DETERMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS ON AGROSTIS STOLONIFERA AND POA ANNUA

Opinions differ greatly as to whether Poa annua is a turf-grass or a weed.
In many golf courses, it is the turf of choice on golf greens, because of its persistence and tolerance to intensive use and management.
Apart from this, no successful method has been found to control or totally eradicate it from turf.
A study was undertaken between June and October 2006 to determine if the application of three plant growth regulators [trinexapac-ethyl (moddus and primo maxx and mefluidide (embark lite)] affected the growth of Agrostis stolonifera and Poa annua managed under glasshouse conditions.
The former two were each applied at 0.025 L ha^-1 and 0.05 L ha^-1. Embark lite was applied at 0.408 L ha^-1 and 0.204 L ha^-1 at four week intervals.
Mefluidide was phytotoxic to and significantly decreased clipping yield for both grass species.
Seedhead numbers on Poa annua were also significantly reduced.
Moddus at both rates and primo maxx at the full one reduced clipping yield of Poa annua to a greater extent than for Agrostis stolonifera suggesting that its application to an Agrostis sward could give it a competitive advantage over established Poa annua grass.
This may show it has promise for reducing established Poa annua in golf greens or ensures that Agrostis stolonifera is better able to compete against Poa annua ingress during the grow-in of new golf greens.
The varying effects that primo maxx had on the root development of both species may also increase the competitive advantage of Agrostis stolonifera especially under drought conditions.

XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Advances in Ornamentals, Landscape and Urban Horticulture

G. McMahon , A. Hunter

growth suppression, mefluidide, trinexapac-ethyl, turf

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.937.19