Dormant Seeding Bermudagrass Cultivars in a Transition-Zone Environment

• Published in: Crop science Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 1787 - 1792
• Main Authors: Shaver, B.R, Richardson, M.D, McCalla, J.H, Karcher, D.E, Berger, P.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Madison, WI The Crop Science Society of America, Inc 01-07-2006; Crop Science Society of America; American Society of Agronomy
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; appearance (quality); Biological and medical sciences; Competition; Cultivars; Cynodon dactylon; Data collection; dormancy; Environmental conditions; Field study; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; good agricultural practices; lawns and turf; plant density; plant establishment; Planting density; Quality standards; Ratings & rankings; seed germination; Seeding; Seedlings; Seeds; Seeds and other planting stocks; Soil temperature; sowing; sowing date; Temperature; turf grasses; turf management; Turfgrasses; Arkansas; United States; North America; America; USA; Dormancy; Monocotyledones; Cynodon dactylon; Turf; Gramineae; Seed; Angiospermae; Herbaceous plant; Spermatophyta; Transition zone; Planting density; Cultivar
• ISSN: 0011-183X; 1435-0653
• DOI: 10.2135/cropsci2006.02-0078

Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] is one of the most widely used turfgrasses in the southern region of the USA and is also grown extensively in other tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The development of improved seeded cultivars has stimulated new research into best management practices to produce a high quality bermudagrass stand from seed. Dormant seeding has been used for establishing cool-season turfgrasses and may be beneficial for the early establishment of seeded bermudagrass cultivars. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of dormant seeding on the establishment of two seeded bermudagrass cultivars, Riviera and Princess 77. Two seeding rates [97.6 and 48.8 kg ha-1 pure live seed (PLS)] of each cultivar were seeded in February, March, April, and May of 2004 and 2005, with February and March considered dormant seeding dates. Date of first germination, seedling density, rate of establishment, and soil temperature data were collected for both years of the study. First germination of dormant-seeded plots was observed on 22 Apr. 2004 and 11 Apr. 2005 when soil temperatures were 13.6 and 16.2°C, respectively. Princess 77 germinated earlier than Riviera in both years of the study. Seeding date, cultivar, and seeding rate affected seedling density. Dormant-seeded plots reached full coverage as fast as or faster than traditional seeding dates in both years of the study, demonstrating that dormant seeding can be effectively used to establish bermudagrass from seed.