Registration of ‘FSA1602’ St. Augustinegrass

Abstract

Abstract‘FSA1602’ (Reg. no. CV‐294, PI 704119) hybrid St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze] was developed and released by the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Florida, in 2018. FSA1602 has a distinct olive blue‐green color and high levels of resistance to gray leaf spot, take‐all root rot, and excellent shade tolerance and turfgrass quality (TQ). It is targeted for use in residential and commercial lawns in the southern United States. FSA1602 has coarse textured leaves similar in width to ‘Floratam’ and leaf lengths similar to ‘SS‐100’ (Palmetto) but shorter than Floratam. FSA1602 stolon width is larger than Floratam or Palmetto but has a mean stolon internode length shorter than either Floratam or Palmetto. It produces a dense turfgrass with high TQ that is similar to or better than Floratam and with less winter kill than Floratam, which is the most widely used St. Augustinegrass for lawns in Florida.