seed research of oregon seed technology camp 2006

Improving Turfgrass Through Research

Seed Research of OregonSeed Technology Camp 2006

WELCOME!!

Ken May


Fine Fescue Family

• Fine Fescues are the unsung heroes of the turf grass industry– Very fine texture

– Shade tolerant

– Slow growing

– Low fertility requirements

– Low moisture requirements


Fine Fescue Family

• Fine Fescues –What kinds?– Chewings Fescue

– Creeping Red Fescue• Slender Creeper

• Strong Creeper

– Hard Fescue

– Blue Fescue


Fine Fescue-Why?

• High stress tolerance - significant improvements

• Use for low maintenance turf alone or as major percentage in blend

• Improved cultivars allow use as high quality turf

• All endophyte enhanced

• Not just for shade mixtures

• Develop mixtures and actively promote improvements


Fine Fescue Performance

• Low maintenance fairway trials - WI, MN, IL– Colonial bentgrass + fine fescues– Fine fescues mixtures– Individual fine fescue cultivars– Organic and synthetic fertilizers– No irrigation, wear applied

• Highest quality improved Chewings, Mixture of improved cultivars of fine fescues

• Fine fescues better under drought• Organic maintained higher fine fescue, faster divot recovery

with synthetic


Chewings Fescue

• Strengths

– Rapid germination - close to perennial ryegrass

– Winter-active growth

– Heat tolerance - improved cultivars

– Tolerant of low height of cut - most improved cultivars

– Recent studies on low maintenance fairways in WI, MN and IL showed highest performance by Chewings

– WI NTEP Fairway Trials with wear applied Chewings fescue was highest ranked

– Good summer patch, leaf spot resistance


Chewings Fescue

Comparison of fine fescue with Penncross creeping bentgrass in fairway under drought conditions WI

Dr. Gwen Stahnke - Washington State University Puyallup, WA Dr. Leah A. Brilman - Seed Research of Oregon


Chewings Fescue

• Where to use

– Fairways - Northern United States, PNW, Coastal CA

– Fairways - Overseeding blends with perennial ryegrass

– Roughs - Northern through transition zone.

• How to use

– With all bentgrasses for divot repair or greens repair

– Low maintenance fairways

– Roughs - shaded, ornamental seedheads

– Overseeding blends - better transition, fine textured

– In blends with Kentucky bluegrass for fairways/roughs


SR 5130 (SRX 51G) Chewings

• Active summer growth - heat tolerance

• Excellent resistance to summer patch, leaf spot, and dollar spot

• Excellent turf quality under high, medium and low maintenance

• Best density in stress sites

• High seed yields


Slender Creeping Red Fescue

• Strengths

– High salt tolerance

– Resistance to rapid blight

– Short rhizomes for repair

– Tolerant of short cutting heights for fairways

– Improved ones with high heat tolerance

– Excellent fall, winter and spring color

– Extensively used in Europe for fairways . European types have less heat tolerance, higher density, low seed yields.

– Short growing height


Slender Creeping Red Fescue• Where to use

– Fairways - areas with salt problems overseeding blends and permanent turf in cool season areas

– Greens and tees for overseeding in salt areas - used for permanent greens in UK

– Roughs - mown and unmown.

– Important component in links style blends

– Besides parking lots, roadways where salt is used

• How to use

– Blends with other fine fescues, colonial bentgrass, bluegrass and perennial ryegrass


Dawson slender creeping red fescue Perennial ryegrass


SRX 55R Slender creeping red

• Highest fine fescue in Central valley of CA - high heat tolerance

• Excellent resistance to summer patch, leaf spot, and dollar spot

• High salt tolerance - parental lines found growing at edge of ocean

• Great fairway and low maintenance grass

• High endophyte - natural infection

• High seed yields


Strong Creeping Red Fescue

• Strengths

– Long rhizomes for rapid repair

– New cultivars show excellent heat tolerance

– New cultivars tolerate mowing at 1/2 inch with wear

– New cultivars have high summer patch resistance

– Very compatible in blends with Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescues and colonial bentgrass

– Quick germination


SR5250 (SRX 52961) Strong Creeping Red

• Highest heat and drought tolerance

Maintained stand OK and Central Valley of CA

• High performance wear and low cutting WI

• Excellent turf quality under high, medium and low maintenance

• Excellent resistance to summer patch, leaf spot and dollar spot

• Will persist in all blends, all locations without overdominating stand


Hard Fescue• Strengths

– Very drought tolerant

– Excellent performance in dry shade, under trees

– New cultivars improved summer patch resistance - can be used in fairways

– Slow growth

– Low fertility requirement

– Lower growing ornamental seedhead for roughs


SR 3150 Hard Fescue

• SRX 3961 last NTEP

• High summer patch resistance

• Tolerates wear and low height of cut in WI

• Very shade tolerant

• High turf quality with no irrigation

• High turf quality at all management levels

• Very high summer heat and drought resistance


SR 3210 Blue Fescue

• Blue-green color- all plants blue color

• Very drought tolerant

• Excellent shade tolerance

• Grows in area of dry shade

• Requires little or no fertility

• Great for low maintenance sites

• Uses: Home lawns, roadsides, ornamental plantings, wildflower areas, roughs


Why overseed with different species?

• Use mixtures for genetic diversity

• Resistance to diseases and stresses

• Color contrast

• Improved transition

• Improved quality

• Smaller seeds

• Potential cost savings


Labyrinthula (Rapid Blight) on Poa trivialis in SC

Why overseed with different species?


Fine fescues - Overseeding

• Very fine with stiff texture• Good wear tolerance • Winter-active growth • Improved transition with high quality• Rapid germination - Chewings and red• Resistance to Rapid Blight fungus• Medium seed size


Fine fescues - Overseeding

• High salt tolerance• Color and texture contrast• Increase genetic diversity of mixtures• Mixtures with perennial ryegrass,

bentgrasses, Poa Trivialis• Seeding rates (alone) - Do not mow too soon • Greens 25 - 30 lbs./1000 sq. ft. • Tees 20-25 lbs./1000 sq. ft.• Fairways 10-15 lbs./1000 sq.ft. - Excellent


Outlook for 2006-7

*Anticipate average yields, but low carryover and strong demand will keep the fine fescues in tight supply.

*Limited supply of the newer varieties.

-SR 5250 strong creeper

-SRx55R slender creeper-(very limited)

-SR 5130 Chewings fescue

-SR 3210 blue fescue

-SR 3150 hard fescue

*Prices should remain firm with some potential upside. Canadian creeper prices are up.

seed research of oregon seed technology camp 2006

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