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New Plants for Florida: Turfgrass1
Russell Nagata2Click here to view the print version.
There are more than four million acres of managed turfgrass in Florida, with 75 percent of these in residential lawns. Several warm-season turf species are important for use in Florida. The decision of which turfgrass species to use is based on the desired maintenance effort and geographic location within the state.
The turfgrass breeding program, located at Gainesville, Ft. Lauderdale, and Belle Glade, has contributed to the success of several turfgrass varieties. In the 1950s, the modern era of turfgrass breeding began with the identification of superior lines. G.C. Horn was instrumental in the development and selection of the well-known St. Augustinegrass variety, Floratam, the first southern chinch-bug-resistant variety. Today, it is believed to make up more than one third of all St. Augustinegrass lawns in Florida. In the 1970s, Al Dudeck and Phil Busey began evaluation and breeding programs at Gainesville and Ft. Lauderdale. During the next two decades, the understanding of chinch bug resistance, drought tolerance, and classification and taxonomy of St. Augustinegrass improved. Since 1997, the warm-season turfgrass breeding program has been centered in Belle Glade at the Everglades REC. Brian Scully evaluates bermudagrass, zoysiagrass and centipedegrass for adaptation to Florida conditions. The bermudagrass program evaluates grasses for golf fairway applications, while the zoysiagrasses are evaluated for residential and commercial lawns. Russell Nagata breeds St. Augustinegrass for residential lawn application, focusing especially on shade and pest tolerance.
The major accomplishments of the breeding programs have been to develop well-adapted varieties for Florida conditions. The selection and development of southern chinch bug resistance in Floratam and Floralawn St. Augustinegrass is of major importance. Development of varieties resistant to St. Augustine Decline Strain of Panicum Mosaic Virus (PMV-SAD) was also important.
For more information about turfgrass varieties, see the following EDIS publications:
ENH5 St. Augustinegrass for Florida Lawns
ENH19 Bermudagrass for Florida Lawns
ENH11 Zoysiagrass for Florida Lawns
Tables
Table 1. Turfgrass varieties
Turf Type
Variety
Date of Release
St. Augustinegrass Floratine 1960
Floratam 1973
Floralawn 1985
Bermudagrass Flora Tex 1994
FloraDwarf 1995
Footnotes
1. This document is part of Circular 1440, a publication of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Agronomy Department and IFAS Communication Services, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date August 2003. Originally published as a booklet by IFAS Communication Services June 2003. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.2. Russell Nagata, Associate Professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, Everglades REC--Belle Glade, FL. Circular 1440 is edited by Richard L. Jones, Mary L. Duryea, and Berry J. Treat, Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.
Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Richard L. Jones, Dean for Research, publishes this information to further programs and related activities, available to all persons regardless of race, color, age, sex, disability or national origin. Information about alternate formats is available from IFAS Communication Services, University of Florida, PO Box 110810, Gainesville, FL 32611-0810.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
Copyright Information
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