SCANGREEN : Turfgrass species and varieties for integrated pest management of Scandinavian putting greens, 2019-2022

Summary

Since 2003, STERF has tested species and varieties in realistic green conditions. SCANGREEN 2019-2022 is being carried out at NIBIO Apelsvoll, Norway (62°N) and Reykjavik GC, Iceland (64°N) (northern zone, NZ), and NIBIO Landvik, Norway (58°N) and (since 2021) Smørum GC (55°N) (southern zone, SZ). There are extra trial sites in Massachusetts and Minnesota, USA.

In ongoing trials, 30 new varieties and 24 controls (8 species) are being tested. Seed mixtures of 85% Festuca rubra + 15% Agrostis stolonifera, 85% F.rubra + 15% A.capillaris and 85% F.rubra + 7.5% A.stolonifera + 7.5% A.capillaris (designated varieties) are being tested in SZ.

In SCANGREEN 2019-22, species and varieties were tested at NIBIO Apelsvoll, Norway, and Reykjavik GC,  Iceland, in the northern zone, and NIBIO Landvik, Norway, and (since 2021) Smørum GC, Denmark, in the southern zone. There were other trial sites in Massachusetts and Minnesota, USA.

In the 2019-22 test round, 30 new varieties and 24 controls representing eight species were tested. Seed mixtures with alternative combinations of bentgrass and fescue were tested in the southern zone.  

For species, the results showed that, across all sites and years, creeping bentgrass was best overall, followed closely by chewings fescue and slender creeping red fescue. At Landvik, creeping bentgrass was significantly better than the other species, while at Smørum chewings fescue made the best overall impression. At Apelsvoll, Kentucky bluegrass performed best, closely followed by the fescues. In Iceland, velvet bentgrass performed slightly better than creeping or colonial bentgrass. 

Among varieties of chewings fescue (Festuca rubra ssp. commutata), across all sites and years the new variety ‘EuroCarina’ performed best, followed by the new varieties ‘Gima’ and ‘Torona’ in line with the two control varieties ‘Musica’ and ‘Barlineus’. 

Among varieties of slender creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra ssp. littoralis), across all sites and years the control variety ‘Cezanne’ performed best, followed by the new varieties ‘Sybille’ and ‘Coptic’, but differences were small. Interestingly, dollar spot was found on the fescues at Smørum, with the highest incidence in slender creeping red fescues. The new American variety ‘Sea Mist’ showed higher resistance to dollar spot than other varieties of slender creeping red fescue at Smørum.

Among varieties of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), the new varieties ‘Matchplay’ and ‘L-93 XD’ performed best across all sites and years. In the southern zone, attacks of microdochium patch were highest in ‘Pure Select’.

For the mixtures at SCANGREEN, preliminary results showed that a mixture of red fescue and creeping bentgrass had higher turfgrass quality and less microdochium patch than the traditional mixture of red fescue and colonial bentgrass. To retain a balanced proportion of fescue, this mixture should receive no more than 110 kg N/ha/yr and have mowing height of 5 mm.

Detailed information on the 2019-22 results will be published in a scientific NIBIO report, at www.scanturf.org and in the final project report to STERF in spring 2023.

Fundings (kSEK)