BA 73-366 Kentucky bluegrass

A variety of Kentucky bluegrass having a medium to high level of disease resistance, a desirable green color throughout the growing season, good drought recovery capability, a medium to high quality dense presistent turf forming ability under a wide variety of environmental conditions, and a high level of seed yielding capacity.

BACKGROUND 
Kentucky bluegrasses have been disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,156 which 
issued on May 9, 1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,186 which issued on May 23, 
1972; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 4,336 which issued on Nov. 28, 1978; U.S. Plant 
Pat. No. 6,280 which issued on Sep. 6, 1988; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,537 
which issued on Jan. 17, 1989; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,538 which issued on 
Jan. 17, 1989 and U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,585 which issued on Feb. 7, 1989; 
U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,831 which issued on Mar. 17, 1992 and U.S. Plant 
patent application Ser. No. 07/821,403 which was filed on Jan. 14, 1992, 
now U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,490. 
SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY 
The present invention relates to a new and improved variety of Kentucky 
bluegrass, Poa pratensis, that has been designated Ba 73-366. 
Ba 73-366 plant material originated as a single plant selection from the 
open pollinated progeny of a Kentucky bluegrass seed parent developed and 
maintained in the O. M. Scott plant nursery at Marysville, Ohio. This seed 
parent was identified as Ba 65-125 in the O. M. Scott breeding program. At 
the time of selection, the Ba 73-366 plant appeared different from other 
progency plants which originated from apomictically produced seeds of Ba 
65-125. As a result of this selection, a distinct variety was produced and 
asexually propagated by rhizomes, tillers and disseminules. Seed of Ba 
73-366 was produced first at Marysville, Ohio and later at Gervais, Ore. 
This seed was used to plant turf performance evaluation trials and later 
seed production fields. 
Asexual production of Ba 73-366 by propagules (tillers and rhizomes) and by 
disseminules (modified caryopses produced by apomixis) has consistently 
produced progeny plants indistinguishable from the mother plant. The 
apomixis level of Ba 73-366 is approximately 99% based upon examining 
seedling characteristics of approximately 100 to 150 seedlings from five 
different crop years in a growth chamber. 
Ba 73-366 has a number of highly desirable characteristics including a 
medium to high level of resistance to Dreschslera spp. (formerly called 
Helminthosporium spp.) that causes leaf spot, melting out and crown rot; 
Puccinia spp. that causes several types of rust infections; and 
Sclerotinia homoeocarpa that causes dollar spot. Ba 73-366 has an 
attractive leafy turf type growth habit; moderately wide leaf blades; 
attractive green color which can be maintained throughout the entire 
growing season; good drought recovery capability and good turf performance 
as evidenced by consistently good to high scores for quality, color and 
density. Ba 73-366 has a high seed yield potential in the bluegrass seed 
production region of northwestern U.S.A. 
In comparison with a number of other Kentucky bluegrasses, Ba 73-366 
differs significantly in regard to the following morphological 
characteristics: (1) length and width of panicle, (2) whorls per panicle, 
(3) branches per whorl and (4) number of florets per spikelet. 
Ba 73-366 has average size spikelets and glumes, flag leaf of average 
length but broader in width and a tendency towards a thinner leaf. Ba 
73-366 has a statistically significant large flag leaf ligule and a lower 
level of sheath color than most other Kentucky bluegrasses tested. 
Ba 73-366 has a long peduncle, average peduncle width, a culm length 
significantly longer than a number of other bluegrasses and a high number 
of nodes per culm. Also, it has an average size vegetative leaf in length 
and width but a statistically significant thicker leaf and leaf margin 
hairs. Ba 73-366 has significantly more hairs on the back side of the 
ligule. Under close mowing as practiced under lawn maintenance conditions, 
Ba 73-366 has a broader leaf blade than a number of other Kentucky 
bluegrasses.