| Now I would like to introduce you to three more warm season turfgrass plant breeders from America. I selected these three for this article as their seeded Bermuda couch varieties are predominant in the current National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Bermudagrass trials in America. They work day in and day out trying to find the next turfgrass variety that will be the answer to your next turf challenge.
In alphabetical order, I would like to present, Dr. Leah Brilman, Dr. Modan Das and Dr. Melodee Fraser. All three work in the United States for private turfgrass seed research firms (not universities). I have asked them all a series of questions and their responses follow:
Leah Brilman, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Technical Services
Seed Research of Oregon
Leah started working with warm season grasses 33 years ago for her graduate work. She slowed for a number of years (working on small scale projects) and resumed warm season turfgrass breeding about 18 years ago.
1) What is the primary warm season turfgrass species that you work with?
I work primarily with bermudagrass.
2) Please list any other species you work with.
I have done some work with Zoysia but it never really panned out. I am also working with seashore paspalum. I have explored Soft Buffalo (St. Augustine) but getting seed production has been difficult. I have also done a little work with centipede and American Buffalograss. The big question on many of these is seed production and will there be enough customers for an improved variety.
3) What do you think the superintendents and groundskeepers are looking for in a bermudagrass/couch grass variety these days? Do you see anything that can be considered a developing trend in new seeded bermudagrass/couch grass varieties?
The bermudagrass market can be viewed as having segments and you have to balance your breeding goals by these. In some areas such as Southern California, Australia and Mediterranean climates more winter colour retention (take a light frost and regreen) can be very important. These areas then have the advantage of not overseeding but keeping colour. In areas that have harsh winters cold hardiness will
continue to be an issue along with spring dead spot resistance. Much of the use in these areas is in sports fields which have different requirements than golf fairways. Salinity tolerance will become increasingly important, even though bermudas have a lot of tolerance they still need to establish and grow. Some cultivars do better in low pH environments and others in high pH.
4) After Princess 77 and Riviera, there are now the new Vera Cruz, Contessa, Barbados and Sovereign varieties. With regards specifically to bermudagrass/couch grass varieties for turf, where do you think the next big advances will be made?
I think we need to explore more fully bermudagrasses in other areas of the world. Go back to the centres of diversity. The University of Oklahoma research program has a number of ones from China that have contributed unique genes. The material from Australia is also different as is material from India and Bangladesh. Patriot is the result of crossing a hexaploid with the diploid, C. transvaalensis. Potentially it could be used to introduce new genetics into the tetraploids. Europe has some interesting germplasm that needs to be used in breeding programs.
5) If you were to rank the top three characteristics that you look for in a new bermudagrass/couch grass variety, from the list below, what would they be?
The problem with this is that I have different aims for different market
segments. Some of these are linked. Turf Density 1, Quick Establishment 2 and Sod Strength 3.
6) Do you think it is possible to someday have a seeded bermudagrass variety that would be greens quality?
Yes, if people will pay. The problem may be the size of the market is too small to justify development. Production and marketing of a creeping bentgrass if it is only for greens is very different than for one that can be used on fairways.
7) How important is the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) and its testing to your research program?
It is important for bermudagrass and for certain cultivars of other species. Some species developed for specific markets are so specialised that it does not do well evaluating in the NTEP. If I want one that stays green with frost, only a few locations would test so I would need other trials.
8) What do you think is the most interesting or challenging aspect of warm season turfgrass breeding and research?
It takes much longer to breed one and get it to the market than cool season grasses. It takes longer to get enough seed to market one. The highest quality ones this is even truer with. Cold tolerant ones you have a complete year of establishment with no seed before you get a crop the next year which is not available to purchase until the following year. It is hard for both customers to understand the delay and why we need to obtain more money for these than common bermudagrass. Companies must also plan well in advance and it’s hard to have a crystal ball for two years in advance.
9) What variety or varieties of Bermudagrass/Bermuda Couch have you developed on your own or as part of a research team?
Although I have worked with Bermudagrass since graduate student days, the only variety of mine officially released is La Paloma. I have helped with production and marketing of additional varieties such as Yukon and SR9554. I do not have to breed a variety to see its merit and utilize it and we are always looking for unique new products. We have probably four more varieties preparing for release in the next few years. Bermudas are like bentgrasses in that they take much longer to breed than many turfgrasses and then it takes longer to bring them into production. PSG 9Y20K and PSG 94524 are both experimental varieties from my program that are in the current NTEP trials.
Modan K. Das, Ph.D.
Research Geneticist and Director of Research
Seeds West, Inc.
Modan Das has been working in warm season turfgrass research for two years. He received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University. Prior to joining Seeds West, he was a molecular biologist for the United States Department of Agriculture at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Prior to the USDA work, he worked for 3 years with Dr. Taliaferro at Oklahoma State University in a switchgrass program.
1) What is the primary warm season turfgrass species that you work with?
Bermudagrass.
2) Please list any other species you work with.
American Buffalograss.
3) What do you think the superintendents and groundskeepers are looking for in a bermudagrass/couch grass variety these days? Do you see anything that can be considered a developing trend in new seeded bermudagrass/couch grass varieties?
High turf quality, quick establishments, resistance/tolerance to cold, drought, salt, shade and insect-pest and diseases.
Yes, in addition to improvements in turf qualities attention is also given towards developing varieties with wide adaptation (cold tolerance is very important in this respect), drought tolerance, salt tolerance and shade tolerance.
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4) After Princess 77 and Riviera, there are now the new Vera Cruz, Contessa, Barbados and Sovereign varieties. With regards specifically to bermudagrass/couch grass varieties for turf, where do you think the next big advances will be made?
Lots of work has been done on qualities of turf bermudagrass. Some work has been done on abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. I think the next big advances are going to be in the areas of abiotic (cold, drought, salt and shade) stress tolerance. Of course breeders will continue to work on further improvements on turf quality and seed yield of seeded bermudagrass.
5) If you were to rank the top three characteristics that you look for in a new bermudagrass/couch grass variety, what would they be?
Turf density, fine texture and dark green colour.
6) Do you think it is possible to someday have a seeded bermudagrass variety that would be greens quality?
Yes.
7) How important is the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) and its testing to your research program?
It is very important for our program. Multi-location trials help understand how our varieties perform nationwide and also we can compare our varieties with the varieties developed by others.
8) What do you think is the most interesting or challenging aspect of warm season turfgrass breeding and research?
I find the turfgrass breeding and research very interesting because turfgrasses make our homes and sports fields lively and beautiful, it helps clean our environment and prevent soil erosion. The most challenging aspect of warm season turfgrass breeding is putting together all the genes for high turf quality, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and seed yield in a single variety.
9) What variety or varieties of Bermudagrass/Bermuda Couch have you developed on your own or as part of a research team?
I just started working on bermudagrass about two years ago and it takes a long time to develop a new bermudagrass variety. However, I have screened thousands of germplasm and breeding materials for high turf quality and several other traits including seed yield. I will have several varieties for the NTEP 2013. Prior to my arrival at Seeds West, Charlie Rodgers was the plant breeder here. Charlie is responsible for the development of several of our new varieties – Vera Cruz, Contessa, Barbados and Sovereign plus the Seeds West experimental entries in the current NTEP trials.
Melodee L. Fraser, Ph. D.
Director of Research – East
Pure-Seed Testing, Inc.
Melodee has been working in warm season turfgrass research for 18 years.
1) What is the primary warm season turfgrass species that you work with? Bermudagrass.
2) Please list any other species you work with.
Seashore paspalum and cool-season turfgrass species.
3) What do you think the superintendents and groundskeepers are looking for in a bermudagrass/couch grass variety these days? Do you see anything that can be considered a developing trend in new seeded bermudagrass/couch grass varieties?
I think they are primarily interested in winter survivability. There are new seeded bermudagrass varieties with excellent turf quality. Seed yield potential is improving,
which I think will increase the demand for and use of seeded turf-type bermudagrasses.
4) After Princess 77 and Riviera, there are now the new Vera Cruz, Contessa, Barbados and Sovereign varieties. With regards specifically to bermudagrass/couch grass varieties for turf, where do you think the next big advances will be made?
Shade tolerance.
5) If you were to rank the top three characteristics that you look for in a new bermudagrass/couch grass variety, from the list below, what would they be?
Cold Temperature Survival, Turf Density and Seed Production
6) Do you think it is possible to someday have a seeded bermudagrass variety that would be greens quality?
Yes.
7) How important is the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) and its testing to your research program?
For bermudagrass, it is important.
8) What do you think is the most interesting or challenging aspect of
warm season turfgrass breeding and research?
It is challenging to develop a seeded cultivar that has turf characteristics that are
competitive with a vegetative hybrid cultivar, yet still has good seed yield potential.
9) What variety or varieties of Bermudagrass/Bermuda Couch have you developed on your own or as part of a research team?
We have developed Savannah, Panama, Transcontinental, Sunbird, Casino Royale, PST-R6FLT, PST-R60N, PST-R6LA and PST-R6EY.
As you can see from their responses, the work of developing new improved seed varieties of warm season turfgrasses is in the hands of some extremely talented and capable plant breeders and researchers. From their test plots to commercial production and onto your sports fields, golf courses, parks, schools and lawns, it is quite a long journey. One of the most fulfilling moments for me, personally, in the seed business has been to watch a research line make it into production and then work with it as it becomes an accepted and desired commercial variety. There is a certain excitement from seeing before and after pictures on a project and seeing your variety make a difference.
I recently received two sets of Before and After pictures that show exactly what I mean. One is a golf club is located in the United States that was under a lot of pressure to always have premium green turf year round for their members. Their solution to this was to oversow the Tifway 419 fairways with more and more perennial ryegrass every year. Every year, there would be less couch to go through the summer until it got to where it looked like the Before picture featured here. This summer (our winter) the course was slit seeded with Princess 77 at a rate of 1 kg per 100m2. 8 days later, you can see the beginnings of good cover. By day 42 after sowing, the results are very impressive.
In another hemisphere, a world away, a consultant who has been working with FIFA constructing soccer fields mainly through the Pacific shared these pictures with me of soccer fields he established in Tahiti. These fields were sown with Princess 77 on the 16th of September 2006. Pictured here is how the field looked 5 weeks later (26 October 2006) and when the field was first used 8 weeks from establishment, 15 November 2006, a very good result.
As Leah, Melodee and Modan bring more new varieties to the market, there will no doubt be lots more impressive After photos for us to ooh and ahh over in the future.
The author wishes to thank Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D, Leah Brilman, Ph.D, Modan Das, Ph.D., Melodee Fraser, Ph.D, Mike Hills, Seed Research and Steve Ostrin, Seeds West for their contributions and assistance.
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