Evaluation of Creeping Bentgrass Cultivar Germination Differences at Various Temperatures.

Winter injury of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) and annual bluegrass (Poa annua) greens can be a yearly occurrence in northern climates, resulting in the need for spring seeding. However, with cool soil and air temperatures in the spring, germination of creeping bentgrass is slow. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate differences in germination times of twenty-two commercially available creeping bentgrass cultivars subjected to spring temperatures in a controlled environment. One hundred seed counts of each cultivar were placed into a 100 x 15-mm petri-dish lined with two layers of blue blotter germination paper. Germination paper and seeds were kept moist with distilled water. Growth chambers were set to individual historical Minneapolis, MN high/low temperature averages for 1 April (9.4/-1.1), 24 April (16.1/5), and 17 May (21.7/9.4). An 8-hour day period with cool white florescent lamps provided 320 umoles/m²/s of light, followed by a 16-hour night period. Germination counts and time to germination were taken daily until germination was no longer occuring. Results and implications of this work will be discussed.