Shade and Traffic Tolerance Varies for Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass Cultivars

Abstract

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) and zoysiagrass [Zoysia spp. (Willd.)] are two of the most commonly used turfgrass species in the southern United States. Shade from trees is common on golf courses and limits turfgrass growth. Additionally, turfgrasses used on golf courses and sports fields are often subjected to traffic. The objective of this study was to evaluate shade and traffic effects on bermudagrass and zoysiagrass. Two shade treatments were imposed, full sun or 49% shade, using a light reducing fabric. A Cady Traffic Simulator was used to implement traffic stress. The cultivars with the highest coverage in shade without traffic were ‘Cavalier’, ‘Diamond’, ‘El Toro’, ‘Meyer’, ‘Palisades’, and ‘Zorro’ zoysiagrass, as well as ‘Princess 77’ and ‘Riviera’ bermudagrass. ‘Patriot’, ‘Tifsport’, and ‘Tifway’ bermudagrass and ‘Zenith’ zoysiagrass typically had the lowest coverage. Patriot bermudagrass and Zenith zoysiagrass consistently had the lowest coverage in shaded trafficked plots. El Toro, Palisades, and Zorro zoysiagrass as well as Princess 77, Riviera, Tifsport, and Tifway bermudagrass had the highest coverage (>72%) when trafficked under full sun for 4 wk. Coverage in shaded plots was decreased more from traffic than full‐sun plots. Riviera and Tifway bermudagrass had the most coverage after 6 wk of traffic in full sun. These studies identified cultivars of bermudagrass and zoysiagrass that perform better under reduced light and traffic stress.

Comparative Performance and Daily Light Integral Requirements of Warm‐Season Turfgrasses in Different Seasons

“…Similar to previous studies (Busey and Davis, 1991;Jiang et al, 2004;Bunnell et al, 2005a;Trappe et al, 2011), our study found that three bermudagrass cultivars had a higher DLI requirement to maintain acceptable TQ than cultivars in other species. Different shade levels can vary in studies conducted in different locations; therefore, quantification of a DLI requirement is more comparable across studies and offers a more practical method for cultivar evaluation and selection.…”

Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass Cultivar Selection: Part 1, Clipping Yield, Scalping Tendency, and Golf Ball Lie

“…The cultivars Patriot, Riviera, Tifsport, and Tifway bermudagrass, and Meyer and Diamond zoysiagrass had the best ball lie in unmown conditions, while Palisades had the poorest ball lie in unmown conditions. These results along with data on traffic tolerance (40) and divot resistance (38) and recovery (39) will assist golf course superintendents in selecting cultivars of bermudagrass and zoysiagrass well‐adapted for golf course fairways or tees that contain low clipping yields and scalping tendencies as well as a good golf ball lie in order to help to reduce plant growth regulator use, equipment wear, and labor and fuel costs associated with maintaining a golf course turf.…”

“…It was unclear why Patriot bermudagrass scalped more than other cultivars, but it may be because of Patriot's aggressive growth rate and high shoot density (19,28,37). Another possible explanation may be due to shortening of daylength and Patriot's susceptibility to decreased light intensity (2,40).…”

“…Across the transition zone and southern United States, bermudagrass is the most commonly used turfgrass on fairways and tees (24), and bermudagrass and zoysiagrass are adapted to the transition and warm humid, climatic zones (4). Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass are desirable species for golf course fairways and tees due to their deep rooting, disease resistance, recovery potential, drought, heat, wear, traffic, and low mowing height tolerance (3,38,39,40).…”

Selecting Zoysiagrass Cultivars: Turfgrass Quality, Growth, Pest and Environmental Stress Tolerance

“…There has been a great deal of research on zoysiagrass since 1990. Various environmental stresses including cold temperature (18,32,38) and drought tolerance (4,9,27,60), divot recovery (26,55), salinity tolerance (30,41), shade tolerance (49,53,56), and various biotic stresses including insect resistance (5,6,11,12,25,42,43,44,45,46,48,52), mite resistance (47), disease resistance (31), and nematode resistance (35,51) has been studied for many commonly used zoysiagrass cultivars. Zoysiagrass growth characteristics have also been studied including rooting (29), stolon growth (40), establishment (10,21,40), and clipping yield (57).…”