2.1 3.3Ascot 4.1 3.5 3.0 3.2Cannon 6.2 2.9 3.2 3.7Gnome 5.6 3.9 2.9 3.1Merit 5.4 3.2 3.7 3.0Viva 6.6 4.5 4.3 3.9LSD (.05) 1.10 0.87 1.21 0.98______________________________________ Leaf Hairs*Variety Margin Ventral Dosal______________________________________Ba 78-258 0.6 0.4 1.0Ba 78-165 1.3 0.2 1.7Ba 77-700 1.5 0.2 0.1Abbey 0.4 1.0 0.2Ascot 0.9 0.0 0.9Cannon 0.4 0.9 0.7Gnome 1.0 0.9 0.5Merit 0.1 0.5 0.0Viva 1.5 0.2 0.2LSD (.05) 0.75 0.61 0.54______________________________________ *Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many

Ba 78-258 has performed well throughout the U.S. as exhibited by medium to high turf quality ratings in comparison to many other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. In addition, it has a dark green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season.

With regard to comparative analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba 78-258 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba 78-258 during mid-October while the turf was actively growing with adequate nutrient with 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 78-258 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: Ascot -- 5 Gy 4/4; Buckingham -- 7.5 GY 4/4; Ba77-700 -- 5 GY 4/6; Midnight -- 7.5 GY 4/4, Abbey -- 5 GY 4/6; and Victa -- 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 78-258 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties for quality, genetic color, winter color, leaf texture, drought tolerance including wilting, dormancy and recovery are set forth hereinafter in Tables 9-18:

TABLE 9______________________________________A Comparison of Quality of Ba 78-258 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at Six (6) Locations in the U.S.Test Locations Fort Post Marys- Belts- Blacks-Variety Collins Falls Lexington ville ville burg______________________________________Ba 78-258 8.7 6.1 6.1 6.8 6.7 4.9Ba 77-700 8.0 5.1 5.5 6.2 6.7 4.9Abbey 7.0 5.1 6.2 6.7 6.8 5.0Able 1 7.7 7.3 5.4 7.0 6.5 5.0Allure 8.7 6.2 5.8 7.3 7.1 4.6Ascot 9.0 7.7 5.5 5.8 7.4 4.9A-34 8.7 5.9 5.2 7.0 6.2 4.9Banff 8.7 6.2 6.6 6.8 6.7 5.1Baron 7.7 5.4 6.4 7.0 7.0 5.7Buckingham 7.3 7.3 4.4 5.5 6.3 4.1Cannon 8.0 5.1 5.7 6.5 6.8 5.1Challenger 8.7 7.3 5.2 6.7 6.6 4.1Classic 8.3 5.5 5.6 6.8 6.7 4.8Coventry 8.7 7.2 6.5 6.7 7.0 4.7Eclipse 8.3 5.9 6.9 6.2 7.3 5.0Estate 8.7 6.4 6.0 7.0 6.4 5.0Fairfax 8.7 6.7 5.8 6.8 6.8 4.9Georgetown 8.0 6.3 6.0 6.5 6.9 4.4Glade 9.0 7.5 6.8 7.0 7.6 4.3Gnome 8.0 5.2 5.8 7.0 7.0 5.0Haga 8.0 5.9 6.4 7.0 6.8 4.5Kelly 7.7 5.7 6.0 6.5 6.8 5.0Kenblue 7.7 2.7 4.9 7.0 6.2 3.9Liberty 8.3 6.5 5.5 6.5 6.7 4.7Merion 6.7 2.7 3.8 5.2 4.8 3.2Merit 8.0 4.8 5.9 6.5 6.6 5.0Midnight 8.0 7.9 6.7 6.7 7.7 4.9Monopoly 7.7 4.9 6.0 7.3 6.1 5.1Nassau 8.0 5.8 6.0 6.0 6.3 4.8Ram 1 8.0 7.3 5.3 7.3 7.0 5.3So. Dakota 7.0 4.3 4.7 6.2 4.9 3.0Touchdown 9.0 7.1 5.3 6.7 6.5 4.7Viva 7.7 5.1 5.5 6.5 6.6 4.9LSD (.05) 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.1 0.5 0.9______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf TABLE 10______________________________________A Comparison of Quality of Ba 78-258 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at Four (4) Locations in the U.S. Test Locations Urbana Marysville Hubbard PullmanVariety IL OH OR WA______________________________________Ba 78-258 5.5 7.0 5.6 6.3Ba 77-700 4.8 6.7 4.6 5.8Abbey 4.8 6.0 4.9 6.5Able 1 5.5 7.0 5.4 5.8Allure 6.0 7.0 6.4 5.9Ascot 4.9 7.0 6.7 6.5A-34 6.0 7.0 5.3 5.5Banff 5.6 6.7 5.3 6.1Baron 5.3 7.0 5.8 6.1Buckingham 4.3 6.0 4.9 6.1Cannon 5.1 6.3 4.7 5.7Challenger 5.0 7.3 5.4 6.3Classic 6.2 6.3 4.5 6.2Coventry 6.0 7.0 5.9 6.1Eclipse 5.9 7.0 5.3 6.1Estate 5.9 7.3 6.6 6.2Fairfax 6.5 6.3 6.5 6.1Georgetown 5.2 6.7 4.9 6.3Glade 5.8 7.0 5.0 6.3Gnome 4.7 6.3 4.1 5.9Haga 5.5 7.0 5.2 6.4Kelly 5.0 6.7 4.4 5.5Kenblue 4.8 4.0 4.3 5.2Liberty 5.3 6.7 5.6 6.3Merion 3.8 6.7 4.1 6.2Merit 4.8 6.3 4.3 6.0Midnight 5.0 7.0 4.2 6.2Monopoly 6.0 6.7 4.4 5.3Nassau 4.2 6.7 4.9 6.3Ram 1 5.0 7.0 5.6 6.7So. Dakota 4.2 3.7 2.7 5.3Touchdown 5.6 6.3 3.3 6.4Viva 4.8 6.0 4.9 6.2LSD (.05) 0.9 0.9 1.1 0.7______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf TABLE 11______________________________________A Comparison of Quality of Ba 78-258 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at Five (5) Locations in the U.S.Test Locations Fort Collins Urbana Martinsville Kingston PullmanVariety CO IL NJ RI WA______________________________________Ba 78-258 6.7 4.6 5.4 5.7 5.9Ba 77-700 6.3 3.9 4.4 5.7 5.3Abbey 6.3 3.6 4.7 5.7 5.6Able 1 6.3 4.2 6.1 5.8 5.6Allure 5.9 5.5 5.4 5.3 5.8Ascot 6.7 4.2 6.0 5.7 6.0A-34 5.2 4.6 5.0 5.6 5.2Banff 6.1 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.4Baron 5.3 4.1 5.0 5.7 5.8Buckingham 5.6 2.9 5.4 4.6 5.7Cannon 6.1 4.0 4.3 5.4 6.0Challenger 6.1 3.2 5.3 5.2 5.3Classic 5.8 4.8 4.9 5.4 5.9Coventry 6.1 5.4 5.0 5.0 5.9Eclipse 6.6 5.0 5.9 6.1 6.3Estate 5.8 4.7 5.1 5.2 5.6Fairfax 5.9 5.3 4.8 5.3 5.7Georgetown 5.8 4.3 5.0 5.3 5.4Glade 6.1 5.2 4.6 5.8 4.9Gnome 5.9 3.6 4.7 5.4 5.7Haga 5.6 4.2 4.8 5.2 5.4Kelly 5.9 4.3 4.2 5.2 5.3Kenblue 3.7 4.2 2.8 4.9 3.9Liberty 6.2 4.5 5.2 5.3 6.0Merion 5.1 3.1 4.1 5.4 5.8Merit 6.1 4.6 5.1 5.7 5.9Midnight 7.1 4.3 7.3 5.1 6.1Monopoly 4.7 5.7 4.6 5.5 5.3Nassau 5.8 3.0 5.2 5.2 5.6Ram 1 6.1 3.8 4.7 5.7 4.7So. Dakota 4.1 3.6 2.1 4.6 3.7Touchdown 6.4 4.5 5.3 5.2 6.0Viva 6.1 4.0 4.4 5.9 5.8LSD (.05) 0.7 1.1 0.9 0.7 0.7______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf TABLE 12______________________________________A Comparison of Quality of Ba 78-258 and Other Kentucky BluegrassVarieties at Four (4) Locations in the U.S. Test Locations Ames Hubbard Kingston HaymarketVariety IA OR RI VA______________________________________Ba 78-258 7.3 4.9 5.8 5.3Ba 77-700 6.9 3.7 6.0 5.4Abbey 6.8 3.2 5.7 5.4Able 1 7.2 5.4 5.9 3.6Allure 7.4 5.6 5.0 5.7Ascot 7.8 6.1 5.8 4.2A-34 7.2 4.0 5.4 4.7Banff 7.0 3.7 4.6 4.4Baron 6.9 3.7 5.6 5.7Buckingham 6.7 3.8 4.4 4.4Cannon 6.7 3.8 5.2 5.4Challenger 7.1 3.8 4.7 5.2Classic 7.1 3.6 4.9 4.8Coventry 7.3 5.1 5.3 5.8Eclipse 7.1 3.2 6.0 4.9Estate 7.7 5.2 5.5 5.7Fairfax 7.4 5.1 5.6 5.7Georgetown 7.2 3.1 5.4 4.9Glade 7.1 2.9 4.8 5.8Gnome 7.1 3.0 5.5 5.7Haga 7.0 3.4 5.1 5.1Kelly 6.9 4.0 5.3 5.5Kenblue 5.8 2.9 4.5 4.7Liberty 7.1 3.6 5.3 4.2Merion 6.9 3.7 5.4 5.6Merit 6.9 3.9 5.7 5.3Midnight 8.2 3.2 5.0 5.2Monopoly 6.9 3.1 5.2 4.8Nassau 6.9 4.0 4.9 5.2Ram 1 7.2 3.3 5.2 5.2So. Dakota 6.1 2.8 4.8 4.8Touchdown 7.0 3.0 4.5 4.3Viva 6.9 3.4 5.6 5.8LSD (.05) 0.5 1.4 0.8 1.0______________________________________ Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf TABLE 13______________________________________A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Four (4) Tests A-DConducted at Various Locations in the U.S. Tests (Mean Values)Variety A B C D______________________________________Ba 78-258 5.9 5.7 5.8 6.4Ba 77-700 5.7 5.5 5.8 6.3Abbey 5.6 5.9 5.8 6.7Able 1 6.6 6.8 6.8 6.9Allure 5.7 5.2 5.6 5.7Ascot 6.9 6.8 7.2 7.4A-34 5.0 5.4 4.6 5.7Banff 5.1 6.0 5.5 5.8Baron 6.0 6.0 5.9 6.6Buckingham 7.0 7.2 7.2 7.2Cannon 6.0 5.7 6.4 6.6Challenger 6.0 6.2 5.9 5.9Classic 5.2 5.9 5.2 5.9Coventry 5.9 5.6 5.8 6.0Eclipse 6.3 6.6 6.4 7.2Estate 5.8 5.3 5.3 6.3Fairfax 6.0 5.4 5.4 5.9Georgetown 5.2 6.1 5.3 6.2Glade 6.7 6.3 6.7 6.6Gnome 6.0 6.1 5.8 6.7Haga 5.1 5.8 5.3 6.1Kelly 5.6 5.7 6.1 6.8Kenblue 4.6 5.0 5.3 5.6Liberty 5.9 6.1 6.1 6.4Merion 5.7 5.8 5.4 6.0Merit 5.7 5.7 6.2 6.6Midnight 7.1 7.3 7.7 7.6Monopoly 4.8 4.9 4.8 4.7Nassau 6.0 6.6 6.5 6.8Ram 1 6.7 5.9 6.6 6.2So. Dakota 4.5 4.8 4.7 5.8Touchdown 5.5 5.5 5.3 6.1Viva 5.5 5.5 5.9 6.6LSD (.05) 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.8______________________________________ Genetic Color Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Dark Green TABLE 14______________________________________A Comparison of Winter Color of Ba 78-258 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Tests A-B Conducted at Various Locationsin the U.S.Variety Test A* Test B**______________________________________Ba 78-258 6.0 4.7Ba 77-700 5.0 5.0Abbey 1.7 6.3Able 1 6.3 3.3Allure 6.0 6.3Ascot 4.7 4.3A-34 6.7 2.0Banff 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 3.3Merion 6.7 3.3Merit 3.7 6.0Midnight 3.0 1.7Monopoly 4.3 2.7Nassau 7.7 5.0Ram 1 1.7 3.7So. 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 *Location: North Brunswick, NJ **Location: Post Falls, ID TABLE 15______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 78-258 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Test A-B Conducted atVarious Locations in the U.S.Variety Test A* Test B*______________________________________Ba 78-258 4.7 4.0Ba 77-700 4.0 4.0Abbey 5.0 4.3Able 1 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 4.8Gnome 5.3 4.2Haga 5.7 5.2Kelly 4.3 4.0Kenblue 6.0 5.8Liberty 5.0 4.7Merion 4.0 4.2Merit 4.7 4.0Midnight 6.7 6.0Monopoly 5.0 4.5Nassau 5.0 4.3Ram 1 5.0 4.8So. 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 *Locations: Martinsville, NJ; pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard, and Gervais, OR. TABLE 16______________________________________A Comparison of Drought Tolerance (Wilting) of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Varieties in a Test A Conducted at Richmond Hills, Canada. Variety Test A______________________________________ Ba 78-258 5.3 Ba 77-700 5.0 Abbey 5.0 Able 1 5.3 Allure 4.3 Ascot 4.0 A-34 5.3 Banff 4.7 Baron 4.7 Buckingham 4.3 Cannon 5.0 Challenger 4.7 Classic 4.7 Coventry 4.7 Eclipse 5.0 Estate 5.3 Fairfax 4.3 Georgetown 4.7 Glade 5.0 Gnome 4.0 Haga 4.3 Kelly 5.0 Kenblue 4.3 Liberty 5.0 Merion 5.0 Merit 4.3 Midnight 4.7 Monopoly 5.0 Nassau 4.0 Ram 1 4.7 So. Dakota 4.3 Touchdown 4.7 Viva 5.0 LSD (.05) 1.2______________________________________ Drought Tolerance (Wilting) Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Wilting TABLE 17______________________________________A Comparison of Drought Tolerance (Dormancy) of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in a Test A Conducted at Haymarket, VA. Variety Test A______________________________________ Ba 78-258 4.7 Ba 77-700 5.3 Abbey 4.3 Able 1 3.3 Allure 4.0 Ascot 4.0 A-34 3.0 Banff 3.3 Baron 4.0 Buckingham 4.0 Cannon 4.0 Challenger 3.3 Classic 3.7 Coventry 3.7 Eclipse 4.3 Estate 4.3 Fairfax 4.3 Georgetown 3.7 Glade 5.0 Gnome 3.7 Haga 3.0 Kelly 4.0 Kenblue 4.0 Liberty 3.0 Merion 3.7 Merit 4.7 Midnight 3.7 Monopoly 4.0 Nassau 3.3 Ram 1 4.3 So. Dakota 4.0 Touchdown 4.0 Viva 4.7 LSD (.05) 1.1______________________________________ Drought Tolerance (Dormancy) Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Dormancy TABLE 18______________________________________A Comparison of Drought Tolerance (Recovery) of Ba 78-258and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in a Test AConducted at Various Locations in the U.S. Test A*Variety (Mean Values)______________________________________Ba 78-258 5.3Ba 77-700 4.8Abbey 4.5Able 1 4.3Allure 4.7Ascot 3.2A-34 3.3Banff 3.5Baron 5.5Buckingham 2.8Cannon 4.3Challenger 3.5Classic 4.2Coventry 4.7Eclipse 3.3Estate 5.5Fairfax 5.0Georgetown 3.5Glade 4.2Gnome 4.8Haga 4.0Kelly 4.5Kenblue 4.8Liberty 4.2Merion 3.5Merit 5.7Midnight 4.5Monopoly 4.7Nassau 5.0Ram 1 4.3So. Dakota 3.7Touchdown 4.3Viva 4.8LSD (.05) 1.2______________________________________ Drought Recovery Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Complete Recovery *Locations: Carbondale, IL; pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR.

Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance. Ba 78-258 has been found to have a medium to high level of resistance to the following diseases: (a) leaf spot and melting out caused by Dreschslera poae formerly called Helminthosporium vagans; (b) dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoecarpa; (c) several diseases of rusts caused by Puccinia spp.; and (d) brown patch caused by Rhizoctonia solani.

Comparisons of disease incidence of Ba 78-258 as compared with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, dollar spot, rusts, and brown patch are presented in Tables 19-24.

TABLE 19______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Spot incidence IN Ba 78-258 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) TestsConducted at Various Locations in the U.S. MeansVariety Test 1* Test 2**______________________________________Ba 78-258 5.8 6.9Ba 77-700 5.7 7.2Abbey 5.1 7.8Able 1 7.1 7.8Allure 5.8 7.7Ascot 7.4 8.1A-34 5.4 7.2Banff 5.9 7.8Baron 5.4 7.1Buckingham 6.8 8.3Cannon 5.8 8.0Challenger 6.9 8.0Classic 5.4 7.8Coventry 5.8 6.8Eclipse 7.4 8.1Estate 5.9 7.9Fairfax 4.9 6.6Georgetown 6.3 8.0Glade 4.8 4.8Gnome 5.7 7.6Haga 5.9 7.2Kelly 5.1 7.2Kenblue 1.8 1.2Liberty 6.8 8.1Merion 7.3 8.0Merit 5.4 7.4Midnight 6.6 8.1Monopoly 5.2 7.1Nassau 6.2 8.2Ram 1 4.9 3.4So. Dakota 1.8 2.2Touchdown 6.3 7.4Viva 5.1 7.4LSD (.05) 0.7 0.9______________________________________ Leaf Spot Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease *Locations: Post, Falls, ID; North Brunswick, NJ; Adelphia, NJ; Marysville, OH **Locations: Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick, NJ; Adelphia, NJ. TABLE 20______________________________________A Comparison of Dollar Spot Disease Incidence in Ba 78-258and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three (3) TestsConducted at Various Locations in the U.S. MeansVariety Test 1* Test 2** Test 3***______________________________________Ba 78-258 7.0 6.2 8.3Ba 77-700 7.0 7.0 7.7Abbey 6.8 6.3 8.3Able 1 6.8 6.1 7.7Allure 6.4 5.3 6.0Ascot 7.8 7.0 8.3A-34 6.7 6.0 8.7Banff 6.4 6.2 8.7Baron 6.9 6.8 8.0Buckingham 7.9 4.8 8.3Cannon 6.6 6.4 8.7Challenger 6.4 4.7 --Classic 7.4 6.3 8.5Coventry 5.9 5.9 7.0Eclipse 7.5 7.2 8.3Estate 5.3 5.6 8.0Fairfax 5.8 6.0 6.5Georgetown 6.9 6.1 8.3Glade 7.0 6.4 7.7Gnome 6.7 6.1 8.3Haga 6.3 6.2 8.3Kelly 7.3 6.3 8.3Kenblue 6.8 6.8 8.7Liberty 7.3 6.8 8.0Merion 6.9 6.1 8.0Merit 6.8 6.7 8.0Midnight 8.0 6.6 8.3Monopoly 7.1 6.7 7.7Nassau 7.4 6.7 8.3Ram 1 6.0 4.9 6.3So. Dakota 7.3 5.8 8.5Touchdown 6.8 6.1 7.3Viva 7.1 6.2 8.0LSD (.05) 1.1 0.8 1.1______________________________________ Dollar Spot Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease *Locations: Urbana, IL; Adelphia, NJ; Kingston, RI; Haymarket, VA. **Locations: Urbana, IL; Silver Spring, MD; Kingston, RI. ***Locations: Silver Spring, MD. TABLE 21______________________________________A comparison of Stem Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 78-258and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Adelphia, NJ. Variety Stem Rust______________________________________ Ba 78-258 7.0 Ba77-700 7.3 Abbey 7.0 Able 1 3.3 Allure 6.3 Ascot 7.3 A-34 4.3 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 Merion 1.0 Merit 6.3 Midnight 8.0 Monopoly 6.3 Nassau 8.0 Ram 1 8.0 So. Dakota 4.3 Touchdown 2.3 Viva 6.7 LSD (.05) 1.4______________________________________ Stem Rust Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease TABLE 22______________________________________A Comparison of Leaf Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 78-258and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Kingston, RI. Variety Leaf Rust______________________________________ Ba 78-258 7.3 Ba77-700 8.0 Abbey 6.3 Able 1 7.0 Allure 6.0 Ascot 6.0 A-34 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 Merion 2.3 Merit 6.0 Midnight 6.0 Monopoly 5.3 Nassau 7.0 Ram 1 6.7 So. Dakota 6.7 Touchdown 3.7 Viva 5.7 LSD (.05) 2.4______________________________________ Leaf Rust Range Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease TABLE 23______________________________________A Comparison of Brown Patch Disease Incidence inBa 78-258 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties atHaymarket, VA. Variety Brown Patch______________________________________ Ba 78-258 8.7 Ba77-700 6.0 Abbey 9.0 Able 1 8.3 Allure 7.7 Ascot 8.7 A-34 7.3 Banff 8.0 Baron 7.7 Buckingham 7.0 Cannon 8.7 Challenger 6.0 Classic 7.0 Coventry 6.7 Eclipse 7.3 Estate 7.0 Fairfax 5.3 Georgetown 6.7 Glade 8.3 Gnome 7.7 Haga 7.0 Kelly 7.0 Kenblue 5.3 Liberty 7.0 Merion 7.0 Merit 8.7 Midnight 8.3 Monopoly 7.0 Nassau 8.0 Ram 1 6.7 So. Dakota 6.3 Touchdown 8.3 Viva 7.7 LSD (.05) 2.4______________________________________ Brown Patch Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease TABLE 24______________________________________A Comparison of Stripe Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 78-258and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.Variety Stripe Rust______________________________________Ba 78-258 3.6Ba77-700 3.6Ba 78-165 6.0Abbey 4.0Allure 2.4Ascot 6.4Bristol 4.6Buckingham 4.6Cannon 5.6Chateau 2.4Coventry 1.8Estate 2.8Fairfax 2.6Gnome 4.2Kelly 5.8Newport 8.8Victa 6.4Viva 4.4LSD (.05) 1.6______________________________________ Stripe Rust Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Most Rust

Additional comparisons for sod strength, Poa annua content, mature plant height, vegetative growth versus seed heads, panicle length, days to heading, days to anthesis and seed yields are presented in Tables 25-32.

TABLE 25______________________________________A Comparison of Sod Strength of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Haymarket, VA.Variety Sod Strength______________________________________Ba 78-258 36.0Ba77-700 34.3Abbey 49.7Able 1 31.3Allure 34.3Ascot 27.7A-34 29.0Banff 33.3Baron 38.3Buckingham 26.0Cannon 29.0Challenger 31.7Classic 28.3Coventry 36.3Eclipse 26.3Estate 35.3Fairfax 32.0Georgetown 24.3Glade 21.0Gnome 39.0Haga 26.7Kelly 39.7Kenblue 31.7Liberty 27.7Merion 27.7Merit 41.0Midnight 26.7Monopoly 28.7Nassau 21.7Ram 1 36.3So. Dakota 18.3Touchdown 38.7Viva 31.0LSD (.05) 12.7______________________________________ Sod Strength Measured in Kilograms of Tension TABLE 26______________________________________A Comparison of Poa Annua Content of Ba 78-258 andOther Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties Based on Pooled Datafrom Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR.Variety Poa Annua Content______________________________________Ba 78-258 7.7Ba77-700 6.3Abbey 5.7Able 1 5.0Allure 7.3Ascot 4.0A-34 5.7Banff 8.7Baron 7.3Buckingham 6.7Cannon 6.7Challenger 7.7Classic 8.3Coventry 5 0Eclipse 5.0Estate 6.3Fairfax 7.3Georgetown 8.3Glade 6.7Gnome 4.7Haga 8.7Kelly 4.7Kenblue 8.0Liberty 7.7Merion 1.7Merit 6.3Midnight 6.3Monopoly 8.0Nassau 7.7Ram 1 8.3So. Dakota 7.3Touchdown 7.3Viva 6.0LSD (.05) 1.8______________________________________ Poa annua Content Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Poa annua TABLE 27______________________________________A Comparison of Mature Plant Height of Ba 78-258 andOther Kentucky Varieties at Gervais, OR.Variety Height (cm)______________________________________Ba 78-258 60.3Ba77-700 60.0Ba 78-165 53.4Abbey 65.0Allure 53.0Ascot 56.0Bristol 69.4Buckingham 66.8Cannon 68.4Chateau 60.2Coventry 62.4Estate 57.4Fairfax 60.6Gnome 60.8Kelly 65.2Newport 74.9Victa 68.2Viva 61.6LSD (.05) 8.7______________________________________ TABLE 28______________________________________A Comparison of Vegetative Growth Versus Seed Heads ofBa 78-258 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties atGervais, OR. Vegetative GrowthVariety vs. Seed Heads______________________________________Ba 78-258 6.9Ba77-700 7.2Ba 78-165 5.8Abby 5.8Allure 7.2Ascot 4.2Bristol 6.0Buckingham 5.6Cannon 8.0Chateau 6.8Coventry 8.0Estate 8.6Fairfax 7.2Gnome 6.6Kelly 4.8Newport 3.4Victa 7.8Viva 7.2LSD (.05) 1.8______________________________________ Vegetative Growth versus Seed Heads Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Most vegetativ Growth TABLE 29______________________________________A Comparison of Panicle Length of Ba 78-258 and KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR. PanicleVariety Length (cm)______________________________________Ba 78-258 11.1Ba77-700 8.9Ba 78-165 8.6Abby 10.4Allure 7.8Ascot 9.5Bristol 13.6Buckingham 11.9Cannon 9.9Chateau 7.7Coventry 7.8Estate 8.3Fairfax 9.1Gnome 9.7Kelly 9.7Newport 10.8Victa 10.0Viva 9.8LSD (.05) 2.0______________________________________ TABLE 30______________________________________A Comparison of Days to Heading of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR Days to HeadingVariety First 50% 100%______________________________________Ba 78-258 110.1 125.5 128.1Ba77-700 109.8 125.4 127.2Ba 78-165 100.2 118.6 121.6Abby 108.2 124.2 127.2Allure 110.6 125.0 126.2Ascot 88.0 112.0 118.6Bristol 95.4 118.6 122.2Buckingham 94.0 112.4 120.0Cannon 113.4 125.0 127.0Chateau 106.0 123.8 126.0Coventry 105.8 122.4 124.6Estate 105.8 123.8 125.6Fairfax 102.6 121.6 124.4Gnome 109.8 125.4 127.2Kelly 112.2 125.4 127.2Newport 85.0 109.8 118.2Victa 111.6 125.0 127.0Viva 109.4 125.0 127.2LSD 0.05 5.3 4.0 1.8______________________________________ TABLE 31______________________________________A Comparison of Days to Anthesis of Ba 78-258 and Other KentuckyBluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR Days to AnthesisVariety First 50% 100%______________________________________Ba 78-258 129.1 134.1 137.5Ba77-700 129.0 134.4 137.8Ba 78-165 124.2 126.2 132.0Abbey 129.2 132.4 136.6Allure 127.8 131.0 134.8Ascot 118.6 123.8 131.8Bristol 124.6 126.6 132.0Buckingham 123.4 127.6 133.6Cannon 129.0 132.2 136.0Chateau 128.2 130.8 135.2Coventry 126.6 128.6 134.4Estate 127.0 129.2 135.2Fairfax 125.8 128.8 132.8Gnome 129.0 133.2 136.6Kelly 129.0 132.8 136.6Newport 120.4 123.4 131.4Victa 129.0 132.2 136.0Viva 129.0 132.8 136.6LSD (0.05) 2.1 2.5 1.8______________________________________ TABLE 32______________________________________A Comparison of Seed Yields of Ba 78-258 and OtherKentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three (3) Tests Conductedat Imbler, OR. Seed Yield (Lbs./acre)Variety Test 1 Test 2 Test 3______________________________________Ba 78-258 1,377 1,211 1,076Ba77-700 1,569 1,105 1,156Abbey 1,549 1,324 1,090Buckingham 748 923 740Cannon 1,551 1,130 1,171Coventry 1,046 839 847Fairfax 1,159 1,074 766Viva 1,612 1,111 1,054LSD (.05) 160 271 296______________________________________

Claims

1. A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a medium to high level of resistance to a broad spectrum of serious diseases including leaf spot and melting out, dollar spot, rusts and brown patch; a dark green color throughout the growing season; a medium to high quality turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; a moderately wide blade; a strong root system and a high level of seed yielding capacity.