Signet and Shield Perennial Ryegrass are Top Rate Turf
Looking for good-looking, great performing perennial ryegrass? In addition to our Nexus XD and XR, we now have available two top-performing varieties - Signet and Shield - both showing top ratings in the first year NTEP trials.
Signet
Signet was selected for elite turfgrass performance. Trial results indicate that Signet competes well with other top-performing ryegrasses and will provide very nice turf quality throughout the country, as well as good resistances to gray leaf spot, crown rust, winter kill, salt tolerance and drought.
Shield
Shield was specifically bred from germplasm known to have high survivability in hot, humid regions crossed with plants highly resistant to gray leaf spot, stem rust and other disease. Trial results indicate very attractive turf quality throughout the country, as well as good resistances to crown rust, pink snow mold, winter kill and drought.
Both varieties are available for this winter/spring. Use separately or together with our Nexus varieties in our Diamond Premium Ryegrass Blend.
NTEP Perennial Ryegrass
Turfgrass Quality Group 1
2016-2017
| Variety | NJ2 | MN1 | CT1 | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furlong | 6.7 | 5.9 | 7.3 | 6.6 |
| Xcelerator | 6.3 | 5.6 | 7.1 | 6.3 |
| Signet | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 6.1 |
| Overdrive 5G | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 6.1 |
| Shield | 5.9 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 6.1 |
| Gray Hawk | 5.7 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 5.9 |
| Derby Xtreme | 5.4 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 5.6 |
| Seabiscuit | 5.4 | 5.1 | 6.6 | 5.7 |
| Saguaro | 5.1 | 4.8 | 6.3 | 5.4 |
| Allstar III | 4.8 | 4.6 | 6.2 | 5.2 |
| Pepper II | 4.5 | 4.6 | 6.2 | 5.1 |
| Savant | 4.1 | 4.4 | 6.1 | 4.8 |
| LSD | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
Cajun II Tops Other Fescues In Mississippi
In 2015, Mississippi State University planted tall fescue trials in three locations and collected data over two years. Growing tall fescue is not an easy thing in Mississippi, so data from these trial locations is pretty valuable.
As shown in the table below, Cajun II scored very well against KY-31 as well as leading novel-endophyte varieties at each location and in the 3-location average. For those of you who have sold/used Cajun II in the past, this comes as no surprise. Cajun II is an early-maturing, hardy endophyte-free variety which is adapted for both hay and grazing for use in a wide variety of climates.
When deciding whether to use toxic fescue, novel-endophyte, or endophyte-free fescue, it is important to look at regional performance. Cajun II has been trialed extensively throughout the country, yielding results similar to this table. Visit www.CajunFescue.com to see additional results.
Ask your Smith Seed representative about getting Cajun II into your fescue lineup
Mississippi State University
Hay Trial (2-Year Avg. Total DM/A)
Multiple Locations
|2015-2017
| Variety | Starkville | Newton | Holly Springs | 3–Location Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cajun | 5848 | 2613 | 3921 | 4127 |
| Dominate | 5419 | 2023 | 4439 | 3960 |
| Tower Protek | 4725 | 2649 | 3971 | 3782 |
| Texoma MaxQ | 4798 | 2046 | 3907 | 3584 |
| KY-31 | 4304 | 2550 | 3533 | 3462 |
| Martin2 | 3625 | 2838 | 3911 | 3458 |