Kentucky Bluegrass, named `Ba74-17`
A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a medium to high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out, leaf rust, Fusarium patch and red thread; a dark green color throughout the growing season; the ability to form a medium to high quality turf under a variety of environmental conditions; short growth and a high seed yielding capacity.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis that has been designated Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ARTKentucky Bluegrass have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156, issued May 9, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,186, issued May 23, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,280, issued Sep. 6, 1988; U.S. Plant Pat. Nos. 6,537 and 6,538, issued on Jan. 17, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,831, issued Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,490, issued Dec. 7, 1993; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,036, issued Jan. 3, 1995; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,209, issued Jul. 18, 1995; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,611, issued Jul. 23, 1996; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,848, issued Apr. 1, 1997; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,977, issued Jul. 22, 1997; pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/680,168, filed Jul. 15, 1997; pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/680,167, filed Jul. 15, 1997; pending U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 08/763,076, filed Dec. 10, 1996.
SUMMARY OF THE VARIETYThe present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis that has been designated Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass.
Ba74-17 plant material was selected from the open pollinated progeny of PI-1369718, a Kentucky Bluegrass plant grown and maintained in a Breeders Nursey at The Scott Company's Research Station in Marysville, Ohio. After testing and observing the Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass variety, it was determined to be a distinct variety, and it was asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules, Seed of Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass was produced first at Marysville, Ohio and later at Gervais, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluation trials and later seed production fields.
In field and laboratory tests, it was demonstrated that Ba74-17 was significantly different at the 0.05% level from its female parent, PI-1369718, on the basis of the following characteristics: culm length, panicle length, seed weight, and leaf spot incidence. A comparison of the two grasses is given in the following table:
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Mean Values
Culm Panicle Seed
Length Length weight
Leaf spot
Variety (cm) (cm) (gms) Incidence*
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Ba74-17 33.6 7.7 0.26 7.8
PI 1369718 30.0 7.2 0.21 8.2
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*Leaf spot incidence rated 0-9, 9 = most leaf spot disease
Asexual production of Ba 74-17 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistantly produced progeny plants indistinguishable from a mother plant Ba 74-17 in regard to characteristics other than those specified above. The apomixis level of Ba74-17 is approximately 95% based upon examining seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from different crop years in a growth chamber.
Ba74-17 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a medium to high level of resistance to Drechslera spp. that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot, Puccinia spp. that causes rust infection such as leaf rust, Fusarium spp. that causes Fusarium patch and Laetisaria fuciformis that causes red thread. Ba74-17 is an overall good turfgrass performer as evidenced by medium to high scores for quality and color. Ba74-17 has a high seed yield potential in the Bluegrass seed production region of the northwestern U.S.A.
In comparison with a number of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, Ba74-17 is slightly above average in seed length and width, and rachilla length and has an average amount of lemma hairs. The panicle is below average in length and width, above average in whorl number, and above average branch count for both the lower and third whorls. Ba74-17 has below average size spikelets, a significantly lower number of florets and shorter glumes. The peduncle is below average in length and above average width, and significantly shorter culm length, below average in node number and internode length. The flag leaf is of average length, width and thickness. The flag leaf ligule is above average in length, has an average amount of hair on the dorsal side of the ligule but below average hair content on the leaf margin. The vegetative leaf is of average length and thickness but the leaf width is significantly narrower and the ligule is below average in length. The hair content of the vegetative leaf is above average for the upper margin of the ligule, and is significantly less on the leaf margin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle during anthesis;
FIG. 2 is a Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass seed; and
FIG. 3 is a Ba74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass plant shortly after completing anthesis.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETYBa74-17 Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is perennial with creeping rhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in the field under freezing temperatures and are then brought into the greenhouse during late winter to continue growth undisturbed by clipping under moderate temperatures (60-80 F.), culms are erect averaging 31.0 cm in length and 3.1 nodes per culm. The uppermost internode averages 7.6 cm in length. The peduncle average 20.7 cm in length and 0.76 mm in width. The vegetative leaf averages 19.3 cm in length, 3.0 mm in width, 0.30 mm in thickness and the ligule 0.14 mm in length. The flag leaf averages 4.3 cm in length, 3.1 mm in width, 0.20 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 1.2 mm.
The panicle averages 75.1 mm in length, 53.4 mm in width, and 9.8 whorls. The lowest whorl and the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle average 3.9 and 3.6 branches, respectively. A spikelet in the lowest whorl averages 4.2 mm in length, 2.1 mm in width, 2.4 florets, the outer and inner glumes average 2.5 mm and 2.9 mm in length, respectively. A spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle averages 4.4 mm in length, 2.2 mm in width, 2.1 florets and the outer and inner glumes average 2.5 mm and 2.9 mm in length, respectively.
Conditioned seed of Ba74-17 averages 3.00 mm in length, 0.88 mm in width, a rachilla length of 0.83 mm and an average hair content at the base of the lemma.
Comparisons of Ba74-17 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in terms of seed dimensions and seed numbers per pound are shown in Tables 1 and 2 as follows:
TABLE 1
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Morphological Comparisons of Seed Length and Width; Rachilla
and Lemma Hairs of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass
Varieties After Conditioning at Marysville, OH.
Seed
Length Width Rachilla
Lemma
Variety mm mm mm Hairs*
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Ba74-17 3.00 0.88 0.83 4.4
Abbey 2.97 0.89 0.80 3.8
Adelphi 2.70 0.84 0.65 4.4
Allure 2.78 0.86 0.70 4.7
Ascot 3.00 0.85 0.82 3.9
Baron 3.08 0.81 0.71 5.0
Bristol 2.94 0.88 0.73 4.3
Buckingham 3.23 0.89 0.88 4.2
Cannon 3.00 0.94 0.86 4.9
Chateau 2.81 0.86 0.71 4.5
Coventry 2.71 0.81 0.70 4.0
Eclipse 2.77 0.83 0.68 3.5
Georgetown 2.94 0.82 0.74 4.9
Gnome 2.78 0.83 0.75 4.1
Kelly 3.07 0.89 0.75 4.2
Midnight 2.94 0.76 0.78 5.7
Nassau 3.07 0.86 0.68 3.4
Nottingham 3.05 0.88 0.82 3.8
Ram 1 3.23 0.89 0.80 6.0
Touchdown 2.93 0.88 0.41 4.6
Victa 3.00 0.80 0.82 3.5
Viva 3.04 0.91 0.84 4.4
LSD (.05) 0.16 0.05 0.13 0.86
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*Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs
TABLE 2
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Comparisons of Seeds Per Pound of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties After Conditioning.
Variety Seeds Per Pound
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Ba74-17 1,128,600
Ba78-258 1,127,000
Ba78-165 965,500
Abbey 988,500
Buckingham 978,000
Cannon 1,023,250
Coventry 1,374,750
Garfield 1,250,500
Newport 1,250,250
Viva 993,500
LSD (.05) 77,042
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Ba74-17 differs significantly from several of the other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to the following morphological characteristics: (1) the culm length and number of nodes per culm; (2) the number of florets in both the lowest and third whorl; (3) the length of the outer glumes in the third whorl; and (4) vegetative leaf length, ligule length and leaf margin hairs. Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent comparisons of Ba74-17 were made with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties and the comparisons are set forth in Tables 3-8:
TABLE 3
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Morphological Comparison of Panicles, Whorl Number and Whorl
Branches of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the
Greenhouse at Marysville, OH
Number
Panicles of Branches
Length Width Whorl Lowest
Third
Variety Nodding* (mm) (mm) Number
Whorl Whorl
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Ba74-17 1.3 75.1 53.4 9.8 3.9 3.6
Abbey 1.6 80.4 59.3 9.3 3.8 3.3
Adelphi 1.8 106.8 76.4 10.0 3.6 3.0
Allure 2.2 60.8 47.6 8.4 3.9 3.0
Ascot 2.4 77.1 66.0 9.2 2.3 2.1
Baron 2.2 92.6 71.0 10.0 3.4 2.8
Bristol 2.0 85.5 61.5 8.4 2.8 2.7
Buckingham
2.0 88.8 62.0 9.3 2.1 2.1
Cannon 1.1 80.2 55.3 9.8 4.1 3.9
Chateau 2.9 65.2 57.3 8.5 3.3 2.8
Coventry
2.5 64.0 54.2 8.4 3.3 2.5
Eclipse 1.3 89.2 74.0 10.7 3.3 2.1
Georgetown
1.0 80.0 57.0 7.4 2.1 2.6
Gnome 1.1 80.6 56.0 10.6 4.6 3.9
Kelly 2.0 88.0 70.2 9.8 4.6 3.7
Midnight
2.0 75.8 48.4 7.1 2.9 3.0
Nassau 2.2 91.2 68.6 10.0 2.5 2.1
Nottingham
1.2 77.5 56.1 8.7 4.0 3.5
Ram 1 1.3 67.7 47.0 7.3 3.0 3.2
Touchdown
1.1 73.1 75.0 7.6 2.1 2.3
Victa 1.7 74.9 58.3 10.0 4.7 3.5
Viva 1.6 88.8 68.4 8.8 4.3 3.7
LSD (.05)
0.68 7.35 8.62 0.66 0.72 0.50
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*Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = most nodding
TABLE 4
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Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba74-17 and
Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH.
Number
Spikelets of Florets
Lowest Whorl
Third Whorl Per Spikelet
Length Width Length
Width Lowest
Third
Variety mm mm mm mm Whorl Whorl
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Ba74-17 4.2 2.1 4.4 2.2 2.4 2.1
Abbey 4.4 2.2 4.5 2.2 3.0 3.0
Adelphi 4.6 2.2 4.8 2.2 4.4 4.4
Allure 4.3 2.2 4.3 2.2 3.4 3.2
Ascot 5.4 2.6 5.3 2.9 3.1 3.1
Baron 5.4 2.8 5.4 3.1 4.0 4.2
Bristol 4.9 2.4 5.0 2.5 4.2 4.5
Buckingham
5.6 3.2 5.6 3.3 4.1 4.1
Cannon 4.7 2.4 4.6 2.6 2.7 2.7
Chateau 4.4 2.4 4.4 2.4 3.4 3.5
Coventry 4.4 2.2 4.5 2.4 3.2 3.5
Eclipse 4.6 2.4 4.6 2.4 3.6 3.6
Georgetown
5.0 2.3 5.0 2.6 4.8 4.9
Gnome 4.6 2.5 4.6 2.9 3.2 3.2
Kelly 5.1 2.5 5.2 2.8 3.7 3.8
Midnight 5.3 2.5 5.5 2.4 4.4 4.7
Nassau 4.7 2.6 4.8 3.0 4.2 4.3
Nottingham
4.6 2.5 4.8 2.6 3.3 3.4
Ram 1 5.4 2.6 5.3 2.8 3.6 3.4
Touchdown
5.1 2.9 4.8 2.8 4.1 4.0
Victa 4.5 2.5 4.5 2.4 3.3 3.2
Viva 4.6 2.5 4.7 2.6 2.6 2.8
LSD (.05)
0.41 0.35 0.38 0.35 0.58 0.3
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TABLE 5
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Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba74-17 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,
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OH
Glume Length (mm)
Outer Inner
Lowest Third Lowest
Third
Variety Whorl Whorl Whorl Whorl
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Ba74-17 2.5 2.5 2.9 2.9
Abbey 2.7 2.7 3.1 3.1
Adelphi 2.7 2.6 3.0 3.1
Allure 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.0
Ascot 3.7 3.7 4.1 4.0
Baron 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.7
Bristol 2.8 3.0 3.3 3.4
Buckingham 3.5 3.3 3.9 3.8
Cannon 2.8 2.9 3.2 3.1
Chateau 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2
Coventry 2.7 2.8 3.1 3.1
Eclipse 3.0 3.0 3.4 3.4
Georgetown 2.8 2.8 3.1 3.1
Gnome 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.3
Kelly 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.5
Midnight 2.6 2.6 3.0 3.1
Nassau 2.6 2.7 2.9 3.0
Nottingham 2.7 2.8 3.3 3.3
Ram 1 2.9 3.0 3.6 3.5
Touchdown 3.3 3.3 3.8 3.8
Victa 2.8 2.7 3.1 3.1
Viva 2.8 2.8 3.2 3.1
LSD (.05) 0.23 0.22 0.22 0.23
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Glume Hairs*
Lowest Whorl Third Whorl
Variety Outer Inner Outer
Inner
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Ba74-17 1.3 3.0 1.9 2.9
Abbey 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.0
Adelphi 0.6 2.7 1.1 1.9
Allure 2.5 3.0 2.5 2.5
Ascot 2.1 3.0 2.0 2.3
Baron 4.8 4.4 4.2 4.6
Bristol 1.0 2.2 0.8 2.2
Buckingham 2.6 3.2 2.2 2.8
Cannon 1.7 2.3 2.1 2.3
Chateau 1.5 2.6 2.0 1.8
Coventry 1.5 2.7 1.6 2.4
Eclipse 1.5 1.9 1.8 1.9
Georgetown 1.7 2.7 1.2 2.4
Gnome 1.0 1.9 1.2 1.6
Kelly 1.3 1.5 1.1 0.8
Midnight 1.8 2.8 1.0 2.4
Nassau 2.1 2.6 4.2 4.4
Nottingham 2.4 2.2 1.9 2.1
Ram 1 1.1 2.3 0.7 1.2
Touchdown 0.7 2.1 1.1 1.4
Victa 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.3
Viva 1.7 1.3 1.3 2.0
LSD (.05) 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9
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*Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs
TABLE 6
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Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves of Ba74-17 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,
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OH
Leaves
Length Width Thickness
Variety cm mm mm Angle Curve
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Ba74-17 4.3 3.1 0.20 1.2 5.0
Abbey 3.8 3.4 0.14 2.7 4.1
Adelphi 5.7 3.4 0.18 5.2 5.0
Allure 3.8 2.9 0.21 1.0 4.9
Ascot 4.7 3.5 0.29 2.1 4.5
Baron 7.0 4.2 0.15 9.2 4.4
Bristol 4.3 3.2 0.21 2.3 5.0
Buckingham
5.3 3.4 0.23 1.4 5.0
Cannon 4.3 3.5 0.22 1.9 5.0
Chateau 4.0 2.7 0.19 3.4 2.0
Coventry
3.7 3.0 0.14 0.7 4.3
Eclipse 3.9 3.2 0.19 8.7 5.0
Georgetown
5.7 2.8 0.22 1.9 5.0
Gnome 4.5 3.5 0.18 4.3 5.0
Kelly 4.8 4.1 0.18 3.1 4.4
Midnight
3.8 2.6 0.19 1.1 5.0
Nassau 6.0 3.7 0.19 5.9 4.7
Nottingham
4.3 3.7 0.22 2.0 4.6
Ram 1 3.4 3.1 0.19 1.0 4.8
Touchdown
4.1 2.7 0.16 3.4 4.1
Victa 3.9 3.7 0.27 2.1 4.6
Viva 4.5 3.6 0.18 5.1 4.4
LSD (.05)
1.0 0.42 0.02 2.50 0.44
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Hairs*
Ligule Leaf Sheath
Variety mm Margin Ligule
Color**
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Ba74-17 1.2 0.2 2.8 2.0
Abbey 1.3 0.8 1.6 0.2
Adelphi 1.1 1.8 1.6 0.4
Allure 0.8 0.4 2.3 2.0
Ascot 1.5 0.6 0.7 0.9
Baron 1.2 1.0 3.8 2.6
Bristol 0.6 0.4 1.9 2.0
Buckingham 1.2 0.5 2.1 1.8
Cannon 1.3 0.4 3.6 1.5
Chateau 0.9 1.1 3.1 0.3
Coventry 0.9 0.8 1.7 2.0
Eclipse 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.2
Georgetown 0.6 0.6 2.0 2.0
Gnome 0.8 0.9 3.2 1.5
Kelly 1.5 1.1 2.5 2.2
Midnight 30.4 0.4 0.3 2.0
Nassau 1.1 2.6 2.4 0.8
Nottingham 1.3 1.5 2.3 1.8
Ram 1 0.7 0.5 1.3 2.0
Touchdown 1.1 1.0 1.0 7.7
Victa 1.3 1.0 0.8 0.5
Viva 1.5 0.4 2.2 0.5
LSD (.05) 0.17 0.50 0.70 0.76
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*Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most hairs
**Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = most color
TABLE 7
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Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Nodes Per Culm
and Top Internode Length of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH
Peduncle Culm Top
Length Width Length Nodes Internode
Variety cm mm cm Per Culm
length (cm)
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Ba74-17 20.7 0.76 31.0 3.1 7.6
Abbey 23.2 0.65 41.3 4.1 11.0
Adelphi 24.5 0.66 40.0 4.0 10.4
Allure 17.9 0.61 28.0 3.1 7.7
Ascot 20.0 0.64 36.3 3.0 12.7
Baron 34.0 0.70 52.8 4.2 12.8
Bristol 22.9 0.73 43.5 4.0 12.6
Buckingham
24.7 0.71 44.9 3.7 13.4
Cannon 24.3 0.81 39.5 3.1 10.8
Chateau 20.7 0.61 38.9 4.4 9.9
Coventry
19.6 0.49 34.7 4.5 7.9
Eclipse 23.7 0.66 39.2 4.9 9.9
Georgetown
21.7 0.68 37.5 3.2 11.1
Gnome 19.4 0.84 35.3 3.1 9.2
Kelly 29.4 0.75 46.6 3.6 11.8
Midnight
20.5 0.72 29.5 2.8 7.6
Nassau 25.0 0.66 36.0 3.9 7.4
Nottingham
26.9 0.82 39.7 2.9 9.7
Ram 1 22.2 0.69 30.5 2.5 6.6
Touchdown
23.6 0.52 38.0 4.0 8.4
Victa 21.2 0.81 37.9 3.7 10.3
Viva 26.4 0.70 42.7 4.1 9.2
LSD (.05)
3.2 0.08 3.3 0.4 1.9
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TABLE 8
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Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves of Ba74-17 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville,
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OH
Leaf
Length Width Thickness
Variety cm mm mm Angle* Curve***
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Ba74-17 19.3 3.0 0.30 51.9 7.3
Abbey 20.7 3.6 0.28 51.3 7.4
Adelphi 19.4 3.7 0.28 67.0 4.6
Allure 18.1 3.5 0.30 53.0 6.2
Ascot 17.4 3.4 0.35 67.9 5.5
Baron 18.2 4.3 0.29 35.0 4.4
Bristol 18.2 3.7 0.32 65.5 6.9
Buckingham
18.9 4.5 0.36 50.9 5.0
Cannon 22.1 3.3 0.30 62.5 8.2
Chateau 23.1 3.3 0.33 39.7 5.4
Coventry
23.4 3.6 0.25 63.0 7.3
Eclipse 20.3 4.4 0.30 65.5 5.4
Georgetown
19.5 3.6 0.29 56.7 5.8
Gnome 18.2 2.9 0.29 43.2 6.6
Kelly 22.8 3.9 0.30 55.5 7.0
Midnight
19.5 3.5 0.31 63.3 5.0
Nassau 16.3 3.7 0.29 63.2 4.9
Nottingham
18.6 3.8 0.34 61.6 7.7
Ram 1 19.1 3.6 0.27 70.8 6.5
Touchdown
16.7 3.7 0.24 51.3 4.0
Victa 21.5 3.6 0.36 56.3 6.7
Viva 22.9 3.8 0.40 53.0 7.1
LSD (.05)
3.5 0.43 0.04 15.9 1.5
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Ligule Hairs***
Length Leaf Leaf Color***
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Ba74-17 0.14 3.5 0.9 2.0
Abbey 0.32 4.4 2.8 0.0
Adelphi 0.34 2.6 3.4 0.0
Allure 0.14 2.0 1.6 1.9
Ascot 0.22 1.5 2.0 1.4
Baron 0.33 4.6 3.6 0.4
Bristol 0.12 2.6 3.0 2.0
Buckingham 0.14 3.3 2.6 2.0
Cannon 0.16 3.2 0.7 2.0
Chateau 0.22 3.3 3.1 0.5
Coventry 0.32 3.1 2.4 0.3
Eclipse 0.38 2.8 2.6 0.2
Georgetown 0.14 2.5 2.4 2.0
Gnome 0.23 1.6 0.8 1.4
Kelly 0.34 4.6 2.4 0.0
Midnight 0.10 1.3 1.6 2.0
Nassau 0.34 2.5 3.3 1.4
Nottingham 0.21 3.1 2.0 1.4
Ram 1 0.09 1.8 1.0 2.0
Touchdown 0.29 1.4 1.3 8.0
Victa 0.26 2.3 1.7 0.1
Viva 0.23 5.2 4.2 0.0
LSD (.05) 0.04 0.8 0.6 0.6
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*Leaf Angle: Degrees from stem
**Leaf Curve: 1-9; 1-4 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 6-9 = curves down
***Leaf Hairs: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many
****Sheath Color: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many
With regard to comparative analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba74-17 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba74-17 during mid-October while the turf was actively growing with adequate nutrient and water availability. The readings were taken in full sun with several actively growing leaves being compared, one at a time, utilizing color chips from the Munsell Book of Color as a reference. On this basis, the color of Ba74-17 was determined to be 5 GY 4/6. During the same time period, the color of similar leaves of other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties were determined by the same procedure to be as follows: Ascot--5 GY 4/4; Buckingham--7.5 GY 4/4; Ba77-700--5 GY 4/6; Midnight--7.5 GY 4/4; Abbey--5 GY 4/6; and and Victa--5 GY 4/4. However, it should be noted that the general apparent color of turf does not always correlate directly with the color of the individual actively growing leaves within the turf and that turf color varies with nutrient level and time of year with some varieties being darker or lighter green depending on such factors.
Comparisons of Ba74-17 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties for quality, genetic color, spring greenup, winter color, leaf texture, percent living ground, drought tolerance, canopy height, nitrogen deficiency, flood recovery and seedheads are set forth hereinafter in Tables 9-20.
TABLE 9
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A Comparison of Quality of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance in Five (5) Tests
A-E conducted at various Locations in the US.
TESTS (Mean Values)
Variety A B C D E
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Ba74-17 5.3 4.9 4.4 4.6 3.9
Baron 5.3 5.0 4.5 4.6 4.1
Gnome 5.2 4.6 4.4 4.7 4.1
Haga 5.3 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.1
Kenblue 4.5 4.2 4.3 4.0 3.3
Liberty 5.2 5.0 4.5 4.4 3.9
Merion 4.3 4.6 4.2 4.5 3.9
Merit 5.4 4.9 4.5 4.6 4.1
Midnight 5.7 5.6 4.7 4.9 4.2
Monopoly 5.2 5.0 4.6 4.9 4.0
Park 4.6 4.2 4.1 4.1 3.8
Ram 1 5.5 5.1 4.7 4.9 4.6
South Dakota
4.1 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.3
LSD (0.05) 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4
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Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf
TABLE 10
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A Comparison of Quality of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Four (4)
Locations in the US.
Test Locations
Rathdrum St. Louis
Pittstown
Washington
Variety Idaho Missouri New Jersey
DC
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Ba74-17 6.3 6.4 6.4 4.1
Baron 6.5 6.6 6.0 3.1
Gnome 6.1 6.3 5.7 3.1
Haga 6.7 6.0 5.1 3.2
Kenblue 4.5 5.1 3.7 3.2
Liberty 6.6 6.1 5.3 3.4
Merion 5.9 6.1 3.4 1.7
Merit 6.4 6.5 6.0 3.3
Midnight 7.2 7.8 6.7 2.4
Monopoly 4.9 5.5 4.8 3.9
Park 4.6 5.0 3.9 3.3
Ram 1 7.1 6.9 6.2 2.8
South Dakota
4.0 4.5 3.5 2.3
LSD (0.05)
0.9 0.8 0.7 1.0
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Ideal Turf
TABLE 11
______________________________________
A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Seven (7) Locations in US.
Color Ratings By Locations
Rath- St. North Marys-
Univ.
Nor-
drum Louis Lincoln
Brunswick
ville Park ton
Variety ID MO NE NJ OH PA VA
______________________________________
74-17 7.2 6.7 6.4 7.0 7.2 6.4 6.3
Baron 6.0 6.9 6.4 6.3 7.5 6.3 6.5
Gnome 6.8 6.7 6.6 5.3 7.5 6.1 6.7
Haga 3.3 5.6 5.8 4.3 6.3 5.4 5.0
Kenblue 4.5 6.2 5.6 3.7 7.2 5.7 3.7
Liberty 6.0 6.6 6.0 5.3 7.0 5.8 5.7
Merion 5.7 6.3 5.8 5.3 7.0 5.8 5.0
Merit 6.5 6.6 6.4 5.7 7.2 6.2 6.7
Midnight
7.3 7.3 7.4 7.3 8.2 8.0 7.2
Monopoly
2.3 5.8 5.4 3.7 6.0 4.9 5.0
Park 4.0 5.3 5.3 3.0 6.5 4.9 4.0
Ram 1 7.2 7.2 6.0 6.0 7.3 6.1 5.8
South 4.8 5.8 5.2 3.7 7.0 5.9 4.3
LSD (0.05)
1.6 1.0 0.7 1.2 0.5 0.9 0.9
______________________________________
Genetic Color Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Dark
TABLE 12
______________________________________
A Comparison of Spring Greenup Ba74-17 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance
at Two (2) locations in the US.
Variety Rathdrum ID
Univ. Park, PA
______________________________________
Ba74-17 7.0 3.3
Baron 6.3 2.7
Gnome 6.0 3.0
Haga 5.3 2.3
Kenblue 2.7 1.3
Liberty 5.7 2.3
Merion 7.7 3.3
Merit 6.3 2.7
Midnight 8.3 2.3
Monopoly 2.7 1.7
Park 3.3 2.3
Ram 1 7.0 1.0
South Dakota 3.0 1.3
LSD (0.05) 1.8 0.8
______________________________________
Spring Greenup Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Completely Green
TABLE 13
______________________________________
A Comparison of Winter Color of Ba74-17 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low maintenance at Rathdrum, ID
Winter
Variety Color
______________________________________
Ba74-17 7.0
Baron 6.3
Gnome 6.7
Haga 6.3
Kenblue 3.7
Liberty 6.7
Merion 7.7
Merit 7.0
Midnight 8.3
Monopoly 3.7
Park 5.3
Ram 1 7.7
South Dakota
3.7
LSD (0.05)
1.5
______________________________________
Winter Color Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Complete Color Retention
TABLE 14
______________________________________
A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba74-17 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at
Two (2) Locations in the US.
Rathdrum St. Louis
Variety ID MO
______________________________________
Ba74-17 6.3 5.3
Baron 5.7 5.8
Gnome 6.0 5.3
Haga 6.7 6.2
Kenblue 9.0 7.8
Liberty 7.3 5.9
Merion 6.0 5.5
Merit 5.7 5.1
Midnight 8.3 6.3
Monopoly 6.3 5.8
Park 8.0 6.7
Ram 1 7.3 6.4
South Dakota 8.3 6.8
LSD (0.05) 1.1 0.8
______________________________________
Leaf Texture Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine
TABLE 15
______________________________________
A Comparison of Percent Living Ground Cover in Spring of Ba74-17
and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at
the Washington Monument Grounds, DC.
Variety % Cover
______________________________________
Ba74-17 41.7
Baron 25.0
Gnome 31.7
Haga 48.3
Kenblue 33.3
Liberty 43.3
Merion 10.0
Merit 20.0
Midnight 21.7
Monopoly 53.3
Park 33.3
Ram 1 36.7
South Dakota 11.7
LSD (0.05) 23.2
______________________________________
TABLE 16
______________________________________
A Comparison of Drought Tolerance (Dormancy) of Ba74-17 and
Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at
Beltsville, MD and Hubbard, OR.
Beltsville
Hubbard
Variety MD OR
______________________________________
Ba74-17 6.3 5.3
Baron 4.7 2.0
Gnome 5.3 3.0
Haga 5.3 2.0
Kenblue 4.0 2.7
Liberty 3.0 3.0
Merion 6.0 4.7
Merit 5.7 4.0
Midnight 6.7 3.0
Monopoly 5.7 3.0
Park 4.7 3.3
Ram 1 5.7 4.0
South Dakota 5.7 3.7
LSD (0.05) 2.0 2.2
______________________________________
Dormancy Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Dormancy
TABLE 17
______________________________________
A Comparison of Canopy Height
in Inches of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at University Park, PA.
Variety Height in Inches
______________________________________
Ba74-17 4.5
Baron 5.0
Gnome 5.2
Haga 6.2
Kenblue 7.3
Liberty 4.5
Merion 4.3
Merit 4.5
Midnight 3.2
Monopoly 7.0
Park 7.3
Ram 1 5.2
South Dakota 6.3
LSD (0.05) 1.4
______________________________________
TABLE 18
______________________________________
A Comparison of Nitrogen
Deficiency Ratings of Ba74-17 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Rathdrum, ID.
Variety Nitrogen Deficiency
______________________________________
Ba74-17 6.3
Baron 6.3
Gnome 6.7
Haga 5.0
Kenblue 1.7
Liberty 6.7
Merion 3.7
Merit 5.3
Midnight 7.0
Monopoly 5.3
Park 4.0
Ram 1 7.3
South Dakota 1.7
LSD (0.05) 2.1
______________________________________
Nitrogen Deficiency Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no symptoms
TABLE 19
______________________________________
A Comparison of Flood Recovery
Ratings of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Lincoln, NE.
Variety Flood Recovery
______________________________________
Ba74-17 5.7
Baron 3.3
Gnome 4.0
Haga 1.7
Kenblue 2.3
Liberty 3.3
Merion 5.3
Merit 4.0
Midnight 4.3
Monopoly 1.7
Park 1.7
Ram 1 2.3
South Dakota 2.0
LSD (0.05) 3.2
______________________________________
Flood Recovery Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = best
TABLE 20
______________________________________
A Comparison of
Seedheads of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at North Brunswick, NJ.
Variety Seedheads
______________________________________
Ba74-17 2.3
Baron 3.0
Gnome 3.7
Haga 4.7
Kenblue 9.0
Liberty 4.0
Merion 4.0
Merit 2.0
Midnight 9.0
Monopoly 6.0
Park 9.0
Ram 1 6.3
South Dakota 8.7
LSD (0.05) 1.8
______________________________________
Seedhead Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = none
Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance. Ba74-17 has been found to have a medium to high level of resistance to the following diseases: (a) leaf spot and melting out caused by Drechslera poae formerly called Helminthosporium vagans; (b) diseases such as leaf rust caused by Puccinia spp; (c) Fusarium patch caused by Fusarium spp; and (d) red thread caused by Laetisaria fuciformis.
Compounds of disease incidence of Ba74-17 as compared with other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in regard to leaf spot, melting out, leaf rust, Fusarium patch and red thread are presented in Tables 21-26.
TABLE 21
______________________________________
A Comparison of Leaf Spot Incidence
of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass
Varieties under Low Maintenance at Five (5) Locations in the US.
N. Brunswick
Pittstown
Marysville
Beltsville
Norton
Variety
NJ NJ OH MD VA
______________________________________
Ba74-17
4.7 5.7 6.0 4.0 5.7
Baron 4.7 5.3 6.7 4.0 4.0
Gnome 3.7 4.0 6.3 3.3 4.7
Haga 2.7 3.3 6.3 3.3 4.3
Kenblue
1.0 1.0 3.3 1.3 2.3
Liberty
4.7 4.7 7.3 3.7 5.7
Merion 5.7 6.3 6.0 3.3 6.0
Merit 4.3 4.7 6.7 4.3 5.0
Midnight
7.7 7.3 7.7 6.7 6.3
Monopoly
3.3 3.3 5.7 3.7 4.0
Park 2.0 2.7 4.0 2.0 3.7
Ram 1 4.3 3.7 6.7 4.7 4.3
South 1.0 1.3 3.3 1.0 4.0
LSD (0.05)
1.4 1.5 1.0 1.2 1.7
______________________________________
Leaf Spot Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease
TABLE 22
______________________________________
A Comparison of Leaf Spot Incidence
of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass
Varieties under Low Maintenance at Pittstown, NJ and Ithaca, NY
Variety Pittstown NJ
Ithaca NY
______________________________________
Ba74-17 5.7 9.0
Baron 5.3 9.0
Gnome 4.0 9.0
Haga 3.3 8.0
Kenblue 1.0 1.3
Liberty 4.7 8.3
Merion 6.3 8.0
Merit 4.7 7.3
Midnight 7.3 9.0
Monopoly 3.3 5.0
Park 2.7 2.3
Ram 1 3.7 3.7
South Dakota 1.3 4.3
LSD (0.05) 1.5 2.7
______________________________________
Leaf Spot Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease
TABLE 23
______________________________________
A Comparison of Melting Out
Incidence of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Rathdrum, ID.
Variety Melting Out
______________________________________
Ba74-17 6.0
Baron 7.0
Gnome 5.3
Haga 6.3
Kenblue 4.0
Liberty 6.3
Merion 6.0
Merit 6.7
Midnight 8.0
Monopoly 5.0
Park 4.3
Ram 1 8.0
South Dakota 4.0
LSD (0.05) 1.5
______________________________________
Melting Out Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Damage
TABLE 24
______________________________________
A Comparison of Leaf Rust
Incidence of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Rathdrum, ID.
Variety Leaf Rust
______________________________________
Ba74-17 7.3
Baron 6.0
Gnome 8.0
Haga 5.7
Kenblue 4.3
Liberty 6.5
Merion 3.7
Merit 6.3
Midnight 5.7
Monopoly 3.0
Park 2.7
Ram 1 7.7
South Dakota 3.7
LSD (0.05) 1.7
______________________________________
Leaf Rust Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease
TABLE 25
______________________________________
A Comparison of Fusarium Patch
Incidence of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties under Low Maintenance at Rathdrum, ID.
Variety Fusarium Patch
______________________________________
Ba74-17 5.7
Baron 4.3
Gnome 6.0
Haga 4.7
Kenblue 2.3
Liberty 6.0
Merion 3.3
Merit 5.7
Midnight 4.7
Monopoly 3.3
Park 1.7
Ram 1 6.0
South Dakota 2.7
LSD (0.05) 1.8
______________________________________
Fusarium Patch Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = No Disease
TABLE 26
______________________________________
A Comparison of Red Thread
Incidence of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass
Varieties under Low Maintenance at Kingston, RI and Marysville, OH.
Variety Kingston RI
Marysville OH
______________________________________
Ba74-17 7.0 8.0
Baron 7.0 7.7
Gnome 5.7 8.0
Haga 6.3 8.0
Kenblue 3.7 4.7
Liberty 7.7 8.0
Merion 8.3 7.7
Merit 7.0 8.0
Midnight 6.3 7.7
Monopoly 6.0 7.7
Park 6.0 6.0
Ram 1 7.3 7.3
South Dakota 6.7 7.7
LSD (0.05) 2.1 1.2
______________________________________
Red Thread Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease
Additional comparisons for mature plant height, vegetative growth versus seed heads, panicle length, days to heading, days to anthesis and seed yields are presented in Tables 27-32.
TABLE 27
______________________________________
A Comparison of Mature Plant Height
of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.
Variety Height cm
______________________________________
Ba74-17 62.2
Ba78-258
60.3
Ba77-700
60.0
Ba78-165
53.4
Abbey 65.0
Allure 53.0
Ascot 56.0
Bristol 69.4
Buckingham
66.8
Cannon 68.4
Chateau 60.2
Coventry
62.4
Estate 57.4
Fairfax 60.6
Gnome 60.8
Kelly 65.2
Newport 74.9
Victa 68.2
Viva 61.6
LSD (0.05)
8.7
______________________________________
TABLE 28
______________________________________
A Comparison of Vegetative Growth Versus Seed Heads
of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.
Variety Vegatative Growth vs Seed Heads
______________________________________
Ba74-17 5.6
Ba78-258 6.9
Ba77-700 7.2
Ba78-165 5.8
Abbey 5.8
Allure 7.2
Ascot 4.2
Bristol 6.0
Buckingham 5.6
Cannon 8.0
Chateau 6.8
Coventry 8.0
Estate 8.6
Fairfax 7.2
Gnome 6.6
Kelly 4.8
Newport 3.4
Victa 7.8
Viva 7.2
LSD (0.05) 1.8
______________________________________
Vegetative Growth versus Seed Heads Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Most Vegetativ
Growth
TABLE 29
______________________________________
A Comparison of Panicle Length
of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.
Variety Panicle Length (cm)
______________________________________
Ba74-17 9.3
Ba78-258 11.1
Ba77-700 8.9
Ba78-165 8.6
Abbey 10.4
Allure 7.8
Ascot 9.5
Bristol 13.6
Buckingham 11.9
Cannon 9.9
Chateau 7.7
Coventry 7.8
Estate 8.3
Fairfax 9.1
Gnome 9.7
Kelly 9.7
Newport 10.8
Victa 10.0
Viva 9.8
LSD (0.05) 2.0
______________________________________
TABLE 30
______________________________________
A Comparison of Days to Heading
of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.
Days to Heading
Variety First 50% 100%
______________________________________
Ba74-17 103.0 119.2 122.0
Ba78-258 110.1 125.5 128.1
Ba77-700 109.8 125.4 127.2
Ba78-165 100.2 118.6 121.6
Abbey 108.2 124.2 127.2
Allure 110.6 125.0 126.2
Ascot 88.0 112.0 118.6
Bristol 95.4 118.6 122.2
Buckingham 94.0 112.4 120.0
Cannon 113.4 125.0 127.0
Chateau 106.0 123.8 126.0
Coventry 105.8 122.4 124.6
Estate 105.8 123.8 125.6
Fairfax 102.6 121.6 124.4
Gnome 109.8 125.4 127.2
Kelly 112.2 125.4 127.2
Newport 85.0 109.8 118.2
Victa 111.6 125.0 127.0
Viva 109.4 125.0 127.2
LSD (0.05) 5.3 4.0 1.8
______________________________________
TABLE 31
______________________________________
A Comparison of Days to Anthesis
of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Gervais, OR.
Days to Anthesis
Variety First 50% 100%
______________________________________
Ba74-17 125.0 127.0 132.0
Ba78-258 129.1 134.1 137.5
Ba77-700 129.0 134.4 137.8
Ba78-165 124.2 126.2 132.0
Abbey 129.2 132.4 136.6
Allure 127.8 131.0 134.8
Ascot 118.6 123.8 131.8
Bristol 124.6 126.6 132.0
Buckingham 123.4 127.6 133.6
Cannon 129.0 132.2 136.0
Chateau 128.2 130.8 135.2
Coventry 126.6 128.6 134.4
Estate 127.0 129.2 135.2
Fairfax 125.8 128.8 132.8
Gnome 129.0 133.2 136.6
Kelly 129.0 132.8 136.6
Newport 120.4 123.4 131.4
Victa 129.0 132.2 136.0
Viva 129.0 132.8 136.6
LSD (0.05) 2.1 2.5 1.8
______________________________________
TABLE 32
______________________________________
A Comparison of Seed Yields of Ba74-17 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties in Three (3) Tests Conducted at Imbler, OR.
Seed Yield (Lb./acre)
Variety Test 1 Test 2 Test 3
______________________________________
Ba74-17 1,433 1,238 1,284
Ba78-258 1,377 1,211 1,076
Ba77-700 1,569 1,105 1,156
Abbey 1,549 1,324 1,090
Buckingham 748 923 740
Cannon 1,551 1,130 1,171
Coventry 1,046 839 847
Fairfax 1,159 1,074 766
Viva 1,612 1,111 1,054
LSD (0.05) 160 271 296
______________________________________
Claims
1. A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a medium to high level of resistance to a broad spectrum of serious diseases including leaf spot and melting out, leaf rust, Fusarium patch and red thread; a dark green color throughout the growing season; a medium to high quality turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; short growth and a high level of seed yielding capacity.
| PP3156 | May 1972 | Fuchigami et al. |
| PP3186 | May 1972 | Barenbrug et al. |
| PP4336 | November 28, 1978 | Mayer et al. |
| PP6280 | September 6, 1988 | Meier et al. |
| PP6537 | January 17, 1989 | Meier et al. |
| PP6538 | January 17, 1989 | Meier et al. |
| PP6585 | February 7, 1989 | Meier et al. |
| PP7831 | March 17, 1992 | Meier et al. |
| PP8490 | December 7, 1993 | Meier et al. |
| PP9036 | January 3, 1995 | Meier et al. |
| PP9209 | July 18, 1995 | Meier et al. |
| PP9611 | July 23, 1996 | Meier |
| PP9848 | April 1, 1997 | Meier et al. |
| PP9977 | July 22, 1997 | Meier et al. |
Type: Grant
Filed: Oct 14, 1997
Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
Assignee: OMS Investments, Inc. (Wilmington, DE)
Inventors: Virgil D. Meier (Marysville, OH), Jay B. Burr (Salem, OR)
Primary Examiner: Elizabeth Kemmerer
Law Firm: Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue
Application Number: 8/949,938
International Classification: A01H 500;
