`Diamond` zoysiagrass plant
An asexually reproduced variety of perennial zoysiagrass with a unique combination of characters including an absence of leaf blade hairs, deep rhizomes, good recovery from sod harvest, high salinity tolerance, good shade tolerance, and a distinct DNA fingerprint.
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The present invention relates to a new and distinct asexually reproduced variety of perennial zoysiagrass (Zoysia marrella (L.)) Merr.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a new and distinct perennial zoysiagrass cultivar identified as `Diamond` zoysiagrass (herein after referred to as `Diamond`), which was tested as `DALZ8502`. `Diamond` was discovered and identified at Dallas, Tex., as an aberrant selection in cultivated turf plots that were previously planted to a series of zoysiagrass plant introduction and commercial cultivars, including `Meyer` and `Emerald`. It was identified as a superior turf compared to other zoysiagrasses in its recuperative ability after sod harvest, its shade tolerance and salinity tolerance. `Diamond` is an aggressively spreading Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr. that is appropriate for use in full sun to shaded tee boxes and greens in the coastal states, wherever zoysiagrass is adapted.
For purposes of registration under the "International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants" (generally known by its French acronym as the UPOV Convention) and noting Section 1612 of the Manual of Plant Examining Procedure, it is proposed that the new variety of zoysiagrass of the present invention be named `Diamond` Zoysiagrass.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATIONSFIG. 1 is a photograph of the leaf blade and of the inflorescence of `Diamond`.
FIG. 2 is a DNA fingerprint of `Diamond` in contrast to `Meyer` zoysiagrass .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION`Diamond` was characterized in greenhouse and field conditions. `Diamond` is a unique variety of zoysiagrass (Zoysia matrella (L.)) Merr. that was discovered under cultivated conditions described above. `Diamond` was vegetatively propagated and reproduced. `Diamond` has been propagated by sod, plugs, springs, and stolons. Seed reproduction with self-fertility is not common in the Zoysia sp. No seedling establishment from `Diamond` has been noticed in either greenhouse or field studies.
`Diamond` is distinguished from other varieties of zoysiagrass by the combination of characters of shade tolerance, salinity tolerance, and turf quality. `Diamond` is closest in appearance to the variety `Emerald` zoysiagrass. `Diamond` generally lacks winter hardiness such that it is recommended for use south of Red River (Texas-Oklahoma) and in the coastal plain states.
`Diamond` reproduces by rhizomes and stolons. `Diamond` produces rhizomes that grow to a depth of 4-6", depending on maintenance programs. The stolons of `Diamond` have a mean internode length of 6.4 mm between the fourth to the fifth node, 15.5 mm between the second and third nodes, with a mean stolon width and diameter from 0.79 to 0.88 mm (Tables 1, #2). These stolons and rhizomes root adventitiously at the nodes. Color notations of plant tissues were based on the Munsell Color Charts for Plant Tissues, Munsell Color, Baltimore, Md., 1977. Light quality, photoperiod, and general growth of the plants affect color notations. The internode color of `Diamond` stolons exposed to full sun of is 5R 3/4.
Leaf blades of `Diamond` are rolled in the bud, and are flat and stiff. The leaf blade length of `Diamond` ranges from 22.7 to 42.0 mm and from 0.95 to 1.28 mm in width (Table 3, #4, #5), shorter and narrower than `Emerald`, `El Toro`, and `Meyer`. There are not any hairs on the abaxial/adaxial leaf surfaces of `Diamond`. Measured under greenhouse conditions in January 1996, the genetic, adaxial leaf color of `Diamond` is 2.5 GY 5/2 to 2.5 G 5/2, with `El Toro` having a leaf color of 2.5 GY 5/2, and `Meyer` having a color of 2.5 G 3/4. The ligule of `Diamond` is a row of silky hairs, approximately 2.1 to 2.6 mm in length on the longest hairs.
The flag leaf length of `Diamond` is a mean of 3.69 cm when measured in a greenhouse, Dallas, Tex., January 1996. `Diamond` has yellow-green anthers, fading to purple, colored anthers and white colored stigmas, undistinguished in shade of color. The inflorescence of `Diamond` is a terminal spike-like raceme, with spikelets on short pedicels. `Diamond` has a mean culm length of 2.40 cm, a floral region of 9.32 mm, with a mean of 10.3 florets per raceme.
The chromosome number of `Diamond` is 40.
`Diamond` has tremendous sod harvest potential because of its strong rhizome system (Tables 6, #7). In trials at Dallas, Tex., established in 1983 and harvested in 1985 with a sod harvester, `Diamond` showed high recovery in number of plants. `Diamond` showed 22.5 and 93.8 plants per square foot at 19 and 42 days after harvest, respectively. `Emerald` showed only 8.7 and 30.3 plants per square foot, with `Meyer` having only 2.5 and 11 plants after 19 and 42 days, respectively. Compared to `Meyer`, `Diamond` produced 8.5 times more plants, and 3.1 times more plants than `Emerald`. In the practical sod regrowth rates observed under field conditions, where the sod cycle from harvest to harvest averages a 4 month growth cycle, the potential exists to harvest `Diamond` three times over a 24-month time period in North Texas.
With excessive nitrogen fertilizer and its genetically controlled rhizome production, `Diamond` may produce high levels of thatch. Close mowing (less than 12.5 mm) with a reel mower and routine verticutting will be necessary to maintain the highest quality turf with `Diamond`.
`Diamond` was entered in the 1991 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) and was tested at 24 locations across the United States for over 3 years. One test was planted into a sited shaded with live oak trees on 1 Sep. 1992. Under tree shade with competition from trees for available moisture and nutrients, `Diamond` had slightly more cover than `Belair` and `Meyer` (Table 8). In field sites with artifical shade, `Diamond` was significantly improved in shade tolerance over `Emerald` and `El Toro` (Table 9).
When `Diamond` was compared with 57 other zoysiagrasses for salinity tolerance, it ranked number 2 in performance, and first in reduced injury when compared to `El Toro`, `Emerald`, `Belair`, or `Meyer` (Table 10). When compared to other commercial varieties for root growth, Diamond had less total root depth or total root mass, and produced fewer clippings than the other cultivars (Table 11).
TABLE 1
______________________________________
Internode length as measured between the second and third nodes,
internode diameter of the third internode, and node diameter of the
third
node measured on zoysiagrass plants. Plants were growing in a growth
chamber with a 14-hour daylength, March 1995
Internode Internode Node
length diameter diameter
Genotype --mm-- --mm-- --mm--
______________________________________
`Diamond`
15.5a 0.79c 0.879c
`El Toro`
39.8a 1.45abc 1.45abc
`Meyer` 24.1a 1.99a 1.99a
______________________________________
*Analysis of variance by General Linear Models, with means followed by th
same letter not significantly different using Tukey's Studentized Range
(HSD), alpha = 0.05. Only selected means presented.
TABLE 2
______________________________________
Zoysiagrass internode lengths and stolon width measurements
from the fourth to the fifth nodes taken February 1988 on greenhouse
grown plants.
Internode
Stolon
length width
Genotype --mm-- --mm--
______________________________________
`Diamond` 6.39e 0.88j
`Emerald` 6.21e 1.02ghi
`Meyer` 16.47bc 1.53b
______________________________________
*Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different using
the WallerDuncan k ratio test (k ratio = 100). Only selected means
presented.
TABLE 3
______________________________________
Zoysiagrass leaf measurements taken February 1988
on the fourth youngest leaf from greenhouse grown plants.
Blade width
Blade length
Genotype --mm-- --mm--
______________________________________
`Diamond` 1.28k 22.67f
`Emerald` 2.01fgh 30.56ff
`Meyer` 33.3b 82.33d
______________________________________
*Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different using
the WallerDuncan k ratio test (k ratio = 100). Only selected means
presented.
TABLE 4
______________________________________
Leaf blade width and length measured on the third youngest leaf
of zoysiagrasses. Plants were growing in a growth chamber with a 14-hour
daylength, March 1995.
Blade width
Blade length
Genotype --mm-- --mm--
______________________________________
`Diamond` 0.95d 42.0cd
`El Toro` 3.26abc 68.3bcd
`Meyer` 2.59c 74.3bc
______________________________________
*Analysis of variance by General Linear Models, with means followed by th
same letter not significantly different using Tukey's Studentized Range
(HSD), alpha = 0.05. Only selected means presented.
TABLE 5
______________________________________
Zoysiagrass leaf sheath length measurements taken February 1988
on the fourth youngest leaf from greenhouse grown plants.
Sheath length
Genotype --mm--
______________________________________
`Diamond` 11.60j
`Emerald` 16.31ij
`Meyer` 30.68ed
______________________________________
*Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different using
the WallerDuncan k ratio test (k ratio = 100). Only selected means
presented.
TABLE 6
______________________________________
The number of rhizome plants indicating rhizome regrowth of
experimental and commercial zoysiagrass varieties 19 and 42 days
following sod harvest. Harvested at Dallas, TX in 1985.
DAYS PAST HARVEST
VARIETY 19 days 42 days
______________________________________
`Diamond` 22.5bcd* 93.8a
`Belair` 2.3g 12.8e-l
`Emerald` 8.7c-g 30.3c-h
`Meyer` 11.2f-l
______________________________________
*Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the
P = 0.05 according to the WallerDuncan multiple range test. Only selected
means presented.
In Engelke, M. C. 1986. USGA Annual Research Report--Zoysiagrass. Table 5
TABLE 7
______________________________________
Sod strength of 2-year-old stands of selected zoysiagrass varieties
grown at Texas Agricultural Experiment Station--Dallas. Plots
established
in 1983 and harvested in 1985.
Variety Sod Strength Kg/cm.sup.2
______________________________________
`Diamond` 2.3 abc
`Emerald` 1.7 bcdef
Z. tenuifolia
1.8 bcdef
`Meyer` 1.2 cdef*
______________________________________
*Means followed by the same letter in each column are not significantly
different at the P = 0.05 according to WallerDuncan Multiple Range Test.
Only selected means presented.
In Engelke, M. C. 1986. USGA Annual Research Report--Zoysiagrass. Table 5
TABLE 8
______________________________________
Mean turf cover, as percentage of plot during turf, during winter
1993-1994 for the 1991 NTEP zoysia trial planted under 80% shade in
Dallas, TX.
Percentage Turf Cover
Variety 10Nov93 21Dec93 22March94
______________________________________
`Belair` 40.0 43.3 21.7
`Diamond` 50.0 55.0 26.7
`Emerald` 41.7 51.7 26.7
`El Toro` 35.0 31.7 21.7
`Meyer` 33.3 38.3 23.3
MSD ns 14.5 10.2
______________________________________
MSD is the minimum significant difference between entry means for
comparison within column, and was based on the Duncan Waller kratio test
(kratio = 100). Only selected means presented.
In Morton, S. J., M. C. Engelke, and K. G. Porter. 1994. Performance of
three warmseason turfgrass genera cultured in shade III. Zoysia spp. In
Texas Turfgrass Research Report--1994. PR. 5242. p 27-29.
TABLE 9
______________________________________
Turf quality of three zoysiagrasses maintained at three shade
levels, using shade cloth in field trials, in Dallas, TX.
Full 63% 80%
Variety Sun Shade Shade
______________________________________
`Diamond` 8.9 7.2a* 3.6a
`El Toro` 8.9 6.2b 2.5b
`Emerald` 8.8 5.7c 2.0b
MSD ns 0.6 0.6
______________________________________
MSD is the minimum significant difference between entry means for
comparison within column, and was based on the Duncan Waller kratio test
(kratio = 100).
S. J. Morton, T. Staton, and M. C. Engelke. 1994. Zoysiagrass shade
tolerance. PR5244.
TABLE 10
______________________________________
Average percent shoot salt injury (average of 20 rating dates) of
zoysiagrass entries.
Variety % Injury
______________________________________
`Diamond` 33ab
`El Toro` 38a-e
`Emerald` 42a-h
`Belair` 50f-k
`Meyer` 58lmn
______________________________________
Means with the same letter are not significantly different using the
WallerDuncan kratio test (kratio = 100). Only selected means presented.
In Marcum et al. "Salt Gland Ion Secretion: A salinity tolerance mechanis
among five zoysiagrass species". Submitted Crop Science 1997.
TABLE 11
______________________________________
Average mean root depth of zoysiagrasses grown in flexible
tubes in greenhouse studies, Dallas, TX.
Average Mean Total Root
Clipping
Root Depth Weight Weights
Variety --mm-- --mg-- --mg--
______________________________________
`Belair` 296 330 286
`Diamond`
246 270 176
`El Toro`
356 473 391
`Emerald`
330 461 241
`Meyer` 333 411 466
MSD 79 161 267
______________________________________
*MSD = minimum significant difference for comparison of means within
columns based on the WallerDuncan kratio test where k = 100. Only selecte
means presented.
In Marcum, K. B., M. C. Engelke, S. J. Morton, and R. H. White. 1995.
Rooting characteristics and associated drought resistance of
zoysiagrasses. Agron. J. 87:534-538.
EXAMPLE
DNA Fingerprint Analysis
See Caetano-Anolles, B. J. Bassam and Peter M. Gressoff, 1991, DNA Amplification fingerprinting using very short arbitrary oligonucleotide primers. Biotechnology. Vol. 9, Pp. 553-557.
The zoysiagrass amplification profiles were obtained using primer of sequence GCCCGCCC, and are compared to the standard `Meyer` (Figure 2). Complex banding patterns and amplification fragment length polymorphisms were obtained in all cases. Results indicate bands fall into two categories, those that are common to the species, and those that in combination are characteristic of the cultivar (some identified by dots).
Claims
1. A new and distinct variety of zoysiagrass (Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr.) plant as described and illustrated herein, having the principle distinguishing characteristics of white stigmas, and absence of leaf blade hairs, deep rhizomes, good recovery from sod harvest, high salinity tolerance, good shade tolerance, and a distinct DNA fingerprint.
Type: Grant
Filed: May 6, 1997
Date of Patent: Oct 6, 1998
Assignee: The Texas A&M University System (College Station, TX)
Inventor: Milton Charles Engelke (Parker, TX)
Primary Examiner: James R. Feyrer
Assistant Examiner: Kent L. Bell
Law Firm: Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Application Number: 8/851,979
International Classification: A01H 500;
