AEF 130360 Overseeding Safety

Abstract

Several items need consideration when products are evaluated for use as transition agents. These are (1) efficacy of ryegrass removal [rate of ryegrass decline and appearance of turf during transition], (2) tolerance and performance of incoming bermudagrass and (3) application safety for next season’s repeat overseed operations. This test was designed to evaluate application safety for the next overseeding which occurs in the early fall. Therefore, AEF was applied in the summer to bermudagrass turf prior to overseed operations. Most responses of the perennial ryegrass (overseed) turf to previous treatments of AEF 130360 occurred immediately after overseeding, from mid-October to early November. AEF 130360 applied 2 weeks before overseeding caused a significant decrease in seedling vigor, percent plot ryegrass cover, and percent bermudagrass plot straw present. Both AEF treatments applied closest to overseeding (2 weeks prior) had the least amount of initial ryegrass, the greatest amount of green bermudagrass, and later in the season, the most amount of straw (dormant) bermudagrass. Differences in turfgrass quality were not significant due to treatments at any time throughout the test, and most treatments ranked higher than the control in overall quality. Under the conditions of this test, application of AEF 130360 at either 0.64 or 1.28 ounces/product/M made one month before actual oversseding did not cause detrimental effects to ryegrass emergence, ryegrass cover, turfgrass color or overall quality.