Zoysiagrass plant named ‘M60’

Abstract

An asexually reproduced variety of perennial zoysiagrass with a unique combination of morphological characters including fine leaf blade width and medium green color.

Claims

1. A new and distinct variety of zoysiagrass plant, substantially as described and illustrated herein, characterized particularly by a unique combination of morphological characters.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS

(1) FIG. 1. Tiller of M60 zoysiagrass.

(2) FIG. 2. Inflorescence of M60 zoysiagrass.

COMPLETE BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

(3) M60 was characterized in greenhouse and field conditions. M60 is a unique variety of zoysiagrass (Zoysia matrella (L.)) Merr. that was discovered under cultivated conditions. The inventors, David L. Doguet, Daric Doguet, and Virginia G. Lehman, discovered M60 under cultivated conditions near Poteet, Tex. in a collection of seedling plants. The seedling plants originated from proximity crosses among Zeon (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,166), L1F (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,203), 29-2 B9 (unpatented), and 380-1 (unpatented). Both unpatented plants originated from field grown open pollinated crosses between VJay (unpatented), 6136 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,808), and JaMur (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,178) zoysia plants. The seed was combined from the four parents, each individual seed was planted in a pot, and plants from the seed were subsequently transplanted to the field. M60 was identified in 2011 as a distinctly different vegetative patch or clonal plant. M60 differed from the surrounding plants in a fine leaf texture and darker green color than Zeon (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,166). In the plantings near Poteet, Tex., M60 showed a much finer leaf than both potential parents 29-2-B9 or 380-1. The plants were located in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8. The inventors asexually reproduced M60 in both Poteet, Tex. and Lebanon, Oreg. by taking vegetative cuttings of stolons and rhizomes, cutting the rhizomes and stolons into segments, each with a vegetative bud, and rooting them in potting media. Planting of the rooted material provided planting stock for studying performance and for comparison of morphological characters after propagation. M60 has been propagated by rhizomes, stolons, tillers, and sod. Asexually reproduced plants of M60 have remained stable and true to type through successive generations of propagation. No seedling establishment from M60 has been noticed in either greenhouse or field studies.

(4) M60 is a perennial zoysiagrass that spreads by both stolons and rhizomes. Characteristics of M60 measured in 2015 and 2017 were taken from plants that were approximately 12 months in age. The greenhouse was located near Lebanon, Oreg., with a nighttime low temperature of 50 degrees F., and daytime high of 80 degrees F., and a minimum soil temperature of 77 degrees F. The plants were grown under natural daylength without supplemental lighting. The plants were fertilized with the equivalent of 1 pound of actual N per month, using a soluble fertilizer of 20-20-20 in four equal soluble applications per month.

(5) M60 has a fine leaf texture, with a leaf width not significantly different from Diamond (Table 1). M60 has finer leaf than both potential parents 29-2-B9 or 380-1, Zeon, L1F, or M66 (Table 4). M60 has sparse to absent leaf hairs except for a very few long hairs (1.5 mm length) versus Zorro, which has many leaf surface hairs (Table 2). M60 has a thicker youngest stolon node and 1-2 stolon internode lengths not different from Diamond (Table 3). M60 shows lighter green color than L1F when maintained in turf plots mowed at greens height (Table 6).

(6) M60 has shown moderate resistance to brown patch when grown in California. M60 rated a 1.1 (where 9-heavy disease symptoms) when Zorro rated a 1.8; L1f rated a 2.7; Zeon rated a 6.3; Palisades rated 1.5, all with a lsd (p=0.05) of 1.3. In addition, in greenhouse conditions, M60 has shown susceptibility to zoysia rust (Puccinia species).

(7) M60 has not shown susceptibility to the zoysiagrass mite when tested at Poteet, Tex., where susceptible varieties have shown the coachwhip leaf symptoms of the mite. M60 has shown good turfgrass performance and temperature adaptation when tested as far north as Athens, Ga., USDA hardiness zone 8a, which would extend the area of adaptation for M60 in a line from northern Georgia across central Texas in an East/West line and on a North/South line from Atlanta, south through Mexico. M60 will be limited only by winter survival in colder regions, and has shown less winter survival than L1F when tested in turf plots near Lebanon, Oreg. M60 is similar to most fine textured zoysiagrasses in water use demands as shown in test situations near Poteet, Tex., M60 is adapted from sandy to heavier loam soil textures and from slightly acid to slightly alkaline soil pH.

(8) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Leaf blade widths and lengths and texture class of selected zoysiagrass cultivars, measured under greenhouse conditions in Lebanon, OR, 2015. Length, Width, 2nd 2nd youngest youngest Leaf crown crown Texture leaf leaf Class Variety -cm- -mm- Rating M60 2.1 1.6 Fine Zorro 2.33 1.76 Medium M66 1.60 1.96 Medium- fine Diamond 2.51 1.3 Fine Y2 3.3 2.76 Medium- coarse Lsd, p = 0.05 0.9 0.39

(9) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Adaxial leaf hair presence or absence of selected zoysiagrass cultivars, measured under greenhouse conditions in Lebanon, OR, 2015. Leaf hair, adaxial Presence/ Variety Number M60 Sparse M66 Sparse Diamond Absent Zorro Many

(10) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Stolon characters of selected zoysiagrass cultivars, measured under greenhouse conditions in Lebanon, OR, 2015. Thickness Thickness Stolon Stolon Stolon 1.sup.st 2nd Internode Internode Internode youngest youngest length, 1.sup.st length, length, stolon stolon to 2.sup.nd 2nd to 3.sup.rd 3rd to 4th node node node node node Variety -mm- -mm- -cm- -cm- -cm- M60 1.75 1.62 1.4 1.57 1.57 Zorro 1.83 1.67 2.67 2.9 2.53 M66 1.72 1.53 1.1 1.43 1.03 Diamond 1.11 1.28 1.26 1 0.93 Y2 2.4 2.37 2.47 2.57 2.07 Lsd, p = 0.05 0.56 0.57 0.61 0.92 0.94

(11) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Leaf characters of selected zoysiagrass cultivars, measured under greenhouse conditions in Lebanon, OR, 2017. Length, 2nd Width, 2nd youngest youngest crown crown leaf leaf Variety -cm- -mm- M60 2.4 1.1 M66 3.8 1.58 L1f 3.6 1.16 Zeon 5.6 1.56 29-2 B9 4.6 2.18 380-1 3.3 2.67 Lsd, p = 0.05 1.3 0.48

(12) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Stolon characters of selected zoysiagrass cultivars, measured under greenhouse conditions in Lebanon, OR, 2017. Thickness Thickness Stolon Stolon Stolon 1.sup.st 2nd Internode Internode Internode youngest youngest length, 1.sup.st length, length, stolon stolon to 2.sup.nd 2nd to 3.sup.rd 3rd to 4th node node node node node Variety -mm- -mm- -cm- -cm- -cm- M60 1.43 1.43 0.89 0.81 0.75 M66 1.63 1.63 0.83 0.93 0.68 Zeon 1.40 1.45 07.2 0.98 0.8.0 29-2 B9 2.0 2.4 0.90 0.85 1.16 L1F 1.63 1.56 0.77 1.08 0.95 380-1 1.6 1.3 1.76 1.6 1.3 Lsd, p = 0.05 0.42 0.56 0.49 0.51 0.49

(13) TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Turf quality ratings taken in August in Poteet, TX in 2014, with turf mowed at greens heights. Variety Uniformity {circumflex over ()}{circumflex over ()} Quality # Texture $ Color {circumflex over ()} M60 7.0 5.5 6.3 6.3 Diamond 7.7 6.8 7.3 7.2 M85 7.0 4.7 7.5 6.2 L1F 7.0 5.5 8.3 8.3 CV 7.8 9.08 4.6 6.0 Lsd, p= 0.05 0.9 0.81 0.56 0.69 {circumflex over ()}{circumflex over ()} Uniformity rated on a scale of 1-9, 9 = most uniform. # Quality rated on a scale of 1-9, 9 = best quality. $ Texture rated on a scale of 1-9, 9 = finest texture. {circumflex over ()} Color rated on a scale of 1-9, 9 = darkest green.

(14) TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Relative shoot dry weight in response to salt treatment, 2016. M60 0.68a-d* M66 0.92a Diamond 0.4cde L1f 0.54bcde Zeon 0.58bcde Zorro 0.3de *Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different (p <= 0.05) as determined by Tukey HSD pairwise comparison test. Plants were grown with sub-irrigation with 300 mM NaCl for 8 weeks in a randomized complete block design. Fifteen entries were subjected to the treatment.

(15) TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Mean Fall Color*, 2016, California. Entry M60 1.1 M66 3 M85 1.22 JaMur 5 L1f 2.67 Zorro 3.56 Palisades 3.56 Zeon 4.78 Lsd, p = 0.05 1.63 *Rated on a scale of 1-9, 9 = least color retention

COMPLETE BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

(16) Origin: M60 is a cultivar of a single clone discovered under cultivated conditions in a Poteet, Tex. planting of zoysiagrass clones derived from a collection of seedling plants originating from proximity crosses among Zeon (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,166), L1F (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,203), 29-2 B9 (unpatented), and 380-1 (unpatented). Both unpatented plants originated from field grown open pollinated crosses between VJay (unpatented), 6,136 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,808), and JaMur (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,178) zoysia plants. The seed was combined from the four parents, each individual seed was planted in a pot, and plants from the seed subsequently transplanted to the field. M60 was identified in 2011 as a distinctly different vegetative patch or clonal plant. M60 showed a fine leaf texture with a dark green color, both finer and darker than Zeon (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,166). In plantings near Poteet, Tex., M60 has a finer leaf texture than either potential parent 29-2-B9 or 380-1 or Zeon. Classification: Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr. Growth habit: M60 is a perennial plant that spreads by stolons and rhizomes and produces a dense, fine textured turfgrass. The inflorescence of M60 is a terminal spike-like raceme, with spikelets on short pedicels. Leaf blade: Rolled in the bud, flat surface. Leaf blade pubescence: Sparse to few leaf hairs on the adaxial surface, 1.5 mm long. Leaf margin pubescence: Barbellate margins. Palisades has some barbellate margin to a small degree, but not as prominent or regular as M60. Leaf sheath pubescence: Absent except for long hairs at mouth of sheath, 1.2 to 2.5 mm in length; LR1 mean length sheath mouth hairs: 1.7 mm; Diamond 1.0 mm. Leaf sheath stem attachment: Ring of short hairs are present inside the sheath where it attaches to the stem, 0.2 mm in length. Leaf blade margin: M60=slight roughness. Leaf blade veins: Prominent under 10 magnification. Leaf blade flexibility (softness): Medium stiff. Vegetative leaf, 2nd youngest vegetative leaf: Blade length range.M60: 2.0 cm to 2.1 cm, mean length: 2.1 cm. Blade width mean.M60: 1.5 mm to 1.9 mm, mean width: 1.7 mm; Zorro mean width: 1.76 mm; Diamond mean width: 1.3 mm. Sheath length, 4.sup.th youngest vegetative leaf: Mean length M60: 1.6 cm. Inflorescence characters: Culm total length, including floral area to node below flag leaf.2.3 cm. Length of stem of inflorescence: 1.7 cm. Floral area length: 0.6 cm. Culm width, stem thickness, base of floral area.0.55 mm. Anther length.0.75 mm. Floret (seed) length.2.3 mm. Floret (seed) width.1.12 mm. Node thickness, node below flag leaf.0.75 mm. Pedicel length.1.76 mm. Flag leaf length.M60: 0.65 cm. Flag leaf width.M60: 1.5 mm. Mature plant height, including inflorescence: 5.0 to 6.0 with a mean of 5.5 cm. Color notations, vegetative characters, based on The R.H.S. Colour Chart (light quality, photoperiod, and general growth of the plants affect color notations): Leaf blade color adaxial leaf surface.137C green. Leaf blade color abaxial leaf surface.137C green. Stolon color, in absence of light.158B yellow-white to 159B orange-white. Color notations, floral characters, based on The R.H.S. Colour Chart (light quality, photoperiod, and general growth of the plants affect color notations): Culm stalk.144A yellow-green. Stigma.158D greyed yellow-white. Anther color, fresh.154C yellow-green with 187A greyed purple. Turf color (rated 1-9, 9 best), mowed at greens height: M60: 6.3; Diamond: 7.2. Turf quality (rated 1-9, 9 best), mowed at greens height: M60: 5.5; Diamond: 6.8.

REFERENCES CITED

U.S. Patent Documents

(17) TABLE-US-00009 November 2002 Doguet, D. U.S. PP 13,166 Zeon zoysiagrass November 2002 Doguet, D. U.S. PP 13,178 JaMur zoysiagrass June 2007 Doguet, D. U.S. PP 17,808 6136 zoysiagrass June2007 Doguet, D. U.S. PP 17,82 Y2 zoysiagrass December 2014 Doguet, D. U.S. PP 25,203 L1f zoysiagrass October 1998 Engelke, M.C. U.S. PP 10,636 Diamond zoysiagrass September 2000 Engelke, M.C. U.S. PP 11,515 Palisades zoysiagrass July 2002 Engelke, M.C. U.S. PP 14,13 Zorro zoysiagrass