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Volume 17, Issue 3 p. 605-615
DESCRIPTION OF PLANT GENETIC MATERIALS

‘Newell’ bermudagrass: A public release from the USDA Cynodon collection

E. F. Rios

Corresponding Author

E. F. Rios

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Correspondence:

Esteban Rios, Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Email: [email protected]

Contribution: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, ​Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Visualization, Writing - original draft

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Y. Lopez

Y. Lopez

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: Data curation, ​Investigation, Writing - review & editing

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P. Munoz

P. Munoz

Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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J. C. B. Dubeux Jr

J. C. B. Dubeux Jr

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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J. M. B. Vendramini

J. M. B. Vendramini

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: Data curation, ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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M. Wallau

M. Wallau

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: Data curation, Formal analysis, ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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A. J. Grossman

A. J. Grossman

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: Data curation, ​Investigation, Methodology, Validation, Writing - review & editing

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W. Anderson

W. Anderson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Crop Genetics and Breeding Research, Tifton, Georgia, USA

Contribution: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Supervision, Writing - review & editing

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L. Baxter

L. Baxter

Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Tifton, Georgia, USA

Contribution: ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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K. Harris-Shultz

K. Harris-Shultz

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Crop Genetics and Breeding Research, Tifton, Georgia, USA

Contribution: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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M. S. Castillo

M. S. Castillo

Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Contribution: Conceptualization, Data curation, ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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M. C. Saha

M. C. Saha

Noble Research Institute, Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA

Contribution: Conceptualization, Data curation, ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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K. Quesenberry

K. Quesenberry

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: Conceptualization, ​Investigation, Supervision, Writing - review & editing

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A. Blount

A. Blount

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: Resources, Supervision, Writing - review & editing

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P. Reith

P. Reith

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - review & editing

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K. Kenworthy

K. Kenworthy

Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Contribution: Conceptualization, Resources, Supervision, Writing - review & editing

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First published: 30 August 2023
Citations: 5

Assigned to Associate Editor Michael Casler.

Abstract

Warm-season perennial grasses are the backbone of the pasture-based livestock industry in the lower southeastern United States, and bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is the most widely planted forage species, covering ∼15 million ha. The genus Cynodon is native to southern Africa, and germplasm collections possess high genetic and phenotypic variability. The USDA National Plant Germplasm System maintains a collection of bermudagrass plant introductions (PIs) in Griffin, GA, and USDA-ARS, Tifton, GA, maintains additional germplasm. Multi-location trials were established in four states (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Oklahoma) to screen Cynodon germplasm for herbage accumulation (HA), nutritive value (NV), and bermudagrass stem maggot (BSM) (Atherigona reversura Villeneuve). Due to the large genotype × environment interaction for HA, we focused on selecting accessions adapted to South Georgia and Florida, and further studies were performed in Florida. Several PIs showed improved HA and NV compared with ‘Tifton 85’. PI 316510, originally introduced from Ingelheim, Germany, produced high HA in Citra, FL, and Tifton, GA, with improved NV traits. In addition, PI 316510 had faster establishment and similar BSM tolerance to Tifton 85. We confirmed PI 316510 as tetraploid (2n = 4x = 36) through chromosome counts and flow cytometry, and it is genetically distinct from other commercial cultivars. PI 316510 has been publicly released under the name ‘Newell’, and it is vegetatively propagated. Planting material can be requested from the UF-IFAS Forage Breeding program.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflict of interest.