St. Augustine grass `6-72-182`
A perennial St. Augustine grass with yellow anthers and white stigmas having very good turf performance, good cold tolerance, short internodes and leaves and good resistance to gray leaf spot.
Latest The O. M. Scott & Sons Company Patents:
A St. Augustine grass which has been named "Seville" was disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,097, which issued on Sept. 6, 1977. Another St. Augustine grass which has been named "Delmar" was disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. application Ser. No. 893,960, filed Aug. 7, 1986. A further St. Augustine grass designated 6-72-130 is disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. application Ser. No. 07/185,524, filed or even date herewith.
SUMMARY OF THE VARIETYThe present invention relates to a new and distinct perennial St. Augustine grass selected from the progeny of a controlled pollination of a cold tolerant selection obtained from Memphis, Tenn. with the pollen of Seville. This yellow anther, white stigma genotype was labeled 6-72-182 and propagated vegetatively by stolons to provide planting stock for studying performance and making comparisons to present commercial varieties.
The combination of yellow anthers, white stigma, short and thin internodes, short leaf blades, good cold tolerance, a low tendency for purple stems, good resistance to gray leaf spot and very good turf quality of 6-72-182 along with other information allow this genotype to be distinguished from other St. Augustine grasses.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGFIG. 1 is a photograph of 6-72-182 St. Augustine turf;
FIG. 2 shows a single spike of a 6-72-182 St. Augustine grass plant depicting yellow anthers and white stigmas protruding from several spikelets; and
FIG. 3 is a photograph of a vegetative stolon of 6-72-182 St. Augustine grass.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETYGenotype 6-72-182 has a yellow anther color, a white stigma color, and an unreduced chromosome number of 18. The internodes and leaf blades are shorter than most other St. Augustine varieties. The combination of shorter internodes and leaf blades along with narrower than average leaf blades results in a turf that is generally more dense, finer textured and produces fewer clippings when mowed. Measurements of the spike and related structures indicate that 6-72-182 has a shorter and narrower spike, a peduncle that is shorter than average and thinner than most varieties, a shorter and narrower flag leaf and a shorter flag leaf sheath than most varieties of St. Augustine grass. The chromosome numbers, anther and stigma color and morphological measurements of 6-72-182 and other St. Augustine grasses are compared in Tables 1-4.
TABLE 1
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Chromosome numbers, anther color, and stigma color of 6-72-182
and other St. Augustine grasses
Chromosome Anther Stigma
Selection/Variety
Number Color Color
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6-72-182 18 Yellow White
6-72-130 18 Purple Purple
Bitterblue 27 Yellow Purple
Delmar 18 Yellow White
Floratam 27 Yellow Purple
Floratine 27 Yellow Purple
Raleigh 18 Yellow White
Seville 18 Yellow Purple
Texas Common 18 Yellow White
California Common
18 Yellow White
1081 18 Purple Purple
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TABLE 2
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Comparative measurements of internode length and thickness of
6-72-182 and other St. Augustine grasses.
Internode.sup.(a)
Diameter (mm).sup.(b)
Selection/Variety
Length (cm)
Longest Shortest
Flat.sup.(c)
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6-72-182 4.8 2.8 2.2 1.32
6-72-130 5.6 2.7 1.9 1.44
Bitterblue 6.9 2.7 2.1 1.30
Delmar 5.7 3.5 2.6 1.35
Floratam 7.5 3.2 2.5 1.25
Floratine 5.8 2.7 2.2 1.30
Raleigh 7.0 3.2 2.5 1.27
Seville 6.8 2.7 2.2 1.25
Texas Common
6.2 3.0 2.2 1.35
California Common
4.2 2.4 2.0 1.22
1081 7.3 2.8 2.0 1.38
LSD (.05) 1.15 0.24 0.27 0.091
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.sup.(a) Greenhouse planting at Marysville, Ohio. Measurements taken on
unclipped potted plants using third internode from terminal end of stolon
.sup.(b) Diameter measurements taken at the approximate center of the
internode which has an elliptical shaped cross section.
.sup.(c) Flatness index equals longest axis divided by shortest axis. A
larger flatness index indicates a flatter shaped stem.
TABLE 3
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Comparative Leaf Blade Length, Width and Sheath Length of
6-72-182 and other St. Augustine grasses.sup.(a).
Blade Length (cm)
Blade Sheath
High.sup.(b)
Low.sup.(c)
Width.sup.(b)
Length.sup.(b)
Selection/Variety
Light Light (cm) (cm)
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6-72-182 5.3 13.7 1.5 2.3
6-72-130 5.2 14.8 1.3 2.7
Delmar 7.3 16.7 1.8 3.3
Bitterblue 7.4 17.5 1.5 2.8
Floratam 10.1 27.2 1.7 4.5
Floratine 8.6 16.3 1.4 3.2
Raleigh 7.8 13.8 1.7 3.7
Seville 6.9 18.4 1.4 2.9
Texas Common 8.1 16.6 1.7 3.6
California Common
3.8 11.8 1.2 2.2
1081 7.8 15.2 1.5 3.2
LSD (.05) 2.03 3.25 0.17 0.71
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.sup.(a) Greenhouse Planting Marysville, Ohio. Measurements taken on
unclipped potted plants.
.sup.(b) After a period of natural sunlight and a high level supplemental
light.
.sup.(c) After a lengthy period of very cloudy conditions and no
supplemental light.
TABLE 4
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Comparative measurements of the inflorescence and related
structures of 6-72-182 and other St. Augustine grasses.sup.(a).
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Spike Peduncle
Length Width Length Width
Selection/Variety
(mm) (mm) (mm) (mm)
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6-72-182 60 4.3 52 1.6
6-72-130 56 4.8 41 1.7
Delmar 93 5.3 68 2.1
Bitterblue 78 5.6 61 2.2
Floratam 96 5.9 83 2.4
Floratine 74 5.8 48 2.3
Raleigh 72 5.8 62 2.2
Seville 71 4.9 50 1.9
Texas Common 68 4.9 42 1.9
1081 78 5.2 60 1.9
LSD (.05) 10.0 .64 18.3 0.28
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Flag Leaf Flag Leaf Sheath
Length Width Length
Selection/Variety
(mm) (mm) (mm)
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6-72-182 16 6.0 30
6-72-130 30 5.9 31
Delmar 21 6.7 46
Bitterblue 22 6.4 44
Floratam 35 6.3 46
Floratine 27 7.2 39
Raleigh 25 7.5 42
Seville 15 5.8 38
Texas Common 29 7.1 39
1081 25 6.3 39
LSD (.05) 12.4 1.08 6.7
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.sup.(a) Greenhouse planting Marysville, Ohio.
Field observations of 6-72-182 indicate that it has very good turf quality characteristics throughout the year and across the area of the United States where St. Augustine grass is adapted. It performs especially well in the Florida climate. Although it performs best during the hotter summer months, it has good cold tolerance and performs better during the winter months than most readily available commercial varieties. These characteristics of 6-72-182 as compared with other St. Augustine grasses for turf quality and cold injury are illustrated in Tables 5-7.
TABLE 5
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Comparative turf quality.sup.(a) of 6-72-182 and other St. Augustine
grass varieties at Apopka, Florida.
Selection/Variety
Summer Winter Mean
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6-72-182 9.3 8.3 8.7
6-72-130 8.2 7.6 7.8
Bitterblue 7.3 5.9 6.0
Delmar 9.8 9.0 9.6
Floratam 7.5 5.8 6.1
Floratine 7.2 6.1 6.4
Florida Common
8.2 6.6 7.0
Raleigh 6.7 7.1 7.4
Seville 9.0 7.9 8.1
Texas Common 6.5 8.4 8.0
1081 8.7 6.8 7.3
LSD (.05) 0.45 0.99 0.88
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.sup.(a) Qualityrated 1-10, 10 = best.
TABLE 6
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Comparative turf quality.sup.(a) of 6-72-182 and other St. Augustine-
grass varieties at the South Coast Field Station of the University
of California - Riverside.
Turf Quality
Selection/Variety
Summer Winter Mean
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6-72-182 5.8 4.5 5.0
6-72-130 6.6 4.6 5.4
Calif. Common
5.4 4.2 4.7
Delmar 5.3 4.7 4.9
Floratam 5.4 4.1 4.6
Raleigh 4.6 3.3 3.9
Texas Common 5.5 4.3 4.8
LSD (.05) 0.50 0.44 0.39
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.sup.(a) Qualityrated 1-10, 10 = best.
TABLE 7
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Comparative cold injury of 6-72-182 and other St. Augustine
grasses in Apopka, Florida
Cold Injury (%)
Selection/Variety
Expt. 1 Expt. 2 Expt. 3
Expt. 4
Mean
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6-72-182 21 5 35 28 22
6-72-130 35 17 38 18 27
Bitterblue 53 38 58 34 46
Delmar 0 0 17 3 5
Floratam 40 42 55 40 44
Floratine 48 32 37 26 36
Raleigh 32 12 37 13 23
Seville 35 15 37 24 28
Texas Common
18 7 33 28 21
1081 47 33 48 33 40
LSD (.05) 20.9 18.5 26.1 23.5 16.5
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Color of turf is an important component of turf quality. 6-72-182 has a good dark green color during the summer months which is darker green than most St. Augustine varieties, and during the winter months its color is comparable to other varieties. Other factors that have shown varietal differences include: tendency to turn brown during the winter, for which 6-72-182 is rated about average; susceptibility to Asulox (an important herbicide) to which 6-72-182 is not susceptible; purple stem color, especially during cold weather, for which 6-72-182 has a very low tendency; susceptibility to gray leaf spot to which 6-72-182 has good resistance; and susceptibility to chinch bugs to which 6-72-182 has shown no greater susceptibility than most other varieties. Data on turf color, winter browning, Asulox injury, purple stems, gray leaf spot and chinch bugs are in illustrated in Tables 8-12.
TABLE 8
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Comparative color ratings of 6-72-182 and other St. Augustine
grass at various locations in the U.S.
Color.sup.(a)
Florida.sup.(b)
Selection/Variety
Summer Mean California.sup.(c)
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6-72-182 9.8 8.5 3.9
6-72-130 8.6 7.7 3.8
Bitterblue 8.5 7.6 --
Calif. Common
-- -- 3.8
Delmar 10.0 8.9 4.6
Floratam 8.8 7.8 4.2
Floratine 8.0 7.5 --
Florida Common
8.3 7.9 --
Raleigh 7.0 6.5 3.4
Seville 9.2 8.5 --
Texas Common 6.8 7.9 4.0
1081 8.8 8.0 --
LSD (.05) 0.48 0.67 0.35
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.sup.(a) Color rated 1-10, 10 = darkest green
.sup.(b) Test planted at Apopka, Florida
.sup.(c) Test planted at South Coast Field Station, University of
California Riverside.
TABLE 9
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Comparative ratings of various attributes of 6-72-182 and other
St. Augustine grasses which detract from overall appearance.
Selection/Variety
Brown.sup.(a)
Asulox.sup.(b)
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6-72-182 5.0 0
6-72-130 6.3 5
Delmar 3.7 0
Bitterblue -- 12
Floratam 6.3 0
Floratine -- 2
Raleigh 8.3 10
Seville -- 3
Texas Common 5.7 0
California Common
4.0 --
1081 -- 7
LSD (.05) 2.0 5.3
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.sup.(a) Test planted at South Coast Field Station University of
California Rated as % brown turf.
.sup.(b) Test planted at Apopka, Florida Rated as % injury
TABLE 10
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Comparative evaluations of purple stem color of 6-72-182 and
other St. Augustine grasses.
Purple Stem Color.sup.(a)
Selection/Variety
Ohio.sup.(b)
Florida.sup.(c)
California.sup.(d)
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6-72-182 4.5 3 0
6-72-130 8.3 30 4.3
Bitterblue 8.0 10 --
Cal. Common -- -- 0.7
Delmar 3.5 7 0.7
Floratam 8.3 20 2.7
Floratine 8.0 8 --
Raleigh 6.0 28 1.7
Seville 4.0 0 --
Texas Common 4.5 8 1.0
1081 7.5 58 --
LSD (.05) 1.1 15 0.9
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.sup.(a) Purple stem color rated 1-10, 10 = stolons are very purple, 1 =
stolons are entirely green. For Florida, visual estimation of the level o
stem purpling in percent.
.sup.(b) Test planted in the greenhouse at Marysville, Ohio.
.sup.(c) Test planted at Apopka, Florida.
.sup.(d) Test planted at South Coast Field Station, University of
California Riverside.
TABLE 11
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Comparative ratings of gray leaf spots.sup.(a) of 6-72-182 and other St.
Augustine grasses at Apopka, Florida.
Selection/Variety
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6-72-182 1.7
6-72-130 1.7
Bittrblue 3.5
Delmar 1.0
Floratam 3.8
Floratine 2.6
Raleigh 0.7
Seville 0.8
Texas Common 2.4
1081 2.2
LSD (.05) 0.88
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.sup.a Rated 1-10, 10 = most disease.
TABLE 12
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Comparative ratings of chinch bug tolerance.sup.(a) of 6-72-182 and
other St. Augustine grasses.
Selection/Variety
Florida.sup.(b)
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6-72-182 3.0
6-72-130 1.7
Delmar 2.0
Bitterblue 5.0
Floratam 7.0
Floratine 2.7
Raleigh 6.3
Seville 5.7
Texas Common 4.7
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.sup.(a) Rated 1-10. 10 = severe damage.
.sup.(b) Test planted in the greenhouse at Apopka, Florida.
Claims
1. A St. Augustine grass, substantially as herein illustrated and described.
Type: Grant
Filed: Apr 25, 1988
Date of Patent: Jul 11, 1989
Assignee: The O. M. Scott & Sons Company (Marysville, OH)
Inventors: Wayne C. Mixson (Apopka, FL), Terrance P. Riordan (Lincoln, NE), Virgil D. Meier (Marysville, OH)
Primary Examiner: James R. Feyrer
Application Number: 7/185,523
International Classification: A01H 500;
