Cultivar Identification


reference values


 Certain biochemical analyses used in cultivar identification
are not influenced by growing conditions and cultural prac-
tices as are morphological measurements. Vermeulen et al.
(26) found that it was possible to accurately identify
FLoraTeXTM among 15 commercially available bermudagrass
cultivars with use of starch gel electrophoresis. FLoraTeXTM
produces a distinct "fingerprint" when stained for aconitase
(Figure 1).

Reproductive Characteristics

 FLoraTeXTM bermudagrass is a fertile, cross pollinated, tet-
raploid perennial grass having a chromosome compliment of
36 (J.C. Read, TAES, Dallas, Texas, personal communication).

 Seedhead production disrupts normal vegetative growth and
reduces turf quality. FLoraTeXTM produces seedheads, espe-
cially during May and June. In an established turf in
Gainesville, Fla., it produced 251 and 111 seedheads per square
foot during May and June 1991, respectively. In May, 64, 33,
and 3% of the seedheads had two, three, or four branches per
inflorescence, respectively. In early June, 34, 51, and 1% of
the seedheads had two, three, or four branches per inflores-
cence, respectively. When counted in late June, 14% of the
seedheads were immature, indicating a decline in seedhead
production during that time. In a 1992 space-planted, polycross
study at Gainesville, Fla., FLoraTeXTM had a seedhead
production average of 85 seedheads per square foot and was
equal to NuMex Sahara and Arizona Common which had an
average of 109 and 73 seedheads per square foot, respectively


Table 6. Average number and length of bermudagrass
 stolons per plug at 30 days after planting in a field
 on 21 May 1991 at Gainesville, FL. Ground cover
 rate and days to 50% ground cover of
 bermudagrass cultivars during the first 90 days
 are also presented (Dudeck, A.E., Unpub. Data).

 Stolon Ground cover
Cultivar Number Length Ratet Cover,
 # cm % days
 FLoraTeXTM 46 ab* 4.7 a 41 a 484
 Tifway 66 a 3.0 b 38 a 524
 Tifgreen 21 bc 2.4 bc 28 b 623
 Tifdwarf 19 c 1.1 c 18 c 966

 t Biweekly nitrogen rate was 0.5 pound N per 1000 square
 feet.
 t Cover rate = sum of average weekly ground cover esti-
 mates for a 90-day period.
 Means within columns followed by the same letter are
 not significantly different (p=0.05) using Waller-Duncan
 k-ratio t test.


doc


A-22
A-29
Bayshore
Everglades
FLoraTeXTM
Midiron
Midway
Ormond
Pee Dee
Santa Ana
Sunturf
Texturf 1F
Texturf 10
Tifdwarf
Tiffine
Tifgreen
Tifgreen II
Tiflawn
Tifway
Tifway II
Vamont


o co
 LO r1


Figure 1. Isoenzyme banding patterns and reference val-
 ues for aconitase derived from starch electro-
 phoresis of crude protein extracts from turf-type
 Cynodon genotypes (After Vermeulen et al.
 1991).


(Table 7). FLoraTeXTM averaged 3.5 branches per seedhead,
which was lower than branching in Arizona Common and
NuMex Sahara, which averaged 3.8 per seedhead. After 13
years of observations in Texas, Sifers et al. characterized
FLoraTeXTM along with Arizona Common, Everglades,
Tufcote, and Vamont cultivars as "heavy" seedhead producers
(24). Midiron, Midlawn, Ormond, Texturf 10, and Tifway were
characterized as "light" seedhead producers. Sturkie in Ala-
bama (12), Burton in Georgia (12), and Baltensperger in Ari-
zona (2) all rated PI 213385 as being a heavy seedhead pro-
ducer. In a NTEP test, FLoraTeXTM produced seedheads equal
to that of Arizona Common, NuMex Sahara, Sonesta, and
Vamont (14). This group had more seedheads compared to a
group comprising Guymon, Midfield, Midiron, Midlawn, MS-
Choice, MS-Express, MS-Pride, Texturf 10, Tifway, and
Tufcote.

 There is a risk of turf contamination with off-types over
time due to production of viable seed. Seedlings were obtained
by Youngner in California from crosses involving P1 213385
both as a male or female parent indicating that FLoraTeXTM
may have the potential to produce viable seed (12). In New
Mexico, Baltensperger (personal communication) also pro-
duced several open-pollinated progeny from crosses with PI
213385 and its off-types. In Gainesville, Fla., FLoraTeXTM
had fewer seeds per seedhead compared to Arizona Common