Seasonal Quality of Some Cool-Season Turfgrass Species in Cold Semi-Arid Climate

Abstract

The study was carried out to determine winter hardiness, establishment speed, and seasonal variation in quality characteristics of some turf cultivars belonging to the common cool-season turf species in cold semi-arid climates. Nineteen different cultivars of perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, red fescue, Chewing’s fescue, slender creeping red fescue, and Kentucky bluegrass were examined for six seasons in 2014-2016 years. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The score-based measurements of turf texture, color, and general quality were taken in the middle of every season (2 summers, 2 springs, and 2 falls) for 2 years and the data were analyzed using non-parametric tests. Results showed that Stravinsky (perennial ryegrass) and Cardinal (red fescue) greatly lost their dark green color in autumn, while SR8600 (tall fescue) kept its satisfying green color. General quality decreased as the seasons proceeded, but Rosita (slender creeping red fescue) remained in high quality considering other red fescue species. Low adaptation ability was observed in Miracle and Evora cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass species due to their poor winter hardiness scores. These cultivars are also the slowest establishing among other cultivars. Results stated that Stravinsky, Esquire, Kokomo, Grandslam2 (perennial ryegrass), Maximal (red fescue), and Rosita (slender creeping red fescue) maintained high quality throughout summer and spring but decreased in autumn. However, Forte (tall fescue) and Evora (Kentucky bluegrass) presented better quality in autumn but the quality of Evora decreased in the next year. These cultivars should be used in a mixture to maintain high-quality turf through spring, summer, and autumn but Evora could require overseeding in some years. More and especially newly released cultivars should be tested to increase the turf quality of the mixtures.