648-2 Bermudagrass Cultivars Differ in Their Traffic Tolerance.

See more from this Division: C05 Turfgrass Science
See more from this Session: Graduate Student Oral Competition: Breeding and Genetics

Tuesday, 7 October 2008: 1:15 PM
George R. Brown Convention Center, 382AB

Jon Trappe1, Aaron Patton1, Michael Richardson1 and Freddie Waltz2, (1)Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
(2)1109 Experiment St., Univ. of Georgia, Griffin, GA
Abstract:

Bermudagrass is the most widely used turfgrass species for golf courses and sports fields in the southern U.S. and transition zone. Continuous trafficking from play or equipment can reduce bermudagrass coverage and turf quality. This study evaluated 42 bermudagrass cultivars (30 commercially available cultivars, 12 experimental lines) for their traffic tolerance. Traffic was applied for a four week period in summer and fall with a Cady traffic simulator in Fayetteville, AR to determine differences in traffic tolerance. A similar study was also conducted in the fall of 2007 in Griffin, GA, using a Brinkman traffic simulator. In Arkansas, seventeen commercially available cultivars were rated highest in summer traffic tolerance including ‘Barbados’, ‘Contessa’, ‘Midlawn’, ‘Panama’, ‘Patriot’, ‘Princess 77’, ‘Riviera’, ‘Sovereign’, ‘Sultan’, ‘Sunbird’, ‘Sunsport’, ‘Southern Star’, ‘Sundevil II’, ‘Tifsport’, ‘Transcontinental’, ‘Veracruz’, and ‘Yukon’. The commercially available cultivars ‘Arizona Common’, ‘Ashmore’, and ‘Aussie Green’ were found to have poor traffic tolerance. This study demonstrates that a range of traffic tolerance exists among currently-available bermudagrass cultivars

See more from this Division: C05 Turfgrass Science
See more from this Session: Graduate Student Oral Competition: Breeding and Genetics