Variation in Poa annua variation to improve management and control programs.

Paul G. Johnson, Bruce Bugbee, Alex Stoy, Mark Slavens, Paul G. Harris.

2002-

Variation of Poa annua in Utah’s diverse environments.

Annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.) is both a common weed and a desirable species in many golf turfs. It is a highly variable species ranging from true annual to true perennial forms. To better understand the effects of environment and management on perenniality in the annual bluegrass populations, we have evaluated sixty populations of P. annua, collected

from fifteen golf courses ranging from moderate to highly maintained facilities, both young (less than 10 yrs.) and old, located throughout the state of Utah. Populations were collected from putting greens, fairways, and rough areas and comparisons include monitoring vegetative growth and seed head production, climate, and management regimens. These populations are of special interest because of the diverse environments present throughout the state of Utah with include four climatic regions: desert (arid), steppe (semi-arid), humid continental, and undifferentiated highlands. Our data on the biology of the species can be used to fine tune management programs in order to reduce waste in resources such as nutrients, time, and water, which is in short supply in the Intermountain West.

Ecological selection pressure on annual bluegrass biotypes.


This study will determine if irrigation on can affect the growth and population dynamics of various P. annua biotypes. Secondly, we will develop contained system that mimics the soil conditions and growth environment of a USGA sand golf course putting green with equipment to monitor soil moisture content, oxygen, temperature, and other variables, and enable the system to be used in controlled environment conditions allowing the isolation of environmental variables.

 

 

 

Ecology of Annual Bluegrass and Creeping Bentgrass on Putting Greens

In the past Annual Bluegrass has been considered an annoyance to closely maintained turf areas such as golf course greens and tees.  Despite being scrutinized by many in the turf industry, some have realized the positive aspects and have begun to treat it as an ally.  Because of the competitive nature of annual bluegrass, some golf course superintendents have decided that rather than using so much time and resources eradiating it, they would be better off trying to manage it.

Supporting file

 

Student Research in the Department of Horticulture

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Turfgrass Research
at the Utah Botanical Center

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station and USU Extension for their support and participation in Horticultural Research at USU.

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