This invention relates to a new and distinct perennial St. Augustine grass
selected from the progeny of an open pollinated purple stigma diploid
parent Ea611081. This purple stigma genotype was labeled 615866 and
propagated vegetatively by stolons to provide planting stock for studying
performance and making comparisons to present commercial varieties.
Genotype 615866 has a wide leaf blade, a short leaf length, and an
outstanding dark green color. These characteristics along with the rapid
spread, its medium level of flowering shoot production, its good gray
leafspot (Piricularia grisea) resistance, and its cold tolerance can be
used to distinguish 615866 from other St. Augustine grasses.
FIG. 1 is a photograph of 615866 St. Augustine turf showing generally the
characteristics of this new grass;
FIG. 2 shows the leaves and stem of a 615866 St. Augustine grass plant;
FIG. 3 shows a spike of a 615866 St. Augustine grass plant; and
FIG. 4 shows florets of a 615866 St. Augustine grass plant.
Genotype 615866 possesses a Munsell color designation 7.5 GY 4/4 1/
and is characterized by compressed and branched culms. The leaf blades are
relatively short, averaging 44.8 mm. long, but are very coarse, averaging
7.66 mm. wide. These characteristics can be used to distinguish 615866
from both the dwarf and non-dwarf St. Augustine grasses. The average
internode length is 35.0 mm., thus allowing this semi-dwarf to have a
vigorous lateral spread. Genotype 615866 has a purple stigma color and an
unreduced chromosome number of 18.
Total soluble salts measured in micromhos/cm. specific conductance using a
Beckmann Solu-Bridge will allow differentiation between 615866 and other
St. Augustine grasses. The average reading for 615866 was 146.1
micromhos/cm. The chromosome numbers, stigma colors, morphological
measurements of 615866 and other St. Augustine grasses are compared in
Tables 1, 2 and 3.
| Table 1
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| ______________________________________
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| Chromosome Numbers and Stigma Colors
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| of 615866 and other St. Augustine grasses
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| ______________________________________
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| Chromosome Number
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| Stigma
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| Selection/Variety
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| (Unreduced)2
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| Color
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| ______________________________________
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| 615866 18 Purple
|
| 45176 18 "
|
| 73176 18 "
|
| Ea611081 18 "
|
| Floratine 27 "
|
| Bitter Blue 27 "
|
| Texas Common 18 White
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| ______________________________________
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| 1 The Munsell designated color is of plant material grown in the
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| greenhouse. The color is subject to variation depending upon the
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| environmental conditions under which the grass is grown.
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| 2 Chromosome Number determinations made on pollen mother cells.
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| Table 2
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| ______________________________________
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| Comparative Leaf Blade Length, Width and Internode Length
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| for 615866 and Other St. Augustine grasses
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| ______________________________________
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| Leaf Blade Leaf Blade Internode
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| Selection/ Length Width Length
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| Variety (mm.)1 (mm.)2
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| (mm.)3
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| ______________________________________
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| 615866 44.8 ± 11.6
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| 7.66 ± 0.72
|
| 35.0 ± 7.7
|
| 45176 44.2 ± 11.8
|
| 6.04 ± 0.89
|
| 22.8 ± 3.8
|
| 73176 33.4 ± 7.3
|
| 5.86 ± 1.09
|
| 10.8 ± 2.2
|
| Ea611081 78.4 ± 33.3
|
| 7.12 ± 1.38
|
| 36.0 ± 7.4
|
| Floratine 82.8 ± 25.9
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| 7.81 ± 2.46
|
| 36.3 ± 7.3
|
| Bitter Blue
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| 105.2 ± 31.8
|
| 8.55 ± 1.25
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| 38.3 ± 8.7
|
| Texas Common
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| 45.0 ± 16.8
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| 6.48 ± 0.85
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| 34.0 ± 4.2
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| LSD 5% 12.1 .71 4.0
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| ______________________________________
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| 1 All plant material grown unclipped in greenhouse.
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| 2 Measurements recorded 15 millimeters above leaf collar.
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| 3 Measurements recorded between third and fourth internodes.
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| Table 3
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| ______________________________________
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| Specific Conductance Measurements of 615866
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| and Other St. Augustine grasses
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| ______________________________________
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| Specific Conductance
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| Selection/Variety (micromhos/cm.)1
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| ______________________________________
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| 615866 146.1
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| 45176 104.1
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| 73176 107.3
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| Ea611081 132.3
|
| Bitter Blue 190.2
|
| Texas Common 122.8
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| ______________________________________
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| 1 Measurements were made on a six centimeter stem section.
|
The characteristic growth habit can be used to distinguish 615866 from the
dwarf St. Augustine grasses 73176 and 45176, and the more upright growing
types Bitter Blue and Texas Common. In addition, fresh weight clipping
yields can be used to distinguish 615866 from the two dwarf selections and
Ea611081. This information is illustrated in Tables 4 and 5. In Table 6 it
can be seen that the leaf texture of 615866 is similar to that of the
coarser types Bitter Blue and Texas Common thus differentiation in these
cases must be based on the lower growth habit of 615866.
| Table 4
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| ______________________________________
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| Comparative Growth Habit Averages for 615866 and Other
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| St. Augustine grasses at Apopka, Florida, and Katy, Texas
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| ______________________________________
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| Growth Habit1
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| Selection/ Florida Texas Florida
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| Variety 1971 1971 1972
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| ______________________________________
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| 615886 3.4 4.1 3.0
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| 45176 2.6 2.5 2.1
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| 73176 2.4 2.5 1.6
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| Ea611081 3.4 4.0 3.2
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| Bitter Blue 4.4 4.5 3.7
|
| Texas Common
|
| -- -- --
|
| -- -- .2
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| ______________________________________
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| 1 Rating 1 - low growing, 5- upright growing
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| Table 5
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| ______________________________________
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| Fresh weights of Clippings Removed From Plots of 615866
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| and Other St. Augustine grasses
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| ______________________________________
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| Fresh Weights
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| Selection/ (gms/.48m × 1.52 m plot)
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| Variety July August September
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| ______________________________________
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| 615866 24.7 ± 9.1
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| 40.0 ± 15.1
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| 38.3 ± 8.7
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| 45176 6.3 ± 2.1
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| 19.7 ± 10.0
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| 13.7 ± 6.4
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| 73176 3.0 ± 1.7
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| 6.0 ± 3.6
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| 7.7 ± 2.9
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| Ea611081 36.7 ± 12.9
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| 74.0 ± 12.5
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| 45.0 ± 8.2
|
| Bitter Blue
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| 22.3 ± 9.9
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| 43.7 ± 15.3
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| 29.7 ± 4.9
|
| LSD 5% 16.6 21.8 11.0
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| ______________________________________
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| Table 6
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| ______________________________________
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| Comparative Texture Averages for 615866 and Other St.
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| Augustine grasses at Apopka, Florida, and Katy, Texas
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| ______________________________________
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| Texture1
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| Selection/ Florida Texas Florida
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| Variety 1971 1971 1972
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| ______________________________________
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| 615866 1.9 1.7 2.3
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| 45176 2.7 2.1 3.0
|
| 73176 2.9 2.5 3.1
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| Ea611081 1.7 2.0 2.3
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| Bitter Blue 1.4 1.5 2.0
|
| Texas Common
|
| -- 1.1 --
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| LSD 5% -- -- .2
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| ______________________________________
|
Genotype 615866 has an outstanding dark green color and a medium level of
flowering shoot production. Field observations have shown that 615866 has
the fastest rate of cover of any St. Augustine grass tested including
Ea611081. The observations of color and rate of cover used in combination
can allow distinction of 615866 from Ea611081. This information is
illustrated in Tables 7, 8 and 9.
| Table 7
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| ______________________________________
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| Comparative Color Averages for 615866 and Other St.
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| Augustine grasses at Apopka, Florida, and Katy, Texas
|
| ______________________________________
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| Color1
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| Selection/ Florida Texas Florida
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| Variety 1971 1971 1972
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| ______________________________________
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| 615866 9.4 8.9 8.0
|
| 45176 8.7 9.3 7.9
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| 73176 8.9 9.3 8.1
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| Ea611081 8.7 8.7 7.8
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| Bitter Blue 9.1 8.7 7.8
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| Texas Common
|
| -- 8.8 --
|
| LSD 5% -- -- .2
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| ______________________________________
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| 1 Rating 1 - lightest green, 10 - darkest green
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| Table 8
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| ______________________________________
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| Comparative Ratings of Average Flowering Shoot Production
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| of 615866 and Other St. Augustine grasses at Apopka,
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| Florida, and Katy, Texas
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| ______________________________________
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| Average Flowering Shoot Production1
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| Selection Texas Florida
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| Variety 9/17/71 6/15/72
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| ______________________________________
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| 615966 1 2.3
|
| 45176 3 2.3
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| 73176 0 .7
|
| Ea611081 0 2.0
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| Bitter Blue 0 1.3 -Texas Common 3 --
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| LSD 10% -- 1.0
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| ______________________________________
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| 1 Rating 0 - no flowering shoot production, 5 - heavy flowering shoo
|
| production.
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| Table 9
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| ______________________________________
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| Relative Comparison of Percent Turf Cover of 615866 and
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| Other St. Augustine grasses at Apcpka, Florida
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| ______________________________________
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| Selection/
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| Average Percent Area Covered1
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| Variety 2/15/72 4/3/72 5/1/72
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| ______________________________________
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| 615866 53 60 97 100
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| 45176 37 47 60 93
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| 73176 40 47 67 93
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| Ea611081 57 60 87 97
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| Bitter Blue
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| 47 53 70 97
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| LSD 5% 8 10 15 N.S.
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| ______________________________________
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| 1 Initial planting made 12/1/71
|
Genotype 615866 has a lower percent gray leafspot (Piricularia grisea)
infestation throughout the whole year than any selection other than the
very leafspot resistant dwarf 73176. This observation can be used to
distinguish 615866 from other less resistant selections such as Bitter
Blue and Texas Common. This information is given in Table 10.
| Table 10
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| __________________________________________________________________________
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| Comparative Gray Leafspot (Piricularia Grisea) Resistance of
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| 7615866 and Other St. Augustine grasses at Apopka, Florida and
|
| Katy, Texas.
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| __________________________________________________________________________
|
| Percent Gray Leafspot
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| Selection/
|
| Florida
|
| Texas
|
| Variety 6/28/71
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| 4/31/71
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| 6/29/71
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| 7/31/71
|
| 9/2/71
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| 9/17/71
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| __________________________________________________________________________
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| 615866 20 10 10 10 10 0
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| 45176 20 20 30 10 20 30
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| 73176 20 10 20 10 5 0
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| Ea611081
|
| 20 10 30 20 10 30
|
| Bitter Blue
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| 40 90 10 10 10 20
|
| Texas Common
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| -- 10 60 20 30 20
|
| __________________________________________________________________________
|
The cold tolerance of 615866 and other St. Augustine grasses is shown in
Table 11. The cold tolerance of this genotype allows differentiation from
other less tolerant St. Augustine grasses under sub-zero (centigrade)
stress.
| Table 11
|
| ______________________________________
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| Comparative Cold Damage from Below Zero (centigrade)
|
| Temperature of 615866 and Other St. Augustine grasses in
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| Apopka, Florida and Katy, Texas
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| ______________________________________
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| Percent Cold Damage1
|
| Selection/ Texas Florida 1973
|
| Variety 1972 Test - A2
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| Test - B3
|
| ______________________________________
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| 615866 0 5 27.5
|
| 45176 95 60 47.5
|
| 73176 99 40 35.0
|
| Ea611081 99 15 50.0
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| Bitter Blue 20 5 52.5
|
| Texas Common
|
| 0 -- --
|
| ______________________________________
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| 1 Cold damage as measured by percent stolons killed.
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| 2 Test - A, Two year old sod.
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| 3 Test - B, One year old sod.
|
Long, John A., Riordan, Terrance P., Gruis, Jake T.
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