Seasonal Performance of Selected Temperate Turfgrasses Overseeded on Bermudagrass Turf for Winter Sports

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) may be dormant up to 7 months so temperate turfgrasses are overseeded in autumn to provide winter turf. Persistence of the overseeded grass under warm spring temperatures is essential to provide a gradual transition in the spring and is important in the northern limits of bermudagrass adaptation since bermudagrass is often slow to recover because of low temperature injury. This study was conducted to compare various perennial ryegrasses (Lolium perenne L.) alone and in polystands with other temperate grasses for winter turfgrass quality, especially spring persistence, on dormant bermudagrass. Various temperate turfgrasses were overseeded on ‘Tifgreen’ bermudagrass the 1st or 2nd week in October in southeastern Virginia from 1969 to 1975. The test sites were maintained as a golf putting green through 1973 and as a golf tee or lawn turf thereafter. When the perennial ryegrass cultivars that had the best overall turfgrass quality as overseeded monostands were included in polystands for golf putting turf, the superior performance in quality was maintained over polystands containing appreciable amounts of Italian ryegrass (L. multiflorum Lam.) or inferior perennial ryegrasses. Bentgrass (Agrostis spp.) as a component in a polystand generally enhanced turfgrass quality and increased persistence in the summer. Persistence of overseeded temperate grasses in the spring did not necessarily reduce turfgrass quality. Seed mixtures including 65 % perennial ryegrass, 30 % fine fescues (Festuca rubra L.) and 5 % bentgrass and composed of cultivars that performed well in monostands were considered superior for overall golf green turf than the monostands. Monostands of improved perennial ryegrasses provided excellent overall winter turf on dormant bermudagrass used for turf other than greens. The lower growing cultivars generally had the best turfgrass quality. Higher overseeding rates generally increased winter turfgrass quality. The perennial ryegrasses differed in leaf shredding following mowing in the spring. Manhattan was particularly susceptible to shredding when overseeded heavily. ‘Derby’, ‘Citation’, and ‘Pennfine’ were perennial ryegrass cultivars that provided excellent winter turf and appeared to have good heat tolerance.