Registration of ‘Hammock’ Centipedegrass

‘Hammock’ (Reg. No. CV‐264, PI 652949) centipedegrass [ Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack] was developed at the Everglades Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Belle Glade, FL and initially approved for release in 2006. A plant patent was filed in 2008, and U.S. Patent PP20,812 was issued in 2010. Hammock was tested in Florida under the experimental designation of BA‐417 and also patented under this name. The purpose of this breeding program was to identify, select, and develop a centipedegrass that would be acceptable as a regional cultivar in the subtropical and tropical climates of Florida. This cultivar originated as an open‐pollinated progeny selected and identified as a unique and distinctly different vegetative phenotype growing in a planting of an unimproved population of centipedegrasses typically known throughout the southern U.S. turf industry as common centipedegrass. Hammock was selected for a more compact leaf structure with consistent canopy structure, uniformity, and quality and for its faster rate of crop establishment and ground coverage. Hammock produced leaves that were 13.9% shorter than Centennial and 22.2% shorter than the common centipedegrass standards. It also received significantly higher summer‐quality ratings, presented acceptable color ratings, and generally produced narrower leaves than the standard cultivars. Hammock established full ground coverage and closed canopy 1 mo earlier than the standard cultivars, but this was site dependent, and differences in seasonal patterns were evident.