Wednesday, November 7, 2007
268-1
The Effect of Blue fescue Overseeding on Buffalograss Genotype Turfgrass Performance.
Buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.] use as a turf is limited by its dormancy in early spring and late fall and lack of green color during these times. This native turfgrass has excellent stress tolerance and requires minimum inputs of water and nutrients, and shouldn’t be compromised by its warm-season turfgrass characteristics. Research was conducted to determine the effect of blue fescue overseeding rates on buffalograss genotype turfgrass performance. Eight buffalograss genotypes were overseeded with three blue fescue seeding rates, and were tested in a split plot design with three replications. Significant differences were observed between years, seeding rates, and genotypes for most traits. Most interactions were non-significant so main effects are reported here. Differences between the control and the seeding rates demonstrated that overseeding blue fescue in buffalograss enhanced the overall spring green-up, turfgrass color, stand density, species plant count and turfgrass quality of the mixture. The effects were more pronounced in late autumn and early spring, when buffalograss plants were entering dormancy or beginning to green-up. The 5 gm-2 overseeding rate resulted in significant green color retention in the autumn and turfgrass quality enhancement over the control with less species competition and seed demand. Legacy had the highest overall performance. Buffalograss genotype overseeded with blue fescue determines the overall turf performance of the mixture. This study indicates overseeding blue fescue on established buffalograss turfs enhanced the overall turfgrass performance.
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