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Morphological and Growth Characteristics of Low- and High-Maintenance Kentucky Bluegrass Cultivars

Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112
Dep. of Horticulture, Horticulture Bldg., Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA 50011

^* Corresponding author.

Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L .) cultivars differ greatly in performance when grown under low-maintenance regimes. This greenhouse study was conducted to determine if certain growth and morphological characteristics are common five cultivars that have consistently performed well and to five cultivars that have consistently performed poorly when grown in a low-fertility, nonirrigated field trial in Iowa. The low-maintenance cultivars were K3-162, Kenblue, Vantage, S-21, and South Dakota Common; the high-maintenance cultivars were Bonnieblue, Lovegreen, Columbia, I-13, and A20. Clear, polyethylene tubes, 60 cm long and 3.2 cm o.d., were filled with fritted clay and supported by polyvinyl chloride(PVC) pipe along a research greenhouse bench. Single seedlings of each cultivar were transplanted into each tube and replicated four times. Data collected during the 10-wk experiments included weekly rooting depths and clipping yields. Plant morphological measurements, root dry weights from three equal sections of the root tubes, shoot fresh and dry weights, and lateral branch numbers were recorded at harvest. The experiment was conducted three times. Low-maintenance cultivars were found to root 12% deeper, produce 56% more total root weight, maintain a lower shoot-to-root ratio, and contain proportionally less moisture in their shoot tissue. They also had narrower leaf blades, more leaf folding, 27% longer sheaths, a greater leaf angle from horizontal, and 13% fewer leaves per shoot. The identification of growth and morphological characteristics common to low-maintenance grasses appear to be important in the selection and development of new cultivars for minimal-maintenanced conditions.

Received for publication June 26, 1989.

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