International Journal of Horticulture, 2017, Vol.7, No. 11, 82-94
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tall and auriculate. The inflorescence is branchless with spikelets borne on alternating sides edgeways-on to the
stem. Each awnless spikelet bears only a single glume, on the side away from the stem, and between 4 and 14
florets. The plant blooms from May to November. Perennial ryegrass has a fibrous root system, having thick main
roots and thinner lateral branches. Roots are generally arbuscular mycorrhizal.
Varieties: ‘Accent’, ‘Achiever’, ‘Affirmed’, Alliance’, ‘All Star-II’, Amazing’, ‘Applaud’, ‘ASP 400’, ‘Bright
Star-II’, ‘Caypso-II’, ‘Catalina’, ‘Cathedral-II’, Celebration’, ‘Champion GQ’, ‘Chirismatic’, ‘Churchill’,
‘Citation-III’, ‘Cutter’, ‘Dandy’, ‘Dimension’, ‘Divine’, ‘Elf’, ‘Elfkin’, ‘Elite’, Exacta’, ‘Fiesta-III’, ‘Hardstart’,
‘Jet’, ‘Kokomo’, ‘Laredo’, ‘Majesty’, ‘Manhattan-4’, ‘Mardi grass’, ‘Medalist Gold’, ‘Night Hawk’, ‘Pinnacle’,
‘Pizzazz’, ‘Pleasure’, ‘Precision’, ‘Prelude-III’, ‘Prizm’, ‘Promise’, ‘Protocol’, ‘Stallion Supreme’, ‘Stellar’,
‘Sunshine’, ‘Top Hat’, ‘Vivid’, ‘Wizard’.
Importance and uses: It is an excellent grass for lawns, sod production, and athletic fields. It is used extensively
everywhere for golf courses except on greens. It easily mixes up with grass seeds. Perennial ryegrass is a
extensively used for valuable forages and soil stabilization. Usually, the tetraploid varieties are useful in forages
and diploid varieties are ideal for turfgrass and conservation plantings (Peterson, 2002).
2.10 Rough Blue Grass (
Poa trivialis
)
(Edminster, 1992)
Description: It is originated from Europe, Asia and Northern Africa. The plant is a low-growing, tufted, glabrous
grass, having a tillering growth habit. The leaves are dark green, glabrous and glossy on the lower surface, with
serrated parallel sides and prominent parallel veins on the upper surface. The leaves are flattened, folded
lengthwise in bud with a strong central keel. The short ligule is truncate, and small white auricles grip the stem at
the base of the leaf blade. Leaf sheaths at the base are usually tinged pink in colour and glabrous. Stems are 90 cm
tall and auriculate. The inflorescence is branchless with spikelets borne on alternating sides edgeways-on to the
stem. Each awnless spikelet bears only a single glume, on the side away from the stem, and between 4 and 14
florets. The plant blooms from May to November. Perennial ryegrass has a fibrous root system, having thick main
roots and thinner lateral branches. Roots are generally arbuscular mycorrhizal.
Varieties: ‘Accent’, ‘Achiever’, ‘Affirmed’, Alliance’, ‘All Star-II’, Amazing’, ‘Applaud’, ‘ASP 400’, ‘Bright
Star-II’, ‘Caypso-II’, ‘Catalina’, ‘Cathedral-II’, Celebration’, ‘Champion GQ’, ‘Chirismatic’, ‘Churchill’,
‘Citation-III’, ‘Cutter’, ‘Dandy’, ‘Dimension’, ‘Divine’, ‘Elf’, ‘Elfkin’, ‘Elite’, Exacta’, ‘Fiesta-III’, ‘Hardstart’,
‘Jet’, ‘Kokomo’, ‘Laredo’, ‘Majesty’, ‘Manhattan-4’, ‘Mardi grass’, ‘Medalist Gold’, ‘Night Hawk’, ‘Pinnacle’,
‘Pizzazz’, ‘Pleasure’, ‘Precision’, ‘Prelude-III’, ‘Prizm’, ‘Promise’, ‘Protocol’, ‘Stallion Supreme’, ‘Stellar’,
‘Sunshine’, ‘Top Hat’, ‘Vivid’, ‘Wizard’.
Importance and uses: It is an excellent grass for lawns, sod production, and athletic fields. It is used extensively
everywhere for golf courses except on greens. It easily mixes up with grass seeds (Ward et al., 1974). Perennial
ryegrass is a extensively used for valuable forages and soil stabilization. Usually, the tetraploid varieties are useful
in forages and diploid varieties are ideal for turfgrass and conservation plantings.
2.11 Tall fescue (
Festuca arundinacea
)
Description: Tall fescue is a coarse textured, deep rooted robust, rhizomatous grass and it develops most new
leaves and tillers from the crown. It has very weak sod-forming characteristics and a bunch-type growth habit.
Leaf blades are flat and rigid. The stems are 90-120cm tall, supporting a nodding panicle of 10-30cm long.
Varieties: ‘Max Q’, ‘Texoma Max Q’, ‘Kentucky-31’, ‘Alta’, ‘Goar’, ‘Kenmont’, ‘Fawn’, ‘Kenwell’, ‘Kenhy’,
‘Missouri-96’, ‘Mozark’, ‘Martin’.
Importance and uses: Fescues are used for forages as well as for waterways, pond dams, farm lanes, and lawns.
Tall fescue can be used in combination with warm-season forage crops such as native grasses, bermudagrass, or
summer annuals to provide summer forages.
