Registration of ‘MSA 2‐3‐98’ St. Augustinegrass

Abstract

‘MSA 2‐3‐98’ (Reg. No. CV‐284, PI 689102) is a cold‐tolerant, high‐quality St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze] developed at Mississippi State University. MSA 2‐3‐98 was released on 19 Apr. 2006 from Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. MSA 2‐3‐98 offers many advantages compared with other St. Augustinegrass cultivars. Leaf length, leaf width, internode length, and internode diameter of MSA 2‐3‐98 were significantly smaller than ‘Floratam’ and ‘Raleigh’. The more diminutive morphology of MSA 2‐3‐98 allows it to establish a denser turfgrass canopy with finer leaf texture. Cold tolerance of MSA 2‐3‐98 was evaluated from spring assessments of percentage green turfgrass cover and overall plot green‐up. The cold tolerance of MSA 2‐3‐98 was similar to Raleigh but outperformed Floratam. MSA 2‐3‐98 turfgrass quality tended to be greater than ‘Delmar’, Floratam, and Raleigh. Gray leaf spot severity on MSA 2‐3‐98 was variable among locations where the disease was evaluated. MSA 2‐3‐98 has greater turfgrass quality than Raleigh, with similar cold tolerance.