Shade Adaptation Study
Nick E. Christians and Deying Li
The shade adaptation study was established in the fall of 1987 to evaluate the performance of 35 species and cultivars of grasses. The species include chewings fescue (C.F.), creeping red fescue (C.R.F.), hard fescue (H.F.), tall fescue (T.F.), Kentucky bluegrass (KBG), and rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis).
The trials are located under the canopy of a mature stand of Siberian elm trees (Ulmus pumila) at the Iowa State University Horticulture Research Station north of Ames, Iowa. Grasses are mowed at a 2-inch height and receive 2 lb N/1000ft2/year. No weed control has been required on the area, but the grass has been irrigated during extended droughts.
Monthly quality data are collected from April through October (Table 1). Visual quality is based on a scale of 9 to 1: 9 = best quality, 6 = lowest acceptable quality, and 1 = worst quality.
Table 1. 2001 visual quality1 data for cultivars in the 1987 Shade Trial in descending order for mean quality.
|
|
QUALITY |
|||||||
|
Cultivar 2 |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Mean |
|
Jamestown (C.F.) |
6.0 |
6.7 |
6.7 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
7.7 |
6.2 |
|
Victor (C.F.) |
4.3 |
5.0 |
7.0 |
6.7 |
6.7 |
6.7 |
7.0 |
5.9 |
|
Waldina (H.F.) |
4.7 |
5.3 |
5.7 |
6.3 |
6.3 |
6.0 |
7.0 |
5.9 |
|
Shadow (C.F.) |
5.0 |
5.0 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
6.0 |
6.3 |
5.8 |
|
Banner (C.F.) |
4.7 |
5.7 |
6.3 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
6.0 |
6.7 |
5.8 |
|
Atlanta (C.F.) |
4.7 |
5.0 |
6.0 |
5.3 |
5.3 |
6.0 |
6.3 |
5.6 |
|
Ensylva (C.R.F.) |
4.0 |
4.7 |
6.0 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
5.5 |
|
St-2(SR3000) (H.F.) |
4.7 |
4.7 |
5.3 |
5.3 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
6.3 |
5.5 |
|
Agram ((C.F.) |
4.7 |
4.0 |
5.7 |
5.3 |
5.7 |
6.3 |
6.3 |
5.3 |
|
Mary (C.F.) |
4.3 |
4.3 |
6.0 |
5.7 |
4.3 |
6.3 |
7.3 |
5.3 |
|
BAR Fo 81-225 (H.F.) |
4.7 |
4.7 |
4.7 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
5.7 |
6.3 |
5.2 |
|
Estica (C.R.F.) |
4.0 |
4.3 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
4.7 |
4.7 |
5.7 |
5.2 |
|
Reliant (H.F.) |
4.3 |
4.7 |
4.3 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
5.7 |
5.1 |
|
Rebel II (T.F.) |
3.7 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
4.3 |
4.7 |
6.0 |
4.7 |
5.0 |
|
Koket (C.F.) |
4.7 |
5.3 |
5.3 |
4.3 |
5.0 |
5.3 |
6.3 |
5.0 |
|
Waldorf (C.F.) |
3.3 |
3.7 |
5.7 |
5.0 |
4.7 |
6.0 |
6.3 |
4.9 |
|
Pennlawn (C.R.F.) |
3.7 |
4.3 |
6.0 |
5.0 |
4.0 |
5.7 |
6.0 |
4.8 |
|
Highlight (C.F.) |
4.0 |
4.3 |
4.3 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.7 |
5.0 |
4.8 |
|
Biljart (H.F.) |
4.0 |
4.0 |
5.0 |
5.7 |
5.3 |
5.3 |
5.3 |
4.6 |
|
Apache (T.F.) |
4.0 |
4.7 |
4.3 |
3.0 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
3.7 |
4.2 |
|
Wintergreen (C.F.) |
3.7 |
4.3 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
4.7 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
4.2 |
|
Scaldis (H.F.) |
4.3 |
3.7 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.7 |
5.0 |
4.2 |
|
Rebl (T.F.) |
3.0 |
3.0 |
3.7 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
4.0 |
|
Falcon (T.F.) |
4.0 |
4.7 |
4.0 |
3.3 |
3.7 |
5.3 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
|
Spartan (H.F.) |
3.3 |
3.7 |
3.3 |
4.3 |
4.0 |
5.0 |
4.7 |
3.9 |
|
Arid (T.F.) |
3.3 |
3.3 |
3.3 |
3.3 |
3.7 |
4.3 |
4.7 |
3.8 |
|
Bonanza (T.F.) |
2.0 |
2.3 |
4.0 |
3.3 |
3.0 |
4.0 |
4.3 |
3.5 |
|
Midnight (KGB) |
3.7 |
4.0 |
2.3 |
3.0 |
2.3 |
2.7 |
2.0 |
3.1 |
|
Nassau (KGB) |
3.0 |
3.3 |
2.3 |
2.7 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.7 |
|
Ram I (KGB) |
2.3 |
2.0 |
3.0 |
2.0 |
2.3 |
3.0 |
2.7 |
2.4 |
|
Coventry (KGB) |
3.3 |
2.7 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
3.0 |
2.3 |
2.4 |
|
Chateau (KGB) |
2.7 |
2.7 |
2.0 |
1.3 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
2.3 |
|
Sabre (Poa trivialis) |
1.7 |
2.0 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
2.2 |
|
Glade (KGB) |
2.3 |
2.3 |
1.7 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
1.7 |
2.0 |
|
Bristol (KGB) |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
|
LSD 0.05 |
NS |
2.3 |
1.4 |
1.6 |
1.5 |
1.5 |
1.6 |
0.8 |
1
Visual quality was assessed using a scale of 9 to 1 with 9 = best, 6 = lowest acceptable, and 1 = worst turf quality.2
C.F. = chewings fescue, C.R.F. = creeping red fescue, H.F. = hard fescue, KGB = Kentucky blue grass, T.F. = tall fescue. |
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