Cold Tolerance of Hybrid Bermudagrass in a Cool-season, Semiarid Climate

Cool-season C 3 grasses struggle to tolerate increasing global temperatures rise and require relatively higher rates of scarce water supplies. Common bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon ; CBG), African bermudagrass ( C. transvaalensis ; ABG), and their triploid interspecific hybrid [ C. dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt Davy; HBG] are warm-season C 4 grasses that may be increasingly more suited for northern ecosystems traditionally classified as transitional or cool-season climates. The objective of this study is to compare one CBG, one ABG, and six HBG cultivars to a blend of Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) cultivars for cold tolerance in a cool-season, semiarid climate. Although KBG had a longer growing season than any bermudagrass, all HBG cultivars greened up within the same window of time. The CBG had the shortest growing season of all genotypes. After averaging dates for green up and dormancy in both years, the HBG cultivars Tahoma 31, Iron Cutter, and NorthBridge performed best of all bermudagrasses tested and may provide an alternative to KBG in climates similar to the Utah study location.