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Tolerance and Recovery of Kentucky Bluegrass Subjected to Seasonal Wear
Author(s) -
Park Bradley S.,
Lawson T. J.,
Samaranayake Hiranthi,
Murphy James A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2009.09.0479
Subject(s) - poa pratensis , cultivar , biology , loam , agronomy , spring (device) , horticulture , poaceae , ecology , engineering , soil water , mechanical engineering
Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis L.) is frequently established on sports fields that receive wear during one or more seasons. Differences exist among Kentucky bluegrass cultivars for seasonal performance characteristics such as spring green‐up and summer stress tolerance. The objective of this study was to determine whether the wear tolerance and recovery of Kentucky bluegrass cultivars were dependent on season. Twenty‐two Kentucky bluegrass cultivars, representing nine genetically diverse Kentucky bluegrass types, were established in September 2002 in North Brunswick, NJ on a loam. The effects of simulated wear were evaluated during spring, summer, and fall in 2004 and 2005. Generally, Kentucky bluegrass was more tolerant of wear during spring than summer or fall and recovery was more rapid after spring wear. The performance of many cultivars depended on season of wear; however, ‘Julia’ consistently exhibited the greatest wear tolerance as well as recovery. Compact‐Midnight Type cultivars (‘Midnight’, ‘Midnight II’, and ‘Liberator’) had good wear tolerance during fall wear, however were slow to recover after fall wear. ‘Cabernet’, ‘Lakeshore’, ‘Moon Shadow’, ‘Limousine’, and ‘Jefferson’ exhibited more rapid recovery from fall wear during the next spring. ‘Langara’, ‘Bedazzled’, and ‘Touchdown’ had poor wear tolerance and recovery during all seasons. The season(s) of play should be considered when selecting Kentucky bluegrass cultivars for sports fields.