UTILIZING IMPROVED SEEDED BERMUDAGRASSES ON TRANSITION-ZONE SPORTS FIELDS

Several new improved seeded bermudagrass cultivars have been released in recent years and there is much interest in the turfgrass industry in applying these cultivars to high-maintenance sports turf situations. One of the major questions that has been raised concerning seeded cultivars is the cold tolerance of these cultivars, especially during the establishment period. Studies were conducted to determine the effects of seeding date and cultivar on the establishment and cold tolerance of seeded bermudagrass in a transition-zone environment. During the 2000 and 2001 growing seasons, six seeded bermudagrass cultivars, ‘Yukon’, ‘Princess’, ‘Jackpot’, ‘Mirage’, ‘Numex Sahara’, and ‘Mohawk’, were established on 15 April, 15 May, 15 June, and 15 July. During the winter following establishment, two, 60 mm plugs were pulled from each plot and the turf was analyzed for morphological characteristics, including rhizome density, stolon density, and weight per stolon. In addition, turfgrass recovery from winter injury was evaluated in the spring following establishment. The major finding of this study was that early planting dates (April and May) yield great winter recovery and more fully developed stolons than late planting dates. In addition, the cultivar Yukon exhibited excellent recovery from winter injury at all seeding dates and had earlier spring green-up than other cultivars.