Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass
A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass having a high level of resistane to leaf spot and melting out disease; a medium to high level of resistance to several rust diseases and dollar spot; a dark green color throughout the growing season; a good level of drought tolerance; high quality dense persistent turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; and a medium level of seed yielding capacity.
Latest OMS Investments, Inc. Patents:
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Poa pratensis that has been designated Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass.
2. Description of Related Art
Kentucky bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 3,156, issued May 9, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 3,186, issued May 23, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 4,336, issued Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 6,280, issued Sep. 6, 1988; U.S. Pat. Nos. P.P. 6,538 and 6,538, issued on Jan. 17, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 6,585, issued Feb. 7, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 7,831, issued Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 8,490, issued Dec. 7, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 9,036, issued Jan. 3, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 9,209, issued Jul. 18, 1995; and pending U.S. Plant patent applications Ser. No. 08/453,864, filed May 30, 1995, and Ser. No. 08/532,995, filed Sep. 22, 1995.
SUMMARY OF THE VARIETYBa 77-279 plant material originated by crossing Ba73-709, an unreleased Kentucky bluegrass plant maintained in the O. M. Scott plant nursery, as the seed parent with a Merion Kentucky bluegrass plant as the pollen parent. As a result of this breeding, a distinct variety was produced and asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules.
Seed of Ba 77-279 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. Asexual production of Ba 77-279 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistently produced progeny plants indistinguishable from the mother plant. The apomixis level of Ba 77-279 is approximately 89% based upon examining seedling characeristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from different crop years in a growth chamber.
Ba 77-279 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a high level of resistance to Drechslera spp. that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot; a medium to high level of resistance to Puccinia spp. that causes several types of rust infections and Schlerotinia homoeocarpa that causes dollar spot. Ba 77-279 has an attractive leafy turf growth habit; moderately wide leaf blades and an attractive dark green color which can be maintained throughout the entire growing season. Ba 77-279 demonstrates good drought tolerance and excellent turf performance as evidenced by consistently high scores for quality, color and density. Ba 77-279 has a medium seed yield potential in the bluegrass seed production region of the northwestern U.S.
In comparison with a number of other bluegrass varieties, Ba 77-279 is average for seed size, number of whorls per panicle, vegetative leaf width, and ligule length. Ba 77-279 is below average in panicle length and width, number of florets per spikelet, flag leaf and vegetative leaf length and width, peduncle length and width, culm length and lemma hair content. Ba 77-279 is above average in spikelet width.
In comparison to many other varieties, Ba 77-279 is significantly greater in rachella length, spikelet length, flag leaf ligule length and internode length. Ba 77-279 has significantly less number of branches per whorl in the panicle, number of nodes in the culm and vegetative leaf ligule hair content as compared with other Bluegrass varieties. In comparison to most varieties, Ba 77-279 is significantly greater in outer and inner glume length and flag leaf thickness. Ba 77-279 is much darker green than either of its parents (Ba73-709 and Merion).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass panicle;
FIG. 2 is a Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass seed; and
FIG. 3 is a Ba 77-279 Kentucky Bluegrass plant shortly after completing anthesis.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETYBa 77-279 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.degree.-80.degree. F.), culms are erect averaging 36.3 cm in length and 3.0 nodes per culm and the uppermost internode averages 12.7 cm in length. The peduncle averages 20.0 cm in length and 0.64 mm in width. The flag leaf averages 4.7 cm in length, 3.5 mm in width and 0.29 mm in thickness and the ligule 1.5 mm in length. The vegetative leaf averages 17.4 cm in length, 3.4 mm in width, 0.345 mm in thickness and a ligule length of 0.22 mm.
The panicle averages 77.1 mm in length, 66.0 mm in width, and 9.2 whorls. The lowest whorl averages 2.3 branches and the third whorl from the button of the panicle average 2.1 branches. A spikelet in the lowest whorl averages 5.4 mm in length, 2.6 mm in width, 3.1 florets and the outer glume and inner glume average 3.7 and 4.1 mm in length, respectively. A spikelet from the third whorl from the bottom of the panicle is 5.3 mm in length, 2.9 mm in width, 3.1 florets, and the outer glume and inner glume averages 3.7 and 4.0 mm in length, respectively.
The conditioned seed of Ba 77-279 averages 2.99 mm in length, 0.85 mm in width, and a rachilla length of 0.82 mm. The seed count for Ba 77-279 averages approximately 1,039,000 seeds per pound.
Comparisions of Ba 77-279 with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in terms of seed dimension and seed numbers per pound are shown in Tables 1 and 2 as follows:
TABLE 1
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Morphological Comparison of Seed and Rachilla Measurements and
Lemma Hair of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at
Marysville, OH After Conditioning
Seed
Variety Length mm Width mm Rachilla mm
Lemma* Hair
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Ba 77-279
2.99 .85 .82 3.4
Ba 74-114
3.23 0.89 0.88 4.2
Ba 73-366
3.04 0.91 0.80 4.4
Ba 73-381
3.00 0.94 0.86 4.9
Abbey 2.97 0.89 0.80 3.8
Adelphi 2.70 0.84 0.65 4.4
America 2.40 0.68 0.68 2.8
Baron 3.08 0.81 0.71 5.0
Bristol 2.94 0.88 0.73 4.3
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
Marquis 2.97 0.87 0.83 4.7
Midnight 2.94 0.76 0.78 5.7
Nassau 3.07 0.86 0.68 3.4
Ram I 3.23 0.89 0.80 6.0
Touchdown
2.93 0.88 0.71 4.6
Victa 3.00 0.80 0.82 3.5
LSD (.05)
0.16 0.05 0.13 0.86
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*Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = abundant row of hairs
TABLE 2
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Comparison of Seed Numbers Per Pound of Ba 77-279 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Marysville, OH After Conditioning
Variety Seeds Per Pound
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Ba 77-279 1,039,000
Ba 74-114 978,000
Ba 73-366 1,025,586
Ba 73-381 1,171,000
Abbey 1,003,037
Adelphi 1,383,976
America 1,659,824
Baron 1,051,693
Bristol 1,270,821
Chateau 1,300,105
Coventry 1,246,200
Eclipse 1,335,668
Georgetown 1,431,000
Gnome 1,017,641
Kelly 921,166
Marquis 1,054,642
Midnight 1,227,000
Nassau 1,127,130
Ram I 1,214,000
Touchdown 1,211,000
Victa 1,038,298
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Ba 77-279 differs significantly morphologically from many other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to the following characteristics: (1) seed length; (2) rachilla length; (3) panicle length; (4) number of branches in the whorl; (5) spikelet length and width; (6) glume length and width; (7) culm length and internode length; (8) flag leaf thickness; and (9) vegetative leaf with and sheath color.
Since environmental conditions such as soil and climate may influence morphological characteristics to some extent, comparisions of morphological characteristics of Ba 77-279 were made with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties and the comparisons are set forth in the following Tables 3-8:
TABLE 3
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Morphological Comparison of Panicles, Whorl Number and Whorl
Branches of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the
Greenhouse at Marysville, OH
Number of
Panicles Branches
Length Width Whorl Lowest
Third
Variety Nodding* mm mm Number
Whorl Whorl
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Ba 77-279
2.4 77.1 66.0 9.2 2.3 2.1
Ba 74-114
2.0 88.8 62.0 9.3 2.1 2.1
Ba 73-366
1.6 88.8 68.4 8.8 4.3 3.7
Ba 73-381
1.1 80.2 55.3 9.8 4.1 3.9
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
America 2.3 67.7 51.1 8.8 3.3 3.5
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
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
Marquis 1.1 82.0 63.0 10.3 3.9 3.6
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
Ram I 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
LSD (.05)
0.68 7.35 8.62 0.66 0.72 0.50
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*Rate Scale: 1-9; 9 = most nodding
TABLE 4
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Morphological Comparison of Spikelets and Florets of Ba 77-279 and
Other Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH
Number
Spikelet* 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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Ba 77-279
5.4 2.6 5.3 2.9 3.1 3.1
Ba 74-114
5.6 3.2 5.6 3.3 4.1 4.1
Ba 73-366
4.6 2.5 4.7 2.6 2.6 2.8
Ba 73-381
4.7 2.4 4.6 2.6 2.7 2.7
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
America 4.6 2.2 4.4 2.3 4.5 4.3
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
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
Marquis 4.3 2.2 4.4 2.3 3.1 2.9
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
Ram I 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
LSD (.05)
0.41 0.35 0.38 0.35 0.58 0.53
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*Microscope measurements
TABLE 5
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Morphological Comparison of Glumes of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH
Glume Hairs*
Glume Length (mm) Lowest Third
Outer Inner Whorl Whorl
Lowest Third Lowest
Third In- In-
Variety
Whorl Whorl Whorl Whorl Outer
ner Outer
ner
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Ba 77-279
3.7 3.7 4.1 4.0 2.1 3.0 2.0 2.3
Ba 74-114
3.5 3.3 3.9 3.8 2.6 3.2 2.2 2.8
Ba 73-366
2.8 2.8 3.2 3.1 1.7 1.3 1.3 2.0
Ba 73-381
2.8 2.9 3.2 3.1 1.7 2.3 2.1 2.3
Abbey 2.7 2.7 3.1 3.1 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.0
Adelphi
2.7 2.6 3.0 3.1 0.6 2.7 1.1 1.9
America
2.1 2.1 2.5 2.5 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.3
Baron 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.7 4.8 4.4 4.2 4.6
Bristol
2.8 3.0 3.3 3.4 1.0 2.2 0.8 2.2
Chateau
2.8 2.9 3.1 3.2 1.5 2.6 2.0 1.8
Coventry
2.7 2.8 3.1 3.1 1.5 2.7 1.6 2.4
Eclipse
3.0 3.0 3.4 3.4 1.5 1.9 1.8 1.9
George-
2.8 2.8 3.1 3.1 1.7 2.7 1.2 2.4
town
Gnome 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.3 1.0 1.9 1.2 1.6
Kelly 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.5 1.3 1.5 1.1 0.8
Marquis
2.8 2.7 3.1 3.1 0.9 1.1 1.7 1.8
Midnight
2.6 2.6 3.0 3.1 1.8 2.8 1.0 2.4
Nassau 2.6 2.7 2.9 3.0 2.1 2.6 4.2 4.4
Ram I 2.9 3.0 3.6 3.5 1.1 2.3 0.7 1.2
Touch- 3.3 3.3 3.8 3.8 0.7 2.1 1.1 1.4
down
Victa 2.8 2.7 3.1 3.1 0.8 1.1 1.1 1.3
LSD (.05)
0.23 0.22 0.22 0.23 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9
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*Rating Scale: 0-9; 9 = many hairs
TABLE 6
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Morphological Comparison of Flag Leaves of Ba 77-279 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH
Length Width Thickness
Leaf Leaf Ligule
Variety cm mm mm Angle.sup.1/
Curve.sup.2/
mm
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Ba 77-279
4.7 3.5 0.29 2.1 4.5 1.5
Ba 74-114
5.3 3.4 0.23 1.4 5.0 1.2
Ba 73-366
4.5 3.6 0.18 5.1 4.4 1.5
Ba 73-381
4.3 3.5 0.22 1.9 5.0 1.3
Abbey 3.8 3.4 0.14 2.7 4.1 1.3
Adelphi 5.7 3.4 0.18 5.2 5.0 1.1
America 4.3 2.6 0.21 4.6 5.0 0.6
Baron 7.0 4.2 0.15 9.2 4.4 1.2
Bristol 4.3 3.2 0.21 2.3 5.0 0.6
Chateau 4.0 2.7 0.19 3.4 2.0 0.9
Coventry
3.7 3.0 0.14 0.7 4.3 0.9
Eclipse 3.9 3.2 0.19 8.7 5.0 1.1
Georgetown
5.7 2.8 0.22 1.9 5.0 0.6
Gnome 4.5 3.5 0.18 4.3 5.0 0.8
Kelly 4.8 4.1 0.18 3.1 4.4 1.5
Marquis 5.5 3.6 0.24 2.7 4.6 0.8
Midnight
3.8 2.6 0.19 1.1 5.0 0.4
Nassau 6.0 3.7 0.19 5.9 4.7 1.1
Ram I 3.4 3.1 0.19 1.0 4.8 0.7
Touchdown
4.1 2.7 0.16 3.4 4.1 1.1
Victa 3.9 3.7 0.27 2.1 4.6 1.3
LSD (.05)
1.0 0.42 0.025 2.50 0.40 0.17
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Hairs.sup.3/
Leaf Sheath
Variety Margin Ligule Color.sup.4/
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Ba 77-279
0.6 0.7 0.9
Ba 74-114
0.5 2.1 1.8
Ba 73-366
0.4 2.2 0.5
Ba 73-381
0.4 3.6 1.5
Abbey 0.8 1.6 0.2
Adelphi 1.8 1.6 0.4
America 0.4 0.7 1.9
Baron 1.0 3.8 2.6
Bristol 0.4 1.9 2.0
Chateau 1.1 3.1 0.3
Coventry
0.8 1.7 2.0
Eclipse 1.0 1.0 0.2
Georgetown
0.6 2.0 2.0
Gnome 0.9 3.2 1.5
Kelly 1.1 2.5 2.2
Marquis 0.5 3.8 1.5
Midnight
0.4 0.3 2.0
Nassau 2.6 2.4 0.8
Ram I 0.5 1.3 2.0
Touchdown
1.0 1.0 7.7
Victa 1.0 0.8 0.5
LSD (.05)
0.47 0.70 0.76
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.sup.1/ Degrees from the stem
.sup.2/ Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down
.sup.3/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many
.sup.4/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple
TABLE 7
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Morphological Comparison of Peduncles, Culms, Node Numbers Per
Culm and Internode Length of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass
Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH
Culm Top
Peduncle Peduncle Length Nodes Internode
Variety Length cm
Width mm cm Per Culm
Length cm
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Ba 77-279
20.0 0.64 36.3 3.0 12.7
Ba 74-114
24.7 0.71 44.9 3.7 13.4
Ba 73-366
26.4 0.70 42.7 4.1 9.2
Ba 73-381
24.3 0.81 39.5 3.1 10.8
Abbey 23.2 0.65 41.3 4.1 11.0
Adelphi 24.5 0.66 40.0 4.0 10.4
America 16.2 0.62 31.8 3.1 11.0
Baron 34.0 0.70 52.8 4.2 12.8
Bristol 22.9 0.73 43.5 4.0 12.6
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
Marquis 27.1 0.83 34.1 3.4 7.8
Midnight
20.5 0.72 29.5 2.8 7.6
Nassau 25.0 0.66 36.0 3.9 7.4
Ram I 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
LSD (.05)
3.17 0.077 3.32 0.44 1.94
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TABLE 8
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Morphological Comparison of Vegetative Leaves of Ba 77-279 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in the Greenhouse at Marysville, OH
Thickness
Leaf
Variety Length cm
Width mm mm Angle.sup.1/
Curve.sup.2/
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Ba 77-279
17.4 3.4 0.34 67.9 5.5
Ba 74-114
18.9 4.5 0.36 50.9 5.0
Ba 73-366
22.9 3.8 0.40 53.0 7.1
Ba 73-381
22.1 3.3 0.30 62.5 8.2
Abbey 20.7 3.6 0.28 51.3 7.4
Adelphi 19.4 3.7 0.28 67.0 4.6
America 21.4 3.1 0.32 66.0 6.4
Baron 18.2 4.3 0.29 35.0 4.4
Bristol 18.2 3.7 0.32 65.5 6.9
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
Marquis 19.7 3.7 0.38 46.4 7.8
Midnight
19.5 3.5 0.31 63.3 5.0
Nassau 16.3 3.7 0.29 63.2 4.9
Ram I 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
LSD (.05)
3.50 0.43 0.044 15.90 1.54
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Hairs.sup.3/
Ligule Leaf Leaf Sheath Sheath
Variety Length mm
Ligule Margin Roughness.sup.4/
Color.sup.5/
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Ba 77-279
0.22 1.5 2.0 8.8 0.2
Ba 74-114
0.14 3.3 2.6 8.7 2.0
Ba 73-366
0.23 5.2 4.2 8.5 0.0
Ba 73-381
0.16 3.2 0.7 8.2 2.0
Abbey 0.32 4.4 2.8 7.7 0.0
Adelphi 0.34 2.6 3.4 8.8 0.0
America 0.12 1.7 2.1 8.4 2.0
Baron 0.33 4.6 3.6 7.4 0.4
Bristol 0.12 2.6 3.0 8.9 2.0
Chateau 0.22 3.3 3.1 7.8 0.5
Coventry
0.32 3.1 2.4 8.1 0.3
Eclipse 0.38 2.8 2.6 9.0 0.2
Georgetown
0.14 2.5 2.4 8.5 2.0
Gnome 0.23 1.6 0.8 7.5 1.4
Kelly 0.34 4.6 2.4 8.8 0.0
Marquis 0.21 3.6 1.1 6.8 1.1
Midnight
0.10 1.3 1.6 7.7 2.0
Nassau 0.34 2.5 3.3 8.5 1.4
Ram I 0.09 1.8 2.0 7.7 2.0
Touchdown
0.29 1.4 1.3 7.9 8.0
Victa 0.26 2.3 1.7 7.9 0.1
LSD (.05)
0.045 0.79 0.70 0.89 0.57
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.sup.1/ Degrees from the stem
.sup.2/ Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = curves up; 5 = no curve; 9 = curves down
.sup.3/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = none; 9 = many
.sup.4/ Rating Scale: 1-9; 1 = rough; 9 = smooth
.sup.5/ Rating Scale: 0-9; 0 = no color; 9 = dark purple color
Ba 77-279 has been an outstanding performer as exhibited by high turf quality ratings and dark green color at a number of locations across the U.S. in comparison to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties. With regard to a comparataive analysis conducted for purposes of determining color of Ba 77-279 plants relative to other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties, readings were taken of the vegetative color of Ba 77-279 during mid-May 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 Ba 77-279 was determined to be 7.5 GY 4/4. 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: Ba 74-114 -- 7.5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-381 -- 5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-366 -- 5 GY 4/4; Ba 73-540 -- 5 GY 4/4; Abbey -- 5 GY 3/4; and Coventry -- 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.
Ba 77-279 demonstrates a dark green color which can be maintained throughout the growing season. It also has a medium wide leaf, good density and seedling vigor. Comparisons of Ba 77-279 with other Kentucky bluegrass varieties for quality, color, density and seedling vigor are set forth hereinafter in Tables
TABLE 9
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A Comparison of Quality of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky Bluegrass
Varieties In Three Tests Conducted at Nineteen (19) Locations in the
U.S. in Three Tests Conducted.
Test (Annual Means)
Variety A B C
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Ba 77-279 6.1 6.4 5.9
Ba 73-366 5.5 5.5 5.3
Ba 73-381 5.4 5.6 5.3
Ba 74-114 5.3 5.6 5.1
Abbey 5.5 5.5 5.3
Able I 5.8 6.1 5.9
A-34 5.6 5.7 5.5
Banff 6.0 5.9 5.4
Baron 5.8 5.7 5.3
Classic 5.8 5.9 5.4
Coventry 5.9 6.0 5.7
Eclipse 5.9 6.2 6.0
Estate 5.9 5.9 5.6
Georgetown 5.9 5.9 5.4
Glade 6.2 6.0 5.6
Gnome 5.5 5.5 5.3
Haga 5.9 5.8 5.5
Kelly 5.5 5.4 5.2
Kenblue 4.6 4.5 4.3
Marquis 5.4 5.5 5.4
Merion 4.2 4.8 4.9
Merit 5.4 5.5 5.3
Midnight 6.2 6.4 6.3
Monopoly 5.3 5.5 5.3
Nassau 5.6 5.8 5.2
Ram I 6.1 5.9 5.4
South Dakota 4.1 4.2 4.2
Touchdown 5.5 5.9 5.5
LSD (.05) 0.3 0.2 0.2
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Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = ideal turf
TABLE 10
______________________________________
A Comparison of Genetic Color of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties in Three Tests (A-C) Conducted at Ten (10)
Locations in the US
TESTS (Annual Means)
Variety A B C
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 6.9 6.8 7.2
Ba 74-114 7.0 7.2 7.2
Ba 73-366 5.5 5.5 5.9
Ba 73-381 6.0 5.7 6.4
Abbey 5.6 5.9 5.8
Able I 6.6 6.8 6.8
A-34 5.0 5.4 4.6
Banff 5.1 6.0 5.5
Baron 6.0 6.0 5.9
Classic 5.2 5.9 5.2
Coventry 5.9 5.6 5.8
Eclipse 6.3 6.6 6.4
Estate 5.8 5.3 5.3
Georgetown 5.2 6.1 5.3
Glade 6.7 6.3 6.7
Gnome 6.0 6.1 5.8
Haga 5.1 5.8 5.3
Kelly 5.6 5.7 6.1
Kenblue 4.6 5.0 5.3
Marquis 6.1 6.1 6.4
Merion 5.7 5.8 5.4
Merit 5.7 5.7 6.2
Midnight 7.1 7.3 7.7
Monopoly 4.8 4.9 4.8
Nassau 6.0 6.6 6.5
Ram I 6.7 5.9 6.6
South Dakota 4.5 4.8 4.7
Touchdown 5.5 5.5 5.3
LSD (.05) 0.5 0.4 0.7
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = dark green.
TABLE 11
______________________________________
A Comparison of Fall Density of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties at Martinsville, New Jersey
Variety Fall Density
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 7.0
Ba 73-366 5.3
Ba 73-381 5.3
Ba 74-114 5.7
Abbey 4.7
Able I 4.7
A-34 5.7
Banff 6.3
Baron 5.7
Classic 6.3
Coventry 6.0
Eclipse 5.3
Estate 5.0
Georgetown 6.7
Glade 5.7
Gnome 6.0
Haga 6.7
Kelly 5.0
Kenblue 5.0
Marquis 5.7
Merion 3.7
Merit 5.3
Midnight 7.3
Monopoly 5.0
Nassau 5.3
Ram I 6.7
South Dakota 3.0
Touchdown 5.7
LSD (.05) 1.4
______________________________________
Ratings Scale: 1-9; 9 = maximum density
TABLE 12
______________________________________
A Comparison of Leaf Texture of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties at Martinsville, NJ.
Variety Leaf Texture
______________________________________
BA 77-279 5.3
Ba 74-114 4.0
Ba 73-366 4.3
Ba 73-381 4.0
Abbey 5.0
Able I 5.7
A-34 4.3
Banff 5.3
Baron 5.0
Classic 5.3
Coventry 5.0
Eclipse 5.7
Estate 4.3
Georgetown 6.0
Glade 5.0
Gnome 5.3
Haga 5.7
Kelly 4.3
Kenblue 6.0
Marquis 4.3
Merion 4.0
Merit 4.7
Midnight 6.7
Monopoly 5.0
Nassau 5.0
Ram I 5.0
South Dakota 3.7
Touchdown 5.3
LSD (.05) 0.9
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = very fine
TABLE 13
______________________________________
A Comparison of Seedling Vigor of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties at Six Locations in the the U.S. and Canada*
Variety Seedling Vigor Mean
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 6.2
Ba 73-366 6.3
Ba 73-381 6.3
Ba 74-114 5.3
Abbey 6.4
Able I 6.3
A-34 6.0
Banff 7.7
Baron 6.7
Classic 7.1
Coventry 6.1
Eclipse 6.1
Estate 6.1
Georgetown 7.0
Glade 6.7
Gnome 6.3
Haga 7.1
Kelly 6.6
Kenblue 7.4
Marquis 6.3
Merion 2.6
Merit 6.4
Midnight 5.4
Monopoly 7.1
Nassau 6.4
Ram I 6.5
South Dakota 6.7
Touchdown 5.8
LSD (.05) 0.7
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = Maximum vigor
Locations: Fort Collins, CO; Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick, NJ; Adelphi
NJ; Richmond Hill, Ontario; pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais,
OR.
Turf diseases are one of the major causes of inconsistent and poor turf performance. Ba 77-279 has been found to have a high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out caused by Drechslera poae (formerly called Helminthosporium vagans). Ba 77-279 furthermore has been found to have a medium to high level of resistance to dollar spot caused by Sclerotinia homoecarpa and to several rust diseases caused by Puccinia spp.
Comparisons of disease incidence of Ba 77-279 as compared with other Kentucky Bluegrass varieties in regard to leaf spot, dollar spot, and rusts, are presented in Tables 14-18.
TABLE 14
______________________________________
A Comparison of Leaf Spot Incidence in Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties in Two (2) Tests Conducted at Seven (7) Locations
in the U.S.
Means
Variety Test 1* Test 2**
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 6.0 7.4
Ba 73-366 4.3 5.1
Ba 73-381 2.0 5.8
Ba 74-114 4.7 6.8
Abbey 4.7 5.1
Able I 6.0 7.1
A-34 4.7 5.4
Banff 4.7 5.9
Baron 4.0 5.4
Classic 3.3 5.4
Coventry 3.7 5.8
Eclipse 6.3 7.4
Estate 4.0 5.9
Georgetown 6.0 6.3
Glade 3.0 4.8
Gnome 3.7 5.7
Haga 3.7 5.9
Kelly 4.7 5.1
Kenblue 1.7 1.8
Marquis 3.7 5.6
Merion 7.3 7.3
Merit 4.3 5.4
Midnight 5.7 6.6
Monopoly 4.3 5.2
Nassau 4.3 6.2
Ram I 4.3 4.9
South Dakota 1.0 1.8
Touchdown 5.3 6.3
LSD (.05) 1.5 0.7
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease
*Locations: Pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, OR.
**Locations: Post Falls, ID; North Brunswick and Adelphia, NJ; Marysville
OH LSD
TABLE 15
______________________________________
A Comparison of Dollar Spot Disease Incidence of Ba 77-279 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Three (3) Tests Conducted at Five (5)
Locations in the U.S.
Means
Variety Test A.sup.1
Test B.sup.2
Test C.sup.3
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 8.3 7.8 7.0
Ba 73-366 8.3 7.1 6.2
Ba 73-381 7.3 6.6 6.4
Ba 74-114 8.3 7.9 4.8
Abbey 8.0 6.8 6.3
Able I 8.3 6.8 6.1
A-34 7.7 6.7 6.0
Banff 7.7 6.4 6.2
Baron 7.7 6.9 6.8
Classic 8.0 7.4 6.3
Coventry 7.7 5.9 5.9
Eclipse 8.3 7.5 7.2
Estate 8.3 5.3 5.6
Georgetown 8.0 6.9 6.1
Glade 7.7 7.0 6.4
Gnome 8.0 6.7 6.1
Haga 7.7 6.3 6.2
Kelly 8.0 7.3 6.3
Kenblue 8.0 6.8 6.8
Marquis 8.0 6.8 6.7
Merion 7.7 6.9 6.1
Merit 8.0 6.8 6.7
Midnight 8.3 8.0 6.6
Monopoly 8.0 7.1 6.7
Nassau 8.0 7.4 6.7
Ram I 7.3 6.0 4.9
South Dakota
8.0 7.3 5.8
Touchdown 8.0 6.8 6.1
LSD (.05) 0.9 1.1 0.8
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease
.sup.1 Locations: Kingston, RI
.sup.2 Locations: Urbana, IL; Adelphia, NJ; Kingston, RI; Haymarket, VA
.sup.3 Locations: Urbana, IL; Silver Spring, MD; Kingston, RI
TABLE 16
______________________________________
A Comparison of Stem Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-279 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Kingston, R.I.
Variety Stem Rust
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 7.3
Ba 73-366 6.7
Ba 73-381 7.3
Ba 74-114 5.7
Abbey 7.0
Able I 3.3
A-34 4.3
Banff 7.7
Baron 7.0
Classic 8.0
Coventry 6.7
Eclipse 4.0
Estate 6.3
Georgetown 8.7
Glade 7.7
Gnome 7.0
Haga 8.0
Kelly 8.0
Kenblue 5.7
Marquis 6.7
Merion 1.0
Merit 6.3
Midnight 8.0
Monopoly 6.3
Nassau 8.0
Ram I 8.0
South Dakota 4.3
Touchdown 2.3
LSD (.05) 1.4
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease
TABLE 17
______________________________________
A Comparison of Leaf Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-279 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties at Kingston, R.I.
Variety Leaf Rust
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 6.0
Ba 74-114 6.7
Ba 73-366 5.7
Ba 73-381 6.3
Abbey 6.3
Able I 7.0
A-34 6.0
Banff 7.0
Baron 8.3
Classic 8.7
Coventry 7.0
Eclipse 5.7
Estate 6.3
Georgetown 7.7
Glade 7.0
Gnome 6.7
Haga 7.0
Kelly 5.0
Kenblue 6.7
Marquis 6.3
Merion 2.3
Merit 6.0
Midnight 6.0
Monopoly 5.3
Nassau 7.0
Ram I 6.7
South Dakota 6.7
Touchdown 3.7
LSD (.05) 2.4
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease
TABLE 18
______________________________________
A Comparison of Stripe Rust Disease Incidence in Ba 77-279 and Other
Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties in Tests Conducted at Three Locations.sup.1/
in
Oregon
Variety Stripe Rust
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 6.0
Ba 74-114 6.7
Ba 73-366 5.0
Ba 73-381 4.7
Abbey 4.3
Able I 6.0
A-34 5.0
Banff 6.0
Baron 6.0
Classic 6.3
Coventry 5.0
Eclipse 6.0
Estate 5.7
Georgetown 6.3
Glade 3.0
Gnome 4.7
Haga 6.3
Kelly 5.0
Kenblue 3.3
Marquis 5.3
Merion 3.7
Merit 5.0
Midnight 4.7
Monopoly 5.3
Nassau 5.3
Ram I 6.0
South Dakota 4.0
Touchdown 3.0
LSD (.05) 1.2
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no disease
.sup.1/ Pooled data from Halsey, Hubbard and Gervais, Oregon.
Ba 77-279 has shown good drought tolerance and has a medium seed yielding capability. Comparisons for drought tolerance and seed yields of Ba 77-279 with other Kentucky Bluegrass are presented in Table 19-20.
TABLE 19
______________________________________
A Comparison of Drought Tolerance of Ba 77-279 and Other Kentucky
Bluegrass Varieties at Carbondale, IL.
Variety Drought Tolerance
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 5.0
Ba 73-366 3.0
Ba 73-381 2.0
Ba 74-114 3.0
Abbey 3.7
Able I 4.0
A-34 4.0
Banff 4.7
Baron 3.0
Classic 3.7
Coventry 4.3
Eclipse 4.0
Estate 4.7
Georgetown 4.0
Glade 3.7
Gnome 3.3
Haga 4.0
Kelly 2.7
Kenblue 2.7
Marquis 3.3
Merion 3.7
Merit 2.7
Midnight 4.3
Monopoly 2.7
Nassau 3.3
Ram I 4.7
South Dakota 2.7
Touchdown 4.7
LSD (.05) 1.6
______________________________________
Rating Scale: 1-9; 9 = no dormancy
TABLE 20
______________________________________
A Comparison of Seed Yield in Pounds Per Acre of Ba 77-279 and
Coventry Kentucky Bluegrass In Two (2) Tests Conducted at Gervais,
Oregon.
Test A Test B
______________________________________
Ba 77-279 672 382
Coventry 568 425
LSD (.05) 162 97
______________________________________
Claims
1. A variety of Kentucky Bluegrass plant, substantially as shown and described, characterized by a high level of resistance to leaf spot and melting out disease; a medium to high level of resistance to several rust diseases and dollar spot; a dark green color throughout the growing season; a good level of drought tolerance; high quality dense persistent turf formation under a wide variety of environmental conditions; and a medium 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 |
Type: Grant
Filed: Feb 23, 1996
Date of Patent: Jul 22, 1997
Assignee: OMS Investments, Inc. (Wilmington, DE)
Inventors: Virgil D. Meier (Marysville, OH), Jay B. Burr (S.E. Salem, OR)
Primary Examiner: James R. Feyrer
Application Number: 8/604,763
International Classification: A01H 500;
