TREA

Kentucky bluegrass `Ba 72-492`

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Information

  • Patent Grant
  • PP6537
  • Patent Number
    PP6,537
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, March 17, 1987
    38 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 17, 1989
    36 years ago
  • US Classifications
    Field of Search
    • US
    • PLT 88
  • International Classifications
    • A01H500
Information
Abstract
A variety of Kentucky bluegrass having a high level of disease resistance, excellent turf performance in the sun and shade and a medium level of seed yield potential.
Description

Kentucky bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156 which issued on May 9, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,186 which issued on May 23, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,336 which issued on Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Plant patent application, Ser. No. 872,537, filed June 10, 1986; U.S. Plant patent application, Ser. No. 910,146, filed Sept. 19, 1986; and U.S. Plant patent application, Ser. No. 028,424, filed of even date herewith.
SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis which has been designated Ba 72-492 Kentucky bluegrass.
Ba 72-492 plant material originated by crossing a Kentucky bluegrass plant ("Gnome") disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 872,537, the seed parent, with a pollen parent plant. As a result of this breeding, a distinct variety was produced and asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules. Seed of Ba 72-492 was produced first at Marysville, Ohio and later at Gervais, Oreg.
Asexual reproduction of Ba 72-492 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistently produced plants indistinguishable from the mother plant.
Ba 72-492 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a good level of resistance to Helminthosporium spp that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot, Ustilago striiformis that causes stripe smut, Erysiphe graminis that causes powdery mildew, and Puccinia spp. that causes rust; an attractive leafy turf type growth habit; moderately wide leaf blades; an attractive green color which can be maintained throughout the entire growing season; good turf performance as evidenced by consistently high scores in tests throughout the U.S.A. and Canada; and a medium seed yield potential in the bluegrass seed production region of the U.S.A.
In comparison with its seed parent, Gnome, the new variety is more shade tolerant and has better resistance to powdery mildew and rust. In comparison to another Kentucky bluegrass (Ba 72-500) which is disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 910,146 which also has Gnome as its seed parent, Ba 72-492 produces seeds that are shorter than Ba 72-500 and the panicle of Ba 72-492 does not nod as much as Ba 72-500.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a photograph of Ba 72-492 Kentucky bluegrass plant in the vegetative stage including the extensive root and rhizome system;
FIG. 2 is a photograph of Ba 72-492 Kentucky bluegrass panicle; and
FIG. 3 is a photograph of Ba 72-492 Kentucky bluegrass seed.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY
Ba 72-492 Kentucky bluegrass (Poa protensis L.) is perennial with creeping rhizomes forming a moderately dense turf. When plants overwinter in the field with freezing temperatures and then are 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 486 mm in length with an average of 2.2 nodes per culm. The uppermost internode averages 10.5 cm, and the peduncle averages 12.6 cm in length and 0.552 mm in thickness. The flag leaf averages 5.2 cm in length, 3.6 mm in width and 0.117 mm in thickness. The panicle is generally erect as opposed to nodding with an average length of 12.6 cm, width of 4.2 cm, and 5.5 whorls. The lowest whorl has an average of 4.0 branches and the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle has an average of 3.0 branches. The average spikelet at the tip of a branch in the lowest whorl is 5.2 mm in length and has 4.4 florets with an outer glume of 2.9 mm and an inner glume of 3.3 mm in length. A similar spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle is 5.0 mm in length and has 4.2 florets with an outer glume of 3.0 mm and an inner glume of 3.3 mm in length. After the seed has been conditioned, the lemma has a generally smooth keel and almost no long fine hairs at the base. The seed of Ba 72-492 is 2.53 mm in length and 0.76 mm in width with approximately 1,275,740 seeds per pound. Comparisons of Ba 72-492 with other bluegrass varieties on seed dimensions are shown in Table 1 and on seed numbers per pound are shown in Table 2.
TABLE 1______________________________________Seed Measurements of Ba 72-492 and OtherBluegrass Varieties After Conditioning Length WidthVariety (mm) (mm)______________________________________Ba 72-492 2.53 0.76Ba 70-139 2.86 0.78Ba 72-500 2.77 0.80Baron 3.07 0.86Bristol 2.73 0.80Nassau 2.96 0.78Newport 2.76 0.71Park 3.04 0.72Ram I 3.51 0.84Victa 3.20 0.86LSD (.05) 0.19 0.06______________________________________
TABLE 2______________________________________Seed Counts per Pound of Ba 72-492 andOther Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning Number of Seeds Per Pound______________________________________Ba 72-492 1,275,740Adelphi 1,383,976America 1,659,824Gnome 1,017,641Baron 1,051,693Birka 1,223,530Bonnieblue 1,135,303Bristol 1,270,821Classic 1,250,316Eclipse 1,335,668Georgetown 1,232,913Glade 1,108,441Kenblue 1,463,923Merit 1,109,728Nassau 1,127,130Newport 1,226,481Park 1,248,349Sydsport 1,355,644Vantage 1,555,303Victa 1,038,298______________________________________
Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characters to some extent, comparisons of morphological characteristics of Ba 72-492 are made with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties in Tables 3-7.
TABLE 3______________________________________Morphological Comparisons of Ba 72-492 and OtherBluegrass Varieties Grown As Unmowed Spaced Plantsin the Field at Marysville, Ohio. Mature Plant Leaf Blade Panicle Height Width Density 2 Year Mean Annual 2 Year Mean______________________________________Ba 74-492 40 2.4 52A-34 63 2.4 61Bristol 31 2.0 38Glade 35 2.3 58Kenblue 51 2.0 43Merion 28 2.3 26Nugget 23 2.1 34Parade 53 3.0 67Park 51 2.1 54P-104 39 2.4 33Vantage 54 2.3 52Victa 38 2.5 49______________________________________ Ratings: Mature Plant Height (cm) includes panicles. Leaf Blade Width 1-4, 4 = wide blade. Panicle Density 1-100, 100 = high panicle density
TABLE 4______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Panicles of Ba 72-492 and OtherBluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, Ohio.______________________________________ Number of Panicle Panicle Panicle WhorlsVariety Nodding* Length (cm) Width (cm) Per Panicle______________________________________Ba 72-492 1.2 7.5 4.2 5.5Ba 70-139 2.0 6.7 3.7 4.8Ba 72-500 2.0 6.8 3.8 5.0Baron 1.0 7.8 4.1 5.2Bristol 2.0 9.7 5.0 5.0Nassau 2.0 10.0 6.0 5.0Newport 2.0 10.3 4.4 4.5Park 1.6 9.0 3.7 4.0Ram I 2.0 9.0 4.7 4.0Victa 1.2 7.5 4.1 5.4LSD (.05) 0.5 1.6 1.0 0.8______________________________________ Peduncle PeduncleNumber of Branches Length WidthVariety Lower Whorl Third Whorl (cm) (mm)______________________________________Ba 72-492 4.0 3.0 12.6 0.558Ba 70-139 3.8 2.7 13.2 0.610Ba 72-500 4.0 2.4 12.9 0.660Baron 3.8 2.5 12.7 0.559Bristol 3.3 2.7 15.0 0.686Nassau 3.0 2.0 8.0 0.533Newport 2.3 2.3 18.0 0.558Park 4.3 3.7 14.3 0.787Ram I 2.5 2.0 18.5 0.610Victa 4.4 3.4 12.2 0.711LSD (.05) 0.7 0.8 3.7 0.018______________________________________ *Panicle nodding rated 1 = erect, 2 = nodding.
TABLE 5______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Culms and Flag Leaves ofBa 72-492 and Other Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouseat Marysville, Ohio.______________________________________ Flag Leaf Flag Leaf Flag LeafVariety Length (cm) Width (mm) Thickness (mm)______________________________________Ba 72-492 5.2 3.6 0.117Ba 70-139 4.7 3.2 0.112Ba 72-500 4.1 3.2 0.112Baron 4.5 3.2 0.119Bristol 5.5 3.4 0.127Nassau 6.2 3.1 0.127Newport 6.1 3.5 0.135Park 4.2 2.6 0.109Ram I 4.7 3.1 0.127Victa 5.9 4.0 0.124LSD (.05) 1.8 0.6 0.013______________________________________ Top Internode Culm Number ofVariety Length (cm) Length (mm) Nodes Per Culm______________________________________Ba 72-492 10.5 486 2.2Ba 70-139 10.2 435 2.7Ba 72-500 9.8 439 2.7Baron 10.1 482 2.5Bristol 11.3 522 2.7Nassau 11.2 450 2.5Newport 11.2 547 2.3Park 13.0 578 3.0Ram I 10.2 527 3.0Victa 10.6 474 2.4LSD (.05) 2.1 79 0.6______________________________________
TABLE 6______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba 72-492and Other Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouseat Marysville, Ohio.______________________________________ Number of FloretsSpikelet per SpikeletLength (mm) Lowest ThirdVariety Lowest Whorl Third Whorl Whorl Whorl______________________________________Ba 72-492 5.2 5.0 4.4 4.2Ba 70-139 5.2 5.2 4.2 4.0Ba 72-500 5.1 5.0 4.2 3.9Baron 5.0 5.0 3.7 3.8Bristol 6.2 6.0 5.7 5.3Nassau 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.5Newport 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.2Park 6.5 6.7 5.2 4.7Ram I 4.7 5.2 5.2 5.5Victa 5.2 5.0 3.8 3.8LSD (.05) 0.9 0.8 1.1 1.0______________________________________ Glume Length (mm) Outer Inner Lowest LowestVariety Whorl Third Whorl Whorl Third Whorl______________________________________Ba 72-492 2.9 3.0 3.3 3.3Ba 70-139 3.2 3.1 3.5 3.5Ba 72-500 3.1 3.1 3.4 3.4Baron 2.9 2.8 3.4 3.3Bristol 3.4 3.3 3.7 3.9Nassau 2.3 2.4 2.7 2.7Newport 2.6 2.5 2.9 2.9Park 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.7Ram I 2.6 2.4 2.9 2.7Victa 2.8 3.0 3.3 3.3LSD (.05) 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4______________________________________
TABLE 7______________________________________Morphological Comparison of Leaves of Ba 72-492 and OtherBluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, Ohio.______________________________________ Leaf Ligule Leaf Leaf Angle Length Length Width (DegreesVariety (mm) (mm) (mm) From Horizontal)______________________________________Ba 72-492 0.28 239 4.4 52Ba 70-139 0.26 218 4.1 55Ba 72-500 0.25 204 4.1 50Baron 0.30 313 4.4 63Bristol 0.30 253 4.3 37Nassau 0.22 226 3.5 39Newport 0.22 251 4.1 50Park 0.33 329 4.2 44Ram I 0.18 188 3.7 40Victa 0.28 235 4.3 52LSD (.05) 0.11 49 0.6 10______________________________________ Hairs.sup.a Around Ligule on Hairs.sup.a on Hairs.sup.b onVariety Upper Surface of the Leaf Collar Ligule______________________________________Ba 72-492 1.0 3.2 1.3Ba 70-139 1.0 3.5 1.5Ba 72-500 1.0 3.5 2.7Baron 1.0 5.0 4.0Bristol 1.3 4.7 4.3Nassau 2.7 5.0 1.0Newport 1.0 4.0 0.8Park 1.0 1.7 0.0Ram I 1.0 3.7 0.3Victa 1.0 3.3 2.2LSD (.05) 0.3 1.4 1.8______________________________________ .sup.a Hairs around ligule and on collar rated 1- 5: 1 = none, 5 = many. .sup.b Hairs on ligule rated 0-5: 0 = none, 5 = many.
Ba 72-492 has performed well throughout the U.S.A. and Canada as exhibited by high turf quality ratings in many different locations in comparison to other varieties as shown in Table 8.
TABLE 8______________________________________Comparison of the Turf Quality of Ba 72-492 and Other BluegrassVarieties in the U.S.A. and Canada______________________________________ St. Louis Winnipeg Beltsville Adelphia Missouri Manitoba Maryland New Jersey 1 Year 2 Year 1 Year 2 YearVariety Mean Mean Mean Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 3.2 6.4 5.7 6.2A-34 6.6 5.6Adelphi 2.9 5.9 6.4Admiral 6.0America 2.8Aquila 7.1 5.7Banff 4.8Baron 2.7 6.2 5.3 6.4Birka 2.3 5.9Bonnieblue 5.0 6.7BonoBristol 2.7 5.0 6.5Cheri 5.1 6.0Columbia 4.9 5.9Eclipse 5.9 7.2Enmundi 5.5 6.3Fylking 4.9 5.7Geary 3.6GeorgetownGeronimoGlade 2.8 5.3 6.7Gnome 2.9 6.4Kenblue 3.3Melba 6.9Merion 5.3 6.0Merit 2.8 6.5 6.1 6.2Midnight 5.5 7.3Monopoly 4.9 5.7MosaMystic 6.6Nassau 5.9 4.5 5.9NewportNugget 7.1Parade 5.0 5.6Park 1.8Ram I 4.6 6.2RugbySD Common 3.2Shasta 7.1 5.7Sydsport 2.7 5.8 6.0Touchdown 2.7 6.8 5.8 6.1Trampas 6.3TrentonVantage 2.6 5.5 3.6Victa 2.8 5.5 6.5Wabash 4.8______________________________________ Lincoln Gervais Marysville Nebraska Agassiz British Oregon Ohio 2 Year Columbia 3 Year 5 YearVariety Mean 1 Year Mean Mean Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 6.0 5.5 2.6 2.8A-34 6.2Adelphi 6.1 2.4 2.7AdmiralAmerica 2.5AquilaBanffBaron 5.6Birka 5.9Bonnieblue 5.8Bono 5.2Bristol 5.9 6.1 2.8 2.7Cheri 6.3ColumbiaEclipse 5.8Enmundi 5.9Fylking 6.1GearyGeorgetown 4.9Geronimo 5.1Glade 6.4 2.5Gnome 2.3Kenblue 1.4Melba 5.9Merion 5.9 5.3Merit 6.0 4.9 2.4Midnight 5.9MonopolyMosaMysticNassauNewport 1.4NuggetParade 6.5 2.7Park 5.7 2.1Ram I 5.9RugbySD CommonShastaSydsport 6.3Touchdown 5.9Trampas 5.7Trenton 5.8 2.6Vantage 5.7 2.2 2.6VictaWabash______________________________________ Prince Frederick Somis Marysville Maryland California OhioVariety 4 Year Mean 1 Year Mean 2 Year Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 2.2 2.8 2.3A-34Adelphi 2.4 1.9AdmiralAmericaAquilaBanffBaron 2.4Birka 1.8Bonnieblue 2.3Bono 1.9Bristol 2.3 3.0 2.1CheriColumbia 2.5EclipseEnmundiFylkingGearyGeorgetownGeronimoGlade 2.0Gnome 2.0Kenblue 1.8MelbaMerionMerit 2.3Midnight 2.4MonopolyMosa 2.3MysticNassauNewportNuggetParadePark 2.0Ram I 2.4Rugby 2.2SD CommonShastaSydsport 2.0TouchdownTrampasTrenton 2.4Vantage 2.3Victa 2.3 2.5 2.0Wabash______________________________________ Rating Scale: Larger number indicates higher quality.
In addition, Ba 72-492 tolerates shady growing conditions very well which is an important characteristic that allows an even broader range of use. Comparisons of Ba 72-492 and other varieties for shade performance are found in Table 9 and Table 10.
TABLE 9______________________________________Turf Performance Ratings Under Natural Shade ofBa 72-492 and Other Bluegrass Varieties at Marysville, Ohio Quality 4 Yr Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 2.2 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.5Merion 1.8 1.6 2.0 1.8 1.8Fylking 1.8 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.9A-34 2.0 2.2 2.6 2.7 2.4Park 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0 1.9Newport 1.9 1.7 1.9 2.1 1.9Bristol 1.8 2.1 2.2 1.8 2.0Enmundi 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.5 2.2Bonnieblue 2.0 1.7 2.0 1.7 1.9Touchdown 1.8 2.1 2.1 1.7 1.9Aquila 1.8 1.7 1.7 2.1 1.8Parade 1.8 2.0 2.2 1.8 2.0Victa 2.0 1.5 1.8 2.0 1.8LSD (.05) .46 .47______________________________________ Rated 1-4, 4 = Best
TABLE 10______________________________________Turf Performance Ratings Under Natural Shade of Ba 72-492and Other Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, Oregon______________________________________ QualityYear 1 Year 2 June Aug. Oct. Mean Feb. Sept. Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 3.3 3.2 2.8 3.1 2.5 2.8 2.7Bristol 2.5 2.8 2.3 2.6 3.0 1.7 2.4Gnome 3.5 1.0 1.0 1.8 1.0 0.5 .8Victa 2.8 1.8 1.7 2.1 2.0 1.8 1.9LSD(.05) .97 .97 .63 .95 .96______________________________________ Year 3 Feb. Year 4 May 4 Yr Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 2.2 1.8 2.5Bristol 2.0 2.3 2.3Gnome 1.3 2.3 1.6Victa 1.8 1.0 1.7LSD(.05) .83 .80______________________________________ Rated 1-4, 4 = Best
The new variety has a pleasant medium green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season and widely scattered locations in the U.S.A. and Canada as shown by the comparative test results in Table 11.
TABLE 11______________________________________Comparison of Turf Color of Ba 72-492 and Other BluegrassVarieties at Various Locations in the U.S.A. and Canada.______________________________________ Truro Agassiz St. Louis Nova Winnipeg Lincoln British Missouri Scotia Manitoba Nebraska Columbia 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year 2 Year 1 YearVariety Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 9.2 7.1 7.2 7.0 5.7A-34 6.3 6.5Adelphi 9.4 7.2America 9.4 7.0Aquila 7.3 6.7Baron 9.2 7.3 6.9Birka 9.1 6.7Bonnieblue 7.0Bono 9.0 6.0Bristol 9.5 7.3 7.0Cheri 7.0Eclipse 7.0Enmundi 7.0Fylking 6.8Georgetown 6.2Geronimo 5.8Glade 9.3 7.1Gnome 9.3 7.5KenblueMelba 6.9Merion 6.9 5.7Merit 9.2 7.2 7.0 6.5Midnight 8.1 7.9Mystic 6.5Nassau 7.2NewportNugget 7.3Parade 6.8Park 9.0 6.1Ram I 7.3Rugby 6.8Shasta 7.2Sydsport 9.2 7.0Touchdown 9.0 6.6 6.8Trampas 6.9Vantage 9.2 6.8Victa 9.2 7.5 6.9______________________________________ Prince Gervais Marysville Frederick Somis Oregon Ohio Maryland California 3 Year 4 Year 4 Year 1 YearVariety Mean Mean Mean Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 6.9 7.2 7.6 6.7A-34Adelphi 7.6 7.4America 7.6 6.5AquilaBaronBirka 6.3BonnieblueBono 6.2Bristol 9.3 7.8 8.3 7.6CheriEclipseEnmundiFylking 6.6GeorgetownGeronimoGlade 8.3 8.0 7.0Gnome 7.4Kenblue 6.6 7.2 5.8MelbaMerion 6.9Merit 7.4 7.1 7.4 5.8Midnight 5.5MysticNassauNewport 7.5 7.0 6.0NuggetParadePark 6.8Ram I 7.3Rugby 6.7ShastaSydsport 7.1TouchdownTrampasVantage 6.9 6.8 5.7Victa 7.1 7.1 7.6 6.0______________________________________ Rating Scale: Larger number indicates darker green color.
Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance among locations and years. Comparisons of resistance to leaf spot (also known as melting out and crown rot) caused by Helminthosporium vagans, powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe graminis, rust caused by Puccinia spp., dollarspot caused by Sclerotina homeocarpa, and red thread caused by Corticium fuciform are presented in Tables 12,13,14,15,16 and 17, respectively.
TABLE 12______________________________________Comparison of Leafspot Disease Incidence on Ba 72-492 andOther Bluegrasses at Several Locations in the U.S.A. and______________________________________Canada. Agassiz.sup.c St. Louis.sup.a Beltsville.sup.b Adelphia.sup.b British Missouri Maryland New Jersey Columbia 1 Year 1 Year 1 Year 1 YearVariety Mean Mean Mean Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 3 8.3 6.3 3.0A-34 5.3 4.3Adelphi 2 8.0 5.7America 8Aquila 6.3Banff 5.3 7.0Baron 2 7.0 8.7Birka 5 6.3Bonnieblue 7.0Bono 7 3.0Bristol 2 7.0 8.3 2.3Cheri 6.3Columbia 5.7 6.3Eclipse 7.7 9.0Enmundi 7.0Fylking 6.7 6.3Geary 2.0Georgetown 4.3Geronimo 4.7Glade 2 7.3 6.3Gnome 2 7.0 8.0Kenblue 3.3 1.7Merion 6.3 7.7 3.0Merit 3 7.3 7.7Midnight 7.0 7.0Monopoly 5.3 6.0Nassau 7.7 7.4NewportParade 6.0 5.0Park 52Ram I 6.5 7.0Regent 3.7Rugby 5.0Shasta 6.0Sydsport 3 7.3 6.3Touchdown 7 7.7Trenton 6.0Vantage 7 5.0 2.0Victa 2 8.0 7.0Wabash 2.0LSD (.05) 7 1.9______________________________________ Marysville.sup.1 Marysville.sup.a Gervais.sup.a Oregon Ohio Ohio(Shade)Variety 3 Year Mean 5 Year Mean 1 Year Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 22 4 0A-34Adelphi 46 9America 29 0AquilaBanffBaronBirka 0BonnieblueBonoBristol 8 5 2CheriColumbiaEclipseEnmundiFylkingGearyGeorgetownGeronimoGlade 46 0Gnome 76 0Kenblue 75 67MerionMerit 65MidnightMonopolyNassauNewport 45Parade 10Park 54Ram IRegentRugbyShastaSydsportTouchdown 0TrentonVantage 15Victa 70 7 0WabashLSD (.05) 15 5 4______________________________________ Ratings .sup.a % of turf affected by disease .sup.b 1-9, 9 = least disease .sup.c 1-9, 9 = most disease
TABLE 13______________________________________Comparison of Powdery Mildew Disease Incidence onBa 72-492 and Other Bluegrasses.______________________________________Gervais Natural Shade.sup.b Oregon Marysville Ohio Marysville OhioVariety 1 Year Mean 3 Year Mean 2 Year Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 5 3 5A-34AdelphiAmerica 7Banff 15Birka 2Bristol 3 10 1Eclipse 3Geronimo 40Glade 37 21Gnome 78 61Kenblue 2MerionMonopoly 2MosaNewport 33NuggetParadeParkRugby 15Touchdown 0VantageVicta 35 47 52LSD (.05) 21 16 6______________________________________ Spaced Plants - Sun.sup.b Prince Frederick Maryland Marysville OhioVariety 1 Year Mean 2 Year Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 2 14A-34 2 52Adelphi 12 23AmericaBanffBirkaBristol 1 15EclipseGeronimoGlade 57 8GnomeKenblue 20Merion 12MonopolyMosa 58NewportNugget 5Parade 5Park 15RugbyTouchdownVantage 34Victa 25 14LSD (.05) 13______________________________________ .sup.a Rated 0-9,9 = least disease .sup.b Rated as % of turf affected by disease
TABLE 14______________________________________Comparison of Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis)Disease Incidence on Ba 72-492 and OtherBluegrasses at Adelphia, New Jersey______________________________________ Ba 72-492 7.9 Midnight 7.0 Columbia 6.7 Banff 6.5 Bristol 7.7 Parade 6.2 Monopoly 7.1 Ram I 7.0 Victa 5.6 Merit 5.7 Baron 6.4 Nassau 6.8 Eclipse 4.7 Aquila 6.9 Bonnieblue 5.4 Adelphi 7.1 America 7.4 Vantage 6.2 Touchdown 3.5 Birka 3.5 Merion 2.4 LSD (.05) 0.9______________________________________ Rated 1-9, 9 = No disease
TABLE 15______________________________________Comparison of Rust (Puccinia spp.) DiseaseIncidence on Ba 72-492 and Other Bluegrasses. Unmowed Spaced Turf Gervais.sup.b Plants Aggasiz.sup.a Oregon Marysville.sup.b British Columbia 1 Year OhioVariety 2 Year Mean Mean 2 Year Mean______________________________________Ba 72-492 1.2 2 9A-34 12Adelphi 23 10America 9Bono 2.1Bristol 1.2 6 17Geronimo 1.5Glade 4 11Gnome 13Kenblue 30 23Merion 2.8 16Merit 2.9 8Newport 23Nugget 12Parade 15Park 25Vantage 36Victa 9 14LSD (.05) 12______________________________________ .sup.a Rated 1-9, 9 = most disease .sup.b Rated as % of disease incidence
TABLE 16______________________________________Comparison of Dollarspot Incidenceon Ba 72-492 and Other Bluegrasses. Prince Frederick MarysvilleVariety Maryland Ohio______________________________________Ba 72-492 9 60Adelphi 8 20America 13Baron 50 23Birka 6 47Bonnieblue 10Bono 4 63Bristol 6 17Columbia 10Eclipse 8Glade 40Gnome 22Kenblue 8 37Merit 4Midnight 6Park 33Ram I 40Rugby 12Sydsport 43Touchdown 50Trenton 28Vantage 11 15Victa 5 23Wabash 11LSD (.05) 19 24______________________________________ Rating: % of turf that is affected by disease.
TABLE 17______________________________________Comparison of Red Thread DiseaseIncidence on Ba 72-492 and OtherBluegrasses at Gervais, Oregon. Red Thread______________________________________Ba 72-492 7Victa 10Bristol 0Glade 15Adelphi 0Kenblue 23Newport 3America 2Merit 7Gnome 0LSD (.05) 13______________________________________ Rating: % of turf affected by disease
Tests in Maryland and Ohio indicate that Ba 72-492 is not highly susceptible to stripe smut caused by Ustilago striiformis since some unreleased selections of bluegrass had a high incidence of stripe smut but Ba 72-492 was not affected.
The new variety has a low growth habit and a slower vertical growth rate than many varieties and especially the common type of varieties such as Park, Kenblue and Newport, as indicated by comparisons in Table 18, which should allow it to tolerate lower mowing heights and possibly decrease the total number of mowings per year without sacrificing overall turf performance.
TABLE 18______________________________________Comparison of Growth Habit of Ba 72-492 andOther Bluegrasses at Marysville, Ohio. Test 1 Test 2 Test 3Variety 1 Year Mean.sup.a 2 Year Mean.sup.a 3 Year Mean.sup.b______________________________________Ba 72-492 2.0 1.4 74Adelphi 2.0 2.4America 1.8Baron 1.8Birka 2.0Bono 2.0Bristol 2.0 2.0 74Eclipse 2.0Fylking 93Glade 2.2Gnome 2.0Kenblue 2.9 96Merion 78Merit 84Newport 100Parade 2.2Park 2.9 2.2Sydsport 1.9 72Touchdown 2.0Vantage 2.7 2.0 84Victa 1.9 2.0 77LSD (.05) 0.3 0.5 12______________________________________ .sup.a Rated 1-5, 5 = high growth, 1 = dwarf. .sup.b Rated as height (mm) of turf about one week after last mowing.
The leaf texture of Ba 72-492 is similar to many bluegrass varieties when maintained under mowed turf conditions as the comparisons show in Table 19.
TABLE 19______________________________________Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 72-492 and OtherBluegrasses Under Mowed Turf Conditions. St. Louis Agassiz MarysvilleVariety Missouri British Columbia Ohio______________________________________Ba 72-492 4.0 6.0 5.0Adelphi 5.3America 6.0Baron 4.6Birka 6.0Bono 5.6 6.7Bristol 5.3 7.0 5.0Fylking 5.8Geronimo 5.7Glade 6.0Gnome 4.3Kenblue 5.5Merion 6.3 5.0Merit 4.3 5.0 5.0Newport 5.0Park 6.0Sydsport 5.0 5.0Touchdown 5.0Vantage 6.0 5.3Victa 4.4 4.8LSD (.05) 0.7 0.4______________________________________ Rating: 1-9, 9 = finest texture.
Ba 72-492 has a medium level of seed yielding ability which should make it an economically feasible variety to produce for commercial markets as shown in Table 20.
TABLE 20______________________________________Seed Yield Comparisons of Ba 72-492 and Other BluegrassVarieties in OregonGervais La Grande Year Year Year MadrasVariety 1 2 Mean 1 Year 2 Mean Year 1______________________________________Ba 72-492 585 864 725 1025 846 936 875Ba 72-500 559 757 658 876 857 867 1113Victa 780 1394 1087 1419 1200 1310 1324Newport 435 1256 846Bristol 347 808 578 1089 970 1030Mosa 322 1060 691Julia 296 1016 656 1194Trampas 388LSD (.05) 140 134 149 181 220______________________________________ Ratings: Pounds per acre of conditioned seed.
The low susceptibility of Ba 72-492 to rust and lodging under typical seed field conditions should aid in producing economical seed crops as noted by the comparative results on Table 21.
TABLE 21______________________________________Plant Characteristics of Ba 72-492 and Other Bluegrass Varietiesat Gervais, Oregon Under Seed Production Conditions. Rust Lodging Year 1 Year 1 Year 2______________________________________Ba 72-492 1 2.5 0.2Victa 2 2.0 0Bristol 4 4.0 1Newport 4 4.0 1Mosa 4 2.0 0Julia 4 5.0 4______________________________________ Ratings Rust: 1-4, 4 = very susceptible Lodging: 0-5, 5 = severe lodging
Claims
  • 1. A variety of Kentucky bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized particularly by a high level of resistance to diseases, a desirable green color throughout the growing season, a high quality persistent turf under a wide range of environmental conditions including shady conditions and a medium level of seed yielding capacity.