BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and distinct hybrid variety of Poa arachnifera Torr.×Poa pratensis L. that has been designated as ‘HB 130’ bluegrass.
Description of Related Art
A Poa arachnifera×Poa pratensis hybrid designated ‘Reveille’ has been disclosed in PVP Certificate No. 9800337. Another Poa arachnifera Torr.×Poa pratensis L. hybrid designated as ‘HB 129’ has been disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/197,945, filed Aug. 5, 2005, claiming the benefit of provisional application No. 60/599,539, filed Aug. 6, 2004. ‘HB 129’ is commercially available as ‘Thermal Blue’ and this commercial designation is used elsewhere herein. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/208,473, filed Aug. 19, 2005 described another Poa arachnifera Torr.×Poa pratensis L. hybrid designated as ‘HB 329’ as the progeny formed by crossing an interspecific hybrid bluegrass (Texas Bluegrass×Kentucky Bluegrass) designated ‘HB 47’ (a female plant 7-23 ×cv. ‘Geronimo’ male plant) as the female parent crossed with cv. ‘Ascot’ Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) as the pollen parent. ‘HB 329’ is commercially available as ‘Dura Blue’ and this commercial designation is used elsewhere herein.
SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY ‘HB 130’ bluegrass is the result of a plant selected from the progeny of Texas bluegrass (Poa arachnifera Torr.) female plant 6-8 (seed parent), with cv. ‘Geronimo’ Kentucky bluegrass (pollen parent)(Poa pratensis L.) cross for perfect flowers, apomixis and turfgrass performance characteristics in the F1 generation.
Texas bluegrass female plant 6-8 is an unpatented, unreleased plant selected and maintained for its tiller density, turf quality and the lack of male reproductive organs. The cv. ‘Geronimo’ is an unpatented, released Kentucky bluegrass of European origin from Mommersteeg International, Vlijmen, the Netherlands.
As a result of this breeding, a distinct variety was produced and asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules. The highly apomictic seed of ‘HB 130’ bluegrass was produced first at Corvallis, Oreg. This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluation trials and later, seed production fields.
The seed of ‘HB 130’ has been found to be stable. Asexual production of ‘HB 130’ initially was performed at Corvallis, Oreg. by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis), and has consistently produced progeny plants indistinguishable from the first generation asexual reproductions of the instant plant. The apomixis level of ‘HB130’ is approximately 86%. The apomixis level was determined by examining Greenhouse grow-outs of ‘HB 130’ rating for apomictic origin from disseminules harvested from three growing seasons from field grown ‘HB 130’ plants in Gervais, Oreg.
The ‘HB 130’ grass described herein is a high-quality, aggressive bluegrass hybrid with a number of highly desirable characteristics, including aggressive establishment, excellent recoverability, heat tolerance better in tall fescue regions of the U.S., shade tolerance, a finer texture than tall fescue, resistance to brown patch and Pythium. ‘HB 130’ resists disease in humid regions better than traditional Kentucky bluegrasses, and is acclimated to colder northern climates as well as high heat areas.
‘HB 130’ thrives under traditional Kentucky bluegrass maintenance programs in the cool season zone. ‘HB 130’ has an upright leafy turf type, and a medium green color that can be maintained throughout the entire growing season. ‘HB 130’ demonstrates good fall color and good winter color under mild winter conditions.
Texas bluegrass is a vigorous sod-forming perennial native in the Southeastern and Southern Plains States. Plants grow up to 3 feet on strong soil, with numerous leaves 6 to 12 inches long and 0.025 inch wide. The grass grows throughout the winter producing abundant, nutritious pasture which is highly palatable. This is a valuable species where native, but seeding is difficult. The species is dioecious, with male and female plants. It produces only limited quantities of seed which is covered with woolly hairs that are difficult to remove. Consequently, establishment of stands for agricultural use is limited. Reveille variety Kentucky bluegrass exhibits problems similar to those encountered with Texas bluegrass; these problems are overcome employing the present ‘HB 130’ hybrid.
‘HB 130’ has reduced cotton (webbing) on the lemma relative to ‘HB 129’, ‘Reveille’, and parental Texas bluegrasses. ‘HB 130’ has a medium to high seed yield potential in the Kentucky bluegrass seed production region of the northwestern United States and has shown the potential for economic seed production.
In comparison with Texas bluegrasses, ‘Reveille’ hybrid bluegrass and ‘Ascot’ and Coventry varieties of Kentucky bluegrass, ‘HB 130’ has demonstrated relatively rapid germination and emergence in both fall and spring sowings. ‘HB 130’ has shown greatly reduced seed cotton as compared with ‘Reveille’. It is believed that the presence of the cotton on the ‘Reveille’ seed results in poor seed recovery of the hybrid and causes ‘Reveille’ to be available predominantly as a vegetatively reproduced product from rhizome and tiller materials.
In comparison with a number of Kentucky bluegrass varieties ‘HB 130’ has an above-average seed size with a lower number of seeds per pound.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an ‘HB 130’ panicle;
FIG. 2 is an ‘HB 130’ seed; and
FIG. 3 is an ‘HB 130’ plant shortly after completing anthesis.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY ‘HB 130’ Texas bluegrass×Kentucky bluegrass (Poa arachnifera L.×Poa pratensis L.) hybrid is perennial with creeping rhizomes forming a dense turf. When plants overwinter in the field and grow undisturbed by clipping, culms are semi-erect averaging 63.0 cm. The vegetative leaf averages 9.0 cm in length. The flag leaf averages 6.5 cm in length. 3.55 mm in width, and has a sheath length of 15.4 cm. The flag leaf averages more hairs on the ligule than ‘HB 329’, ‘Reveille’, and Texas bluegrass varieties but fewer than ‘HB 129’, ‘Ascot’, or ‘Geronimo’ variety Kentucky bluegrasses.
‘HB 130’ is an aggressive and durable bluegrass, making it suitable for athletic fields. ‘HB 130’ spread the most of tested varieties. Only Thermal Blue and Geronimo varieties showed similar plant area spread, whereas all other cultivars spread much less in a growing season.
TABLE 1
Plant Spread Area. Comparison of plant spread reported in square
centimeters at The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon
Plant spread
Cultivar Area (cm2)
‘HB 130’ 2375.85
‘Thermal Blue’ 2279.07
‘Geronimo’ 2177.94
‘Buckingham’ 1330.18
‘Reveille’ 1209.80
‘Dura Blue’ 1096.47
‘Kelly’ 982.25
‘Ascot’ 949.65
‘Midnight’ 912.37
‘Tx 51-90’ 672.42
‘Tx 39-88’ 384.52
‘Tx 49-90’ 336.63
‘HB96’ 295.28
lsd (p = 0.05) 653.17
TABLE 2
Tiller characteristics of ‘HB 130’ and various Kentucky and Texas
bluegrass cultivars at The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon.
Measurements in centimeters and nodes per tiller.
Cultivar Culm length Nodes on tiller Top internode length
‘HB 130’ 58.5 3.9 13.1
‘Thermal Blue’ 59.2 4.7 13.5
‘Dura Blue’ 52.6 4.2 17.8
‘Geronimo’ 59.3 4.1 15.5
‘Ascot’ 47.0 4.8 10.8
‘Tx 39-88’ 70.0 3.8 9.5
‘Tx 49-90’ 61.7 3.4 9.8
lsd (0.05) 7.63 0.86 3.15
TABLE 3
Tiller characteristics of ‘HB 130’ and various Kentucky and Texas
bluegrass cultivars at The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon.
Measurements in centimeters and nodes per tiller.
Cultivar Culm length Nodes on tiller Top internode length
‘HB 130’ 63.0 4.4 11.5
‘Thermal Blue’ 64.8 4.5 11.3
‘Dura Blue’ 52.3 3.2 17.0
‘Geronimo’ 67.6 4.7 12.5
‘Ascot’ 52.4 4.1 9.7
‘Tx 39-88’ 59.6 2.2 9.9
‘Tx 49-90’ 66.5 2.4 9.7
lsd (p = 0.05) 7.77 1.1 3.39
TABLE 4
Comparison of morphological traits of flowering tiller of plants
allowed to over winter in the field and placed into a controlled
greenhouse environment (60-75 F.) in late winter and allowed to grow
undisturbed during a winter season at The Scotts Company facility,
Gervais, Oregon.
Flag Leaf Nodes
Culm Peduncle Peduncle Subtending on
Length Length Width Internode Culm
Cultivar (cm) (cm) (cm) Length (cm) (#)
‘HB 130’ 72.1 32.9 0.99 16.1 2.9
‘Thermal Blue’ 63.6 28.1 0.80 17.8 3.7
‘Dura Blue’ 54.0 19.3 0.71 22.9 3.0
‘Reveille’ 72.1 34.9 0.99 16.1 2.9
‘Geronimo’ 69.8 31.3 0.87 19.3 3.5
‘Ascot’ 62.2 28.9 0.87 17.8 3.2
‘Kelly’ 65.0 31.8 0.96 18.2 3.5
‘Tx 51-90’ 64.7 35.7 1.02 14.5 2.3
‘Tx 39-88’ 68.3 43.8 1.20 14.9 2.3
‘TX 49-90’ 68.3 35.4 1.05 19.1 2.5
lsd (p = 0.05) 10.20 7.13 0.160 4.58 0.63
When grown in nurseries over one or two seasons, ‘HB 130’ has shown uniformly open panicles, with drooping panicle branches. The panicle averaged 10.7 cm in length and 10.8 cm in width, exceeding the panicle dimensions of ‘HB 129’ and ‘HB 329’ both in nurseries and when grown in controlled greenhouse environments, as set forth below. ‘HB 130’ panicles showed little to no variation from year to year in panicle shape and branch attitude, while variation was observed in the comparator cultivars.
TABLE 5
Comparison panicle type of ‘HR 130’ with various Kentucky and
Texas bluegrass cultivars planted at The Scotts Company facility,
Gervais, Oregon. (Rating Scale: 1 = open panicle, 2 = intermediate
panicle, 3 = compact panicle).
Cultivar Year 1
‘HB-130’ 1.0
‘Thermal Blue’ 1.0
‘Dura Blue’ 1.0
‘Abbey’ 1.0
‘Ascot’ 1.0
‘Geronimo’ 1.0
‘TX 19-88’ 1.0
‘TX 46-90’ 1.7
‘TX 4-88’ 2.0
lsd (p = 0.05) 0.36
TABLE 6
Panicle branch attitude for ‘HB 130’ and various Kentucky and Texas
bluegrass cultivars planted at The Scotts Company facility, Gervais,
Oregon for 1 and 2 years. (Rating Scale: 1 = Drooping,
2 = Horizontal, 3 = Ascending)
Cultivar Year 1 Year 2
‘HB-130’ 1.0 1.0
‘Thermal Blue’ 1.1 1.0
‘Dura Blue’ 1.1 1.5
‘Abbey’ 1.1 1.0
‘Ascot’ 1.5 1.0
‘Geronimo’ 1.2 1.3
‘TX 19-88’ 3.0 3.0
‘TX 46-90’ 2.5 2.9
‘TX 4-88’ 1.5 2.8
lsd (p = 0.05) 0.35 0.54
TABLE 7
Panicle shape variation for ‘HB 130’ and various Kentucky and
Texas bluegrass cultivars planted at Gervais, Oregon, in percent.
Cultivar Open Intermediate Compact
‘HB 130’ 100.0 0 0
‘Thermal Blue’ 96.8 3.2 0
‘Dura Blue’ 92.6 7.4 0
‘Geronimo’ 100.0 0 0
‘Ascot’ 98.3 1.7 0
‘Tx 39-88’ 0 15.4 84.7
‘Tx 49-90’ 0 25.7 74.3
lsd (p = 0.05) 12.8 15.4 10.2
TABLE 8
Panicle characteristics of plants allowed to over winter (vernalize) in
the field and placed into a controlled greenhouse environment
(60-75 F.) in late winter and allowed to grow undisturbed during a
winter season at The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon
Panicle Panicle
Branches in Branches in Panicle Panicle
1st whorl 3rd whorl Length Width
Cultivar (count) (count) (cm) (cm)
‘HB 130’ 3.7 2.9 9.2 7.6
‘Thermal Blue’ 4.0 2.7 7.3 6.7
‘Dura Blue’ 3.2 2.5 8.0 6.8
‘Reveille’ 5.0 4.2 9.7 5.9
‘Geronimo’ 3.5 2.8 8.6 7.3
‘Ascot’ 2.3 2.1 8.2 7.2
‘Tx 51-90’ 4.5 3.6 9.2 4.0
‘Tx 39-88’ 3.8 3.3 9.2 4.1
lsd (p = 0.05) 0.72 0.39 0.76 0.93
TABLE 9
Branches in first and third whorl for ‘HB 130’ and various Kentucky
and Texas bluegrass cultivars in nurseries planted at The Scotts
Company facility, Gervais, Oregon.
Branches in Branches in Branches in Branches in
1st whorl 1st whorl 3rd whorl 3rd whorl
(count) (count) (count) (count)
Cultivar 2004 2005 2004 2005
‘HB 130’ 3.9 4.3 3.2 3.3
‘Thermal Blue’ 4.0 4.0 3.3 3.2
‘Dura Blue’ 4.4 3.8 3.8 3.1
‘Geronimo’ 4.0 4.4 3.5 3.1
‘Ascot’ 2.8 3.8 2.4 2.2
‘Tx 19-88’ 5.3 — — —
‘Tx 49-90’ 4.9 — 5.0 —
‘Tx 39-88’ — 2.5 — 2.8
‘Tx 46-90’ — 3.8 — 3.2
lsd (0.05) 0.82 0.93 0.78 1.08
TABLE 10
Panicle dimensions for ‘HB 130’ and various Kentucky and Texas
bluegrass cultivars in nurseries planted at The Scotts Company facility,
Gervais, Oregon
Cultivar Length (cm) Length (cm) Width (cm) Width (cm)
‘HB 130’ 9.3 10.7 8.5 10.8
‘Thermal Blue’ 9.1 10.5 8.4 10.3
‘Dura Blue’ 8.6 9.7 6.9 8.5
‘Geronimo’ 8.9 11.1 8.1 11.4
‘Ascot’ 7.6 9.3 7.0 8.9
‘Kelly’ — 9.8 — 9.4
‘Tx 19-88’ 12.9 — 9.8 —
‘Tx 49-90’ 13.5 — 9.5 —
‘Tx 39-88’ — 11.5 — 9.1
‘Tx 46-90’ — 9.6 — 7.4
lsd (p = 0.05) 2.65 2.51 1.24 1.91
TABLE 11
‘HB 130’ Comparison of morphological traits of plant inflorescence -
spikelets, florets, glumes - from panicles harvested from a field nursery
and plant height at The Scotts Company facility at Gervais, Oregon.
(Measurement in millimeters).
Spikelet Spikelet Spikelet Spikelet
Length Length Width Width
Variety 1st Whorl 3rd Whorl 1st Whorl 3rd Whorl
‘HB 130’ 6.4 6.7 4.2 3.6
‘Thermal Blue’ 7.6 7.1 4.5 4.0
‘Dura Blue’ 6.2 6.5 4.3 3.8
‘Reveille’ 6.1 6.4 4.0 4.2
‘Geronimo’ 5.5 6.3 4.2 4.0
‘Ascot’ 5.6 5.8 4.4 4.3
‘Midnight’ 5.7 6.4 2.7 3.2
‘Buckingham’ 6.9 6.9 4.6 4.7
‘TX 51-90’ 7.6 7.5 7.3 7.1
‘TX 39-88’ 8.6 8.5 5.9 5.7
‘TX 49-90’ 9.7 9.7 8.2 8.0
‘Kelly’ 6.3 6.1 4.4 4.3
lsd (p = 0.05) 1.679 1.738 1.875 1.621
Lower Lower
Florets Florets Glume Glume
Spikelet Spikelet Length Length
Variety 1st Whorl 3rd Whorl 1st Whorl 3rd Whorl
‘HB 130’ 6.3 6.4 3.0 3.0
‘Thermal Blue’ 8.6 7.0 3.1 3.2
‘Dura Blue’ 4.6 5.0 3.7 3.6
‘Reveille’ 4.0 4.9 2.9 3.3
‘Geronimo’ 5.2 6.0 2.7 3.0
‘Ascot’ 3.8 4.3 2.9 2.9
‘Midnight’ 4.3 5.8 2.7 2.6
‘Buckingham’ 6.7 7.1 3.1 3.0
‘TX 51-90’ 8.8 8.5 3.6 3.3
‘TX 39-88’ 8.0 7.9 3.6 3.6
‘TX 49-90’ 8.7 8.6 5.4 5.0
‘Kelly’ 4.3 4.9 2.8 2.9
lsd (p = 0.05) 1.69 1.81 0.853 0.682
Upper Upper
Glume Glume
Length Length
1st Whorl 3rd Whorl Plant Height
‘HB 130’ 3.0 3.2 54.6
‘Thermal Blue’ 3.5 3.3 58.3
‘Dura Blue’ 3.6 3.7 38.8
‘Reveille’ 3.3 3.5 51.6
‘Geronimo’ 2.9 3.1 56.9
‘Ascot’ 3.1 3.1 38.2
‘Midnight’ 3.1 3.2 29.7
‘Buckingham’ 3.4 3.4 48.2
‘TX 51-90’ 4.2 4.2 48.1
‘TX 39-88’ 4.0 4.2 60.4
‘TX 49-90’ 6.0 5.4 56.2
‘Kelly’ 3.0 3.0 38.0
lsd (p = 0.05) 0.951 0.803 8.807
As demonstrated by the tabulated results in Table 11, the spikelet length in both the 1st and 3rd whorl of the panicle branch of ‘HB 130’ is less than in Texas bluegrass but greater than Reveille, Geronimo, Ascot and Midnight.
For the vegetative leaf, the number of hairs is average for the leaf sheath margin, above average for the dorsal side of the leaf blade, above average for the upper margin of the ligule, and below average for the collar margin compared to other varieties. ‘HB 130’ differs from the Kentucky bluegrass varieties in regard to such morphological characteristics as seed length and width, culm length, and hairs on the collar margins of the vegetative leaf, on the upper surface of the vegetative leaf, on the ligule of the flag leaf, and aggressive growth. As shown in Table 12, ‘HB 130’ has a shorter flag leaf ligule, more hairs on the flag leaf ligule and has a thinner flag leaf than Reveille hybrid Kentucky bluegrass and Texas bluegrass.
TABLE 12
Ligule thickness, ligule hairs and flag leaf thickness of ‘HB 130’ and
other hybrid bluegrasses, parental varieties and germplasms planted at
The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon.
(Measurements in millimeters).
Cultivar Ligule Length Ligule Hairs Thickness
‘HB 130’ 1.7 4.5 0.015
‘Thermal Blue’ 1.3 5.8 0.015
‘Dura Blue’ 2.3 3.2 0.018
‘Reveille’ 2.3 0.9 0.021
‘Ascot’ 2.0 5.6 0.017
‘Geronimo’ 1.7 7.1 0.016
‘Tx 51-90’ 1.7 0.1 0.026
‘Tx 39-88’ 2.7 0.1 0.020
‘Tx 49-90’ 2.0 0.5 0.023
lsd (0.05) 0.66 1.9 0.0033
As demonstrated by the tabulated results in Table 13, ‘HB 130’ has fewer and shorter leaf hairs than Kentucky bluegrasses and most other hybrid bluegrasses.
TABLE 13
Relative hair lengths on leaves from plants allowed to over winter in
the field and placed into a controlled greenhouse environment
(60-75 F.) in late winter and allowed to grow undisturbed at The Scotts
Company facility, Gervais, Oregon. (Rating Scale: 9 = longest hairs,
1 = no hairs).
Blade- Ligule-
Blades- Blades- Collar Sheath- Upper
Cultivar Dorsal Upper Margin Margin Margin
‘HB 130’ 0 0.9 1.3 1.3 2.1
‘Thermal Blue’ 0 0.9 3.4 4.4 4.6
‘Dura Blue’ 0 0.8 4.3 4.1 5.8
‘Reveille’ 0 0.9 2.8 4.1 5.8
‘Geronimo 0 1.7 1.0 1.6 2.1
(Kbg)’
‘Ascot (Kbg)’ 0 2.5 5.1 5.8 6.6
‘Tx 51-90 (Tbg)’ 0 0.9 3.5 4.1 3.4
‘Tx 39-88 (Tbg)’ 0 1.0 3.3 2.9 3.8
‘Tx 49-90 (Tbg)’ 0 1.0 0.8 1.4 0.2
lsd (0.05) 0 1.4 2.86 3.65 4.57
Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent, comparisons of ‘HB 130’ were made with Kentucky bluegrass varieties under like conditions and the comparisons are set forth in Tables 14–18.
TABLE 14
Heading dates (Julian dates) in years 1 and 2 for field planting of
hybrid bluegrasses and parent species.
Cultivar Year 1 Year 2
‘HB 130’ 105 115
‘Thermal blue’ 108 115
‘Dura Blue’ 114 105
‘Geronimo’ 105 114
‘Ascot’ 110 80
‘Tx 19-88’ 120 94
‘Tx 46-90’ 113 94
‘Tx 4-88’ 103 94
lsd (p = 0.05) 5.55 4.3
TABLE 15
Anthesis dates in years 1 and 2 for field planting of hybrid bluegrasses
and parent species at The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon.
Cultivar Anthesis Date
‘HB 130’ 131
‘Thermal Blue’ 131
‘Dura Blue’ 126
‘Geronimo’ 130
‘Ascot’ 127
‘Tx 46-90’ 125
‘Tx 4-88’ 122
lsd (p = 0.05) 6.0
TABLE 16
Heading and anthesis dates for field planting of hybrid bluegrasses and
parent species at The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon.
Cultivar Heading Date Anthesis Date
‘HB 130’ 122 141
‘Thermal Blue’ 120 138
‘Dura Blue’ 123 145
‘Reveille’ 116 141
‘Geronimo’ 122 140
‘Ascot’ 124 141
‘Tx 51-90’ 116 140
‘Tx 39-88’ 121 —
‘Tx 49-90’ 119 140
lsd (p = 0.05) 5.1 4.9
TABLE 17
Comparison of flowering times of plants allowed to over winter in the
field and placed into a controlled greenhouse environment (60-75° F.)
in late winter and allowed to grow undisturbed during winter at The Scotts
Company facility, Gervais, Oregon.
Cultivar Julian date
‘HB 130’ 87.1
‘Thermal Blue’ 93.2
‘Dura Blue’ 87.6
‘Reveille’ 89.9
‘Geronimo’ 85.5
‘Ascot’ 87.6
‘Kelly’ 91.8
‘Tx 51-90’ 80.8
‘Tx 39-88’ 84.2
‘Tx 49-90’ 86.7
lsd (p = 0.05) 5.8
TABLE 18
Comparison of growth habit for ‘HB 130’ to various Kentucky and Texas
bluegrass cultivars planted at Gervais, Oregon, after one and two years.
(Rating Scale: 1 = prostrate, 2 = semi-erect, and 3 = erect).
Year Year
Cultivar 1 2
‘HB-130’ 2.4 2.3
‘Thermal Blue’ 2.1 2.3
‘Dura Blue’ 1.8 2.0
‘Abbey’ 1.0 2.4
‘Ascot’ 2.4 1.7
‘Geronimo’ 1.9 2.3
‘TX 19-88’ 3.0 3.0
‘TX 46-90’ 3.0 3.0
‘TX 4-88’ 3.0 3.0
lsd (p = 0.05) 0.34 0.42
The seed of ‘HB 130’ averages 3.4 mm in length, and 0.83 mm in width.
Comparisons of ‘HB 130’ with other Kentucky, Texas and hybrid bluegrass varieties in terms of seed length, seed width and 1000 seed weight are shown in Tables 19 and 20 as follows:
TABLE 19
Seed characteristics from panicles of ‘HB 130’ and comparitor varieties
and germplasm.
1000 Seed
Cultivar Seed Length (mm) Seed Width (mm) Weight (mg)
‘HB 130’ 3.40 0.83 547
‘Thermal 3.20 0.80 540
Blue’
‘Dura Blue’ 2.62 0.91 660
‘Ascot’ 3.23 0.80 543
‘Geronimo’ 3.03 0.81 517
‘Tx 46-90’ 3.15 0.77 nd
‘Tx 19-88’ 2.20 0.69 nd
‘Tx 4-88’ 2.30 0.59 nd
lsd (p = 0.05) 1.09 0.80 46.8
TABLE 20
Thousand seed weight count of hybrid bluegrass
grown in eastern Washington
Cultivar 1000 Count Seed Weight (mg)
‘HB 130’ 417
‘Thermal 388
Blue’
‘Dura Blue’ 513
lsd (p = 0.05) 11
‘HB 130’ has demonstrated relatively rapid germination and emergence compared to other hybrids including ‘HB 129’ and ‘Reveille’ in both fall and spring sowings and a medium turf height 53 days after planting.
TABLE 21
Germination of ‘HB 130’, hybrid bluegrasses and Kentucky bluegrasses
planted in turfgrass plots at Cleveland, Texas observed after 1 or 2
weeks. (Rating Scale: 0 = no germination visible; 9 = all seeds
germinated and visible).
15 days after 8 days after
Cultivar seeding seeding
‘HB 130’ 3.0 2.0
‘Thermal Blue’ 2.7 1.7
‘Ascot’ 2.7 2.7
‘Abbey’ 1.7 2.0
‘Coventry’ 1.7 1.3
‘Reveille’ 0.0 0.0
lsd (0.05) 0.90 0.74
TABLE 22
Turf height 53 days after turf planting at The Scotts Company facility
at Gervais, Oregon. (Measured in millimeters).
Turf Height
Cultivar (mm)
‘HB 130’ 58.3
‘Thermal 80.8
Blue’
‘Dura Blue’ 41.8
‘Ascot’ 44.6
‘Fairfax’ 85.7
‘Abbey’ 64.1
lsd (0.05) 19.71
‘HB 130’ has shown greatly reduced seed cotton compared to ‘Reveille’ and Texas bluegrasses ‘Tx 39-88’ and ‘Tx 49-90’. It is thought that the presence of the cotton on seed has led to poor seed recovery and handling with Texas bluegrasses, and the limits the availability of ‘Reveille’ predominantly to a vegetative reproduction from rhizome and tiller materials.
TABLE 23
Cotton on lemma. Comparison of Lemma length eyepiece (mm), Lemma
length visual %, and cotton length from base (mm) and ranking of visual
cotton density for ‘HB 130’ and various cultivars.
Lemma Cotton Visual cotton
length length Cotton density
(Eyepiece, (% of lem- length (5 = Most.
Cultivar in mm) ma length) (in mm) 1 = None)
‘HB 130’ 3.8 74.6 3.0 2.0
‘Thermal 3.8 80.0 3.2 2.2
Blue’
‘Dura Blue’ 4.8 108.3 4.8 3.8
‘Reveille’ 4.2 95.4 4.0 3.0
‘Ascot’ 3.7 61.3 2.4 2.3
‘Geronimo’ 3.8 89.6 3.3 2.3
‘Tx 51-90’ 5.8 132.3 8.4 3.4
‘Tx 39-88’ 6.2 133.1 7.7 3.7
‘Tx 49-90’ 6.2 120.8 7.7 3.7
lsd (p = 0.05) 0.47 26.3 1.56 0.29
TABLE 24
Visual rating of cotton in intact panicles for ‘HB 130’ and various
bluegrass cultivars at Gervais, Oregon. (Rating Scale: 1 = none; 5 = most).
Cultivar Intact Panicle Cotton Rating
‘HB 130’ 2.3
‘Thermal Blue’ 2.0
‘Dura Blue’ 3.6
‘Geronimo’ 2.1
‘Ascot’ 2.4
‘Tx 39-88’ 3.8
‘Tx 49-90’ 4.3
Isd (p = 0.05) 0.74
‘HB 130’ has performed well throughout the U.S. as exhibited by good turf quality ratings under standard management inputs in comparison with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties and other Texas×Kentucky bluegrass hybrids. In addition, it has a medium green color with good turf density that can be maintained throughout the growing season providing a rapid development of sod strength, and a medium to high seed yielding capacity.
TABLE 25
Comparison of turf color readings of ‘HB 130’, various Kentucky blue-
grass varieties, and hybrid bluegrass varieties grown in San Diego County,
California from winter to winter taken at four different dates during
a year. (Rating Scale: 9 = Dark, 1 = Straw Brown).
Cultivar March May September January
‘HB 130’ 7.0 6.0 5.7 4.3
‘Thermal Blue’ 6.3 5.0 5.0 4.3
‘Dura Blue’ 7.7 8.0 6.2 5.7
‘Abbey’ 6.7 5.3 5.7 5.3
‘Midnight’ 6.7 7.0 7.8 6.0
‘Apollo’ 6.0 7.0 6.5 5.0
lsd (p = 0.05) 0.67 0.98 0.76 1.2
TABLE 26
Winter color ratings at The Scotts Company,
Gervais, Oregon. (Rating Scale: 9 = Best; 1 = Worst).
Cultivar Winter Color
‘HB 130’ 4.3
‘Thermal Blue’ 4.0
‘Dura Blue’ 7.7
‘Avalanche’ 6.3
‘Envicta’ 5.0
lsd (p = 0.05) 1.1
TABLE 27
Leaf characteristics of ‘HB 130’ and various Kentucky and Texas blue-
grass cultivars. In the nursery planted at The Scotts Company facility,
Gervais, Oregon. (Measured in centimeters).
Flag Leaf Flag Leaf Vegetative leaf
Cultivar Blade length Sheath length blade length
‘HB 130’ 4.2 13.4 7.9
‘Thermal Blue’ 4.7 12.9 7.0
‘DuraBlue’ 4.5 11.5 7.9
‘Geronimo’ 4.4 13.0 8.0
‘Ascot’ 3.7 9.5 6.9
‘Tx 19-88’ 11.3 18.5 14.2
‘Tx 46-90’ 11.6 16.9 15.4
lsd (0.05) 2.79 2.15 2.68
TABLE 28
Comparison flag and vegetative leaf characteristics for ‘HB 130’ to
various Kentucky and Texas bluegrass cultivars in the nursery planted at
The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon.
(Measurements in centimeters).
Flag Blade Flag Sheath Vegetative leaf blade
Cultivar length length length
‘HB 130’ 6.5 15.3 9.0
‘Thermal Blue’ 7.2 15.5 9.4
‘Dura Blue’ 6.4 13.7 9.4
‘Reveille’ 7.6 16.4 9.2
‘Geronimo’ 6.7 15.3 9.1
‘Ascot’ 5.9 13.2 9.6
‘Tx 39-88’ 8.7 15.8 9.
‘Tx 49-90’ 9.7 15.6 12.3
lsd (0.05) 2.72 2.78 3.29
TABLE 29
Flag leaf length, flag leaf width and vegetative leaf length of plants
allowed to over winter in the field and placed into a controlled greenhouse
environment (60-75 F.) in late winter and allowed to grow undisturbed at
The Scotts Company facility, Gervais, Oregon. (Measured in centimeters).
Flag Leaf Flag Leaf Vegetative Leaf
Cultivar Length Width Length
‘HB 130’ 5.0 1.4 7.8
‘Thermal Blue’ 4.6 1.4 8.1
‘Dura Blue’ 4.6 1.3 8.7
‘Reveille’ 6.7 1.3 11.7
‘Geronimo’ 4.4 1.4 7.4
‘Ascot’ 3.9 1.2 8.0
‘Kelly’ 4.0 1.5 7.9
‘Tx 51-90’ 8.4 1.8 9.8
‘Tx 39-88’ 9.2 2.0 8.7
‘TX 49-90’ 7.3 1.7 10.6
lsd (p = 0.05) 1.71 0.30 2.24
‘HB 130’ resists disease in humid regions better than traditional Kentucky bluegrasses. ‘HB 130’ is relatively resistance to brown patch and Pythium blight. Brown patch, or Rhizoctonia blight, is a common summertime disease of cool-season turfgrasses, and is caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani. Pythium blight, also called cottony blight or grease spot, is a fungal disease of turfgrasses.
‘HB 130’ shows moderate resistance to rust, dollarspot, and brown blight as demonstrated by the results tabulated in Tables 30 and 31.
TABLE 30
Dollarspot and leaf rust susceptibility of ‘HB 130’, Kentucky bluegrass
varieties, and hybrid bluegrass varieties grown in San Diego County,
California. Data is percent of plot area infected.
Cultivar Dollarspot Rust
‘HB 130’ 16.7 13.3
‘Thermal Blue’ 21.7 16.7
‘Dura Blue’ 0.3 2.0
‘Abbey’ 16.7 13.3
‘Midnight’ 0.3 26.7
‘Apollo’ 0.0 23.3
lsd(p = 0.05) 10.6 10.3
TABLE 31
Brown blight susceptibility of ‘HB 130’, various Kentucky bluegrass
varieties, and hybrid bluegrass varieties grown in Gervais, Oregon.
Percent of Plot Area
Infected Brown
Cultivar Blight
‘HB 130’ 61.7
‘Thermal Blue’ 66.7
‘Dura Blue’ 5.7
‘Envicta’ 58.3
‘Avalanche’ 25.0
lsd (p = 0.05) 22.7
- Color description: The upper and lower leaf blade surface colors of ‘HB-130’ were determined by comparing several actively growing leaves on at a time, in full sun, with color chips from the Munsell Book of Color as a reference. On this basis, the color of the upper and lower leaf blade surfaces were determined to be nearly comparable; the upper leaf blade surfaces ranged from 5GY 5/6 to 5/8 and the lower leaf blade surfaces ranged from 5GY 4/6 to 5/6. Additionally, color designations were determined from tillers harvested from the plant nursery using the Munsell Book of Color, Volume I of a two volume set, as follows: 10 YR 7/4 to 8/4 for ‘HB-130’ seed; 10 YR 7/4 to 7/6 for ‘HB-130’ panicle; and 10 YR 8/4 for ‘HB-130’ leaf ligule.
