1. Bermudagrass – new ways to look at an old friend Mike Richardson University of Arkansas

2. A Historical Perspective  Common bermudagrass is utilized in a range of turf situations – quality is poor  Release of vegetative bermudagrass cultivars with increased quality and uniformity –U3 (1957),“Tif” cultivars (60-70s), “Mid” cultivars (1970s)  Breeding efforts initiated in early 1980s to enhance quality and performance of seeded bermudagrass  Release of first “improved” seeded cultivars –Guymon (1982), NuMex Sahara (1987) Mirage (1992)  Release of seeded cultivars with significant improvements in quality –‘Princess-77’, ‘Riviera’, and ‘Yukon’ (late 1990’s)

3. NTEP Bermudagrass Trials Seeded vs. Vegetative Entries

4. Update from the recent NTEP trial

5. Turfgrass quality of seeded and vegetative bermudagrasses across 12 locations (2003 data) LSD (0.05) SEEDED ENTRIES Midlawn Patriot Princess-77 Tifway Riviera Tifsport

6. % winterkill of vegetative and seeded bermudagrasses at Stillwater, OK (2003) Princess-77 Tifway Tifsport Riviera Midlawn LSD (0.05)

7. Divot studies at UofA  Compare divot recovery of cultivars in NTEP bermudagrass trial

8. Simulating Divots With a Motorized Divot Cutter

10. Divot recovery of several seeded and vegetative bermudagrass cultivars

11. Divot recovery of bermudagrass cultivars * * * * * * ** * - vegetative entries days to 50% divot recovery

12. Questions to be addressed by research on seeded bermudagrass  Cultivar differences –Quality / Stress tolerance / divot studies  Propagation methods –Seeding dates / rates / techniques  Weed Control –Herbicide timing and tolerance  Traffic tolerance  Sod Production

13. Effects of cultivar and seeding date on first- year survival of seeded bermudagrass

14. Seeding Date Trial 2000 and 2001 Seeding Date 15 April15 April 15 May15 May 15 June15 June 15 July15 JulyCultivar Jackpot Mirage Mohawk Princess Sahara Yukon All cultivars seeded at 48.8 kg PLS / ha (1 lb / 1000 ft 2 ) RCBD with 4 replications

15. Seeding Date Study Evaluations  Establishment rates  Stolon production  Rhizome production  Percent winter recovery

16. Minimum air temperature at the Fayetteville Research Station Fayetteville, AR

17. Effect of planting date on recovery of seeded bermudagrasses from winter injury (2000-01) % recovery MirageMohawkPrincessSaharaYukonJackpot a a b c b a b c a a b c a a b b a a b c aaa b Measured on April 28, 2001

18. April seeding May seeding Mirage Yukon Princess-77Jackpot Yukon Photo on April 28, 2001

19. May June July April

20. Applications of a seeded bermudagrass to an athletic field

21. Univeristy of Arkansas Razorback Football Stadium

22. South Endzone 2001 1997

23. The height of the southern end of the stadium caused shadowing problems on the last 20 yards of turf

24. Reduced light weakened the turf going into the winter Reduced light led to longer durations of cold temperatures during the winter

25. Winterkill in south end zone -Spring, 2002 (associated with stadium expansion) Attempt to recover this area with an improved seeded bermudagrass

26. Seed Prep  Verticut in several directions  Vacuum debris

27. Seeding methods  Riviera bermudagrass seeded at 48 kg PLS / ha (1.0 l lb. / 1000 ft 2 )  Top-dressed with ~3 mm of sand  Covered with geotextile for 7 days

28. 24 days after planting Riviera Seed Washed Tifway Sod

29. 24 days after planting Washed Tifway Sod (before planting) Riviera Seed

30. Preparing for first game - August, 2002

31. ‘Tifway’ May, 2002 ‘Riviera’ April, 2003

32. SeededRiviera SeededRiviera Spring, 2003 WashedTifwaySod WashedTifwaySod Traffic injury

33. Spring, 2002 ‘Tifway’ May 15 Spring, 2003 ‘Riviera’ May 23 Traffic injury

34. April 19, 2004 April 2, 2004 Early spring green-up of Riviera compared to Tifway

35. TifwayRiviera April 19, 2004

36. 2nd season May 23, 2003 1st season Traffic tolerance of Riviera was improved with maturity

37. Re-establishment of bermudagrass into high-traffic areas of a sports field

38. Typical problem on high-traffic areas  Previous options include sprigs or sod  Potential to re-vegetate this area with a seeded bermudagrass  When can this be most effectively accomplished ?

39. Hypothesis: Dormant seeding bermudagrass will enhance recovery of damaged turf  Seed worn areas during periods of low activity  Allow spring activities to incorporate the seed

40. Dormant seeding bermudagrass into an existing turf area  Two cultivars –Riviera –Princess-77  Seeding rates –1.0 lb PLS / 1000 ft 2 –2.0 lb PLS / 1000 ft 2  Seeding dates –Feb. 15 –Mar. 15 –Apr. 15 –May 15 Normal seeding Dormant seeding

41. Temperature data loggers were used to monitor soil temperature during the establishment period.

42. Soil temperature and germination dates for various seeding date treatments (Fayetteville, AR - 2004) M Seeding dates AMF 55 °F MayApr.Feb.Mar. First germination observed 65 °F

43. Establishment rates of ‘Riviera’ and ‘Princess-77’ bermudagrass, as affected by dormant seeding compared to spring seeding

44. Establishment of Riviera bermudagrass on June 1, 2004 Mar. 15 Apr. 15 May 15 Feb. 15 1.0 lb. 2.0 lb. Seeding Rate (lb. PLS / M) Seeding Date

45. Establishment of Riviera bermudagrass on June 16, 2004 Mar. 15 Apr. 15 May 15 Feb. 15 1.0 lb. 2.0 lb. Seeding Rate (lb. PLS / M) Seeding Date

46. Determining seedling density in dormant seeding treatments

48. B A B B B A B A Seedling density, as affected by cultivar, seeding date, and seeding rate Seeding Date Seeding Rate Cultivar

49. Summary of dormant seeding trials  Early germination and faster establishment rates were observed with dormant seeding dates (Feb / Mar) compared to traditional seeding dates (Apr / May).  Seed dormancy mechanisms may be overcome with natural soil weathering.

50. Summary  Improved seeded bermudagrasses offer a viable alternative to traditional methods of sprigged or sodded bermudagrass  Improved cold tolerance can be very beneficial in transition zone climates  Planting methods can be improved to hasten recovery of damaged turf

51. Riviera bermudagrass at Baum Stadium USGA constructionUSGA construction 6 weeks after planting6 weeks after planting

52. Special thanks to Pat Berger for being willing to give these ideas a try…

53. Thanks for your attention…