Stolon Type and Soil Burial Effects on ‘Tifton 85’ Bermudagrass Establishment

Abstract

‘Tifton 85’ bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy] is a highly productive warm‐season grass, but it must be planted vegetatively using aboveground stems (stolons) or rhizomes. Use of stolons vs. rhizomes provides advantages of reduced cost, greater shoot production, and more planted area per hectare of nursery. However, establishment failures have been reported by producers under challenging environmental conditions common to the Coastal Plain region of the southeastern United States. Thus, strategies for harvesting and planting stolons need to be evaluated further. The objective was to assess the effect of stolon type (length and stolon position) and degree of stolon burial by soil (total or partial) at planting on Tifton 85 bermudagrass establishment. Partial burial of stolons at planting accelerated emergence and increased bermudagrass percentage cover and dry matter harvested at season end. Total burial resulted in only half as many shoots (3.5 vs. 7.8 m−2) as partial burial in 2011; total burial resulted in no emergence in 2012. Partial burial led to as much as 90% bermudagrass soil cover, while total burial provided 66 and 0% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Also, partially buried stolons yielded 1000 kg ha−1 of forage more than totally buried in both years. This finding suggests the planting equipment should be set to achieve shallow planting, ensuring that some parts of the stolons remain uncovered. Stolon type is not as critical as the degree of soil cover on the stolons, which need to remain only partially but not totally buried.

Soil management and planting spacing effects on establishment of mixed swards of purple stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis cv. BRS Lua) and forage peanut (Arachis pintoi cv. Belmonte) in an area of degraded Brachiaria brizantha

“…In a study with Tifton 85 bermudagrass (Cynodon spp. ), partial burial of stolons improved sprouting percentage when compared to total burial (17) .…”

Planting Rate and Depth Effects on Tifton 85 Bermudagrass Establishment using Rhizomes

“…The response variables measured in this study were shoot emergence, bermudagrass frequency and ground cover percent, and herbage DM harvested, and they were evaluated as described in Baseggio et al (2014). Emergence was evaluated by the number of new shoots in a 1-by 1-m quadrat placed in a fixed location in the middle of the plot.…”