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Left: The photo shows nine new cultivars that came from the initial breeding work done at Texas Tech with centipedegrass. All of the plants were grown in a soil with a pH of 8.2. The picture was taken three months after germination. The plants that are green are responding favorably to the high soil pH, while the yellow plants are not tolerant to the high soil pH. The green plants will be entered into the centipedegrass breeding program for creation of new cultivars.
agement. Its research focuses on ident i f ying and breeding improved tur fgrass variet ies, enhancing tur fgrass establ ishment , and develop- ing best management pract ices for key tur fgrass pests. Several years are invested into the ident i f ication, collection, and evaluation of turf- grass germplasm through tradi t ional breeding methods.
Turf Grass Research T
By Gerald Henry, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Turfgrass Science, Texas Tech University
he Tur fgrass Science program at Texas Tech Universi t y in Lub- bock, Texas dedicates itself to providing local and statewide support for golf course, athlet ic field, and home lawn turf man-
Centipedegrass Centipedegrass is a warm-season grass
commonly used for home lawns and roadsides throughout the southeastern U.S. from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas. It typically requires less mowing, nitrogen, irrigation, and pest management practices compared to other warm-season turfgrass species.
Limitations to the widespread use of cen-
tipedegrass include low tolerance to high soil pH and cold temperatures. Collaborative research with the University of Georgia and Dr. Brian Schwartz over the past few years has been dedicated to the genetic improve- ment of centipedegrass through the evalua- tion of seed collected in central and southern China in the fall of 1999. Several new variet-
ies adapted to high soil pH and low tempera- tures have been identified and are currently entered into the breeding efforts to create im- proved centipede-grass cultivars. Once these new cultivars are back-crossed with older cultivars that contain desirable traits, they will eventually be given a name. It can take another five years before some of these new cultivars become commercially available.
Heat, Drought and Salt-Tolerant Tall Fescue Collaborative research with Rutgers Uni-
versity and Dr. Bill Meyer over the past four years has focused on the identification of tall fescue varieties that are heat, drought, and salt tolerant. Most of these experimen- tal lines also exhibit rhizomatous growth, which aids in recovery from wear/stress and reduces the need for annual reseeding to maintain a dense stand of turf. Research plots subjected to three consec-
utive months of drought this past summer yielded several new tall fescue varieties that will be entered into the breeding program at Rutgers University in the years to come. Similar to the centipedegrass work, these cultivars are also denoted as experimental lines. It can take another five years before some of these new cultivars become com- mercially available.
Enhanced Turfgrass Establishment Choosing the proper turfgrass variety is only the first step in creating a healthy stand of turf.
Above: Cores of bermudagrass were removed from research plots to test products to enhance establishment. The two cores on the left were removed from plots treated with a typical starter fertilizer (5-5-5), while the two plugs on the right were removed from plots treated with a typical starter fertilizer (5-5-5) + humic/ fulvic acid + calcium lignosulfonate. The two plugs on the right had a 30-percent increase in rooting mass three months after seeding.
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Seedlings and immature plants are often more susceptible to environmental stresses since they don't have extensive root systems and can't easily obtain water and nutrients. Reseach indicates that amending the soil with products containing extracted humic/fulvic acid, calcium ligno- sulfonate, seaweed extracts, and microbial inoculants may enhance seed germination, improve nutrient absorption, and increase root penetration. Research at Texas Tech University with humic/fulvic acid and calcium lignosulfonate yielded a 30-percent increase in rooting mass of bermudagrass grown from seed and plugs during the first few weeks of establishment.
Seaweed Extracts In other research, combining traditional starter fertilizers with seaweed extracts increased
turf roots 23 to 37 percent compared to fertilizer alone after four months of growth. Tierra Resources International, Inc. offers the commercial products that contain humic/fulvic acid. The commercial products that contain calcium lignosulfonate came from Tierra Resources International, Inc. The commercial products that contain seaweed extracts came from Sus- tane Natural Products.