Overton, Texas
November 12, 2003
Panterra, a
newly released turfgrass variety, promises greener grass for
home gardeners, golfers and soccer moms.
Panterra
was developed by Dr. Lloyd Nelson, the
Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station plant breeder who was behind the
successful release of Axcella, another turfgrass, in 2001.
Panterra
has all the advantages of traditional winter ryegrass
turfgrasses with none of the disadvantages. Panterra creates a
thick, deep green winter lawn, and because it was the most
"dwarfish" of the dwarf annual ryegrasses, it required less
mowing during the winter and spring, saving time and money spent
on maintenance of lawns and athletic fields. Panterra was also
hardier and stood up to athletic cleats and the associated wear
much better than older ryegrasses. Better even, it dies off in
mid- to late May in much of Texas, therefore not competing with
bermudagrass turf.
To develop
Panterra, Nelson began with germplasm from Axcella. Nelson
selected for richer color and shorter plants.
"The main
idea of the dwarfishness is to have a variety you don't have to
mow as often," Nelson said.
This extra
dwarfishness should make Panterra a good choice for homeowners,
he noted.
In much of
Texas, winter turfgrasses are used to overseed bermudagrass
lawns or athletic fields to provide a green lawn during the cold
period of the year.
Ideally,
the ryegrass will die off before bermudagrass comes out of
dormancy in the late spring. Many ryegrass varieties used for
overseeding were not developed as turfgrass, but for forage
production.
Many annual
forage ryegrasses, Gulf for example, grow too fast, requiring
mowing twice a week or more in the pring. Perennial ryegrasses
last too long, continuing to grow into late June and early July,
crowding out bermudagrass and leaving thin or bare spots in
summer lawns.
Panterra is
a true annual such as Gulf and TAM90 ryegrasses. But unlike Gulf
and TAM90, Panterra will typically begin to die out in mid- to
late May, just when bermudagrass lawns are beginning to green
up.
"Panterra's
early maturity should allow an easy transition from the winter
grass to the warm season grass and put an end to brown or bald
spots in home lawns and soccer fields," Nelson said.
Winter
hardiness? Panterra would likely not survive winter in the High
Plains, but for most of the rest of Texas, the turfgrass should
be well suited. In tests at the Overton Center, the ryegrasses
remained green and hardy at temperatures as low as 15 degrees
Fahrenheit.
In
agronomic circles, Nelson is well known for developing TAM 90,
among the most widely grown forage varieties in Texas and the
South. Nelson is currently working on several ryegrass lines
with improved turf and forage production characteristics.
Seed
production and marketing of Panterra has been contracted to
Barenbrug USA, Inc., which has sales offices in Dallas,
Texarkana, Schulenburg and Houston. These branches service local
dealers all over the state as well as the professional turf
managers and landscapers.
Writer: Robert Burns (903) 834-6191,
rd-burns@tamu.edu |