Turfgrass Species

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Turfgrass Species
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Family Gramineae or Poaceae

• Six Subfamilies
• 25 Tribes
• 600 Genera
• 7500 species

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Subfamilies

• Pooideae
• Chloridoideae
• Panicoideae

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Cool Season Turfgrasses

• Belong to Pooid Subfamily
• Optimum temp range of 60 75 F
• Environmental adaptation limited by intensity and
  duration of seasonal heat and drought stress

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Warm Season Turfgrasses

• Belong to Chloridoid and Panicoid Subfamilies
• Optimum temp range of 80- 95 F
• Limited in their poleward adaptation by the
  intensity and duration of cold temperatures

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Climatic Adaptation

• Tropical
• Subtropical
• Temperate
• Subarctic
• Polar
• Dry

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Characterization of Turfgrasses

• Identified by Latin binomials
• Eg. Poa trivialis
• Poa genus and trivialis is the species or
  specific epithet referring to a distinctive
  feature of the species. Trivialis common or
  ordinary
• Other examples
• Arudninaceus reedlike
• Capillaris hairlike
• Rubra red
• Perenne perennial

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Pooideae Subfamily

• Cool season grasses
• Temperate and subarctic, sometimes subtropical
  climates
• Usually long day plants, must have cool nights
  preceded by vernalization
• Inflorescences usually panicles, occasionally
  racemes and spikes
• Carbon fixation via C3 (Calvin) Cycle

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Poeae Tribe

• Major genera
• Festuca
• Poa
• Lolium
• Minor genera
• Bromus
• Cynosurus
• Puccinella

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Fescues (Festuca L.)

• Fine fescue
• Red fescue complex F. rubra
• Sheep fescue complex F. ovina
• Coarse fescue complex
• Tall fescue F. arundinaceae
• Meadow fescue F. elatior

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Red Fescue Complex

• Strong creeping red fescue
• Festuca rubra L. ssp. rubra
• Slender creeping red fescue
• Festuca rubra L. ssp. Litoralis
• Chewings fescue
• Festuca rubra L. ssp. comutata

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Festuca rubra L. ssp. RubraStrong Creeping Red
Fescue

• Vernation - folded
• Ligule membranous, .5 mm
• Auricles absent
• Long rhizomes, open turf, compatible w/other cool
  season turf
• Adaptation and use moderately shaded, droughty
  infertile acid soils. Intolerant of wet
  conditions and high fertility. Seed mixes w/Ky
  blue, overseeding
• Cultural intensity Low to moderate, MH 1.5-2,
  2 N /1000 ft2/yr
• Cultivars Aberdeen, Boreal, Fortress, Inverness,
  Ruby, Shademaster
• Endophytes Neotyphodium and Epichloe spp.

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Festuca rubra L. ssp. LitoralisSlender Creeping
Red Fescue

• Forms dense turf w/short slender rhizomes,
  otherwise similar to strong creeping red fescue
• Adaptation and use similar to scrf
• Cultural intensity similar to scrf
• Cultivars Dawson Elfin, Seabreeze
• Endophytes also included

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Festuca rubra L. ssp. ComutataChewings Fescue

• Non creeping bunch type grass, otherwise similar
  to crf
• Adaptation And use forms denser turf, mowing ht,
  1.5 2. Less tolerant of temp. extremes than
  crf
• Cultural intensity similar to scrf
• Cultivars Jamestown II, Shadow, Shilouette
• Endophytes also included

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Strong Creeping Red Fescue Sod
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Festuca ovina L. ssp. HirtulaSheep fescue

• Non creeping bunch type grass
• Vernation folded
• Ligule membranous, 3 mm, rounded
• Auricles absent
• Adaptation and use well drained, droughty, sandy
  or gravely acid soils. Use for soil
  stabilization
• Cultural intensity low
• cultivars Bighorn, Career, Quatro

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Festuca arundinaceaTall Fescue

• Coarse bunch type grass used in utility turf
• Vernation rolled
• Ligule membranous 0.4-1.2 mm truncated
• Auricles short, blunt, pubescent
• Adaptation and use wide range of conditions.
  Heat and drought tolerance good for a cool season
  grass. Cold tolerance relatively poor
• Cultural intensity low to moderate, MH 1.5 2

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Tall Fescue Cultivars

• Forage types
• Alta
• Kentucky 31
• Improved turf types
• Rebel (first to exhibit finer texture, density
  and deeper green color, improved persistence
  under close mowing and greater disease
  resistance)
• Falcon
• Olympic

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Tall Fescue Cultivars

• Dwarf types
• Trailblazer (first
• Bonsai
• Matador
• Intermediate types
• Millenium
• Plantation
• Rembrandt
• (endophytes included)

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