MSU-bred turfgrass poised to reign supreme
Contact: Meg Henderson
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 product with deep roots in Mississippi State鈥檚 turfgrass program that hit the market this past year is now taking over lawns, golf courses and sports fields around the world.
Melodee Fraser, the first female graduate of MSU鈥檚 turfgrass management program, developed a Bermuda grass variety over recent years known as Sun Queen at Pure-Seed Testing, Inc. in 2011. Fraser, now the director of research for PST-East, discovered her passion for turfgrass research as an 香蕉直播undergraduate in the 1980s.
鈥淚 grew up on the golf course, where my dad worked as a superintendent, and I pursued turfgrass management intending to follow in his footsteps,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut in my studies at MSU, I discovered a profound interest in plant research and breeding.鈥
After earning her Ph.D. from Rutgers University, Fraser joined PST and rekindled her interest in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Bermuda grass breeding program directed by now retired MAFES senior research associate Wayne Philley. Fraser worked with Philley as a graduate student. In 2010, PST and 香蕉直播made a legal agreement allowing the incorporation to crossbreed Philly鈥檚 plant material collection with PST鈥檚 Bermuda grass.
In 2013, testing began at 香蕉直播and at PST-East in Rolesville, North Carolina. Sun Queen emerged as a top performer and was soon entered into the USDA鈥檚 four-year National Turf Evaluation Program trials performing well in 18 locations throughout the country. Now commercially available, Sun Queen, owned jointly by MAFES and PST, has received Plant Variety Protection through the USDA. Sun Queen is marketed by Pure Seed in Canby, Oregon and by Atlas Turf International in LaGrange, Georgia.
Jim Mitchell, a licensing associate with MSU鈥檚 Office of Technology Management, planted Sun Queen for local showcasing in front of Advantage Doors in West Point, a location with high visibility and convenient accessibility from Highway 45.
鈥淪un Queen is unique because, unlike most Bermuda grasses, it is planted from a seed,鈥 Mitchell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 less expensive than its competitors, quick to germinate and has many of the characteristics associated with vegetatively propagated sod varieties. It is also more aesthetically pleasing than a typical Bermuda grass.鈥
John Holmes, president of Atlas Turf International, sees Sun Queen as a disrupter in the turfgrass industry.
鈥淪eeded Bermuda grasses have not been widely accepted in the professional markets for golf and sports fields,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut Sun Queen鈥檚 properties make it equal to vegetatively grown [sod] farmed products. We think it will speak for itself and begin to change minds.鈥
Holmes, whose company jointly markets PST鈥檚 warm-season products, expects demand for Sun Queen to rise, particularly in drought-stressed regions, citing its heat and drought tolerance as key advantages.
鈥淭he genetics emerging from MSU鈥檚 turfgrass program are exceptional,鈥 he said. 鈥淭heir scientists are thinking about tomorrow鈥檚 global challenges as well as today鈥檚 and facing them with persistence and dedication.鈥
For more on the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, visit .
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