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a Dep. of Plant Biology and Pathology, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Cook College, Rutgers Univ., 59 Dudley Rd., Foran Hall, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
b DLF International Seeds, P.O. Box 229, 175 West H St., Halsey, OR. Publication no. D-12180-24-06. Some of this work was conducted as part of the NJAES Project no. 12180, supported by NJAES funds, other grants, and gifts. Additional support was received from the U.S. Golf Association and the New Jersey Turfgrass Association
* Corresponding author (bonos{at}aesop.rutgers.edu).
‘Cindy Lou’ strong creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L. ssp. rubra) (Reg. No. CV-98, PI 631471) is a turf-type cultivar released by DLF International Seeds, Inc., Halsey, OR, in September 2001. Germplasm obtained from the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station was used in the development of Cindy Lou. Cindy Lou was tested as CIS-FRR 7, ISI-FRR 7, and 4401.
Cindy Lou is an advanced-generation synthetic cultivar selected from 240 clones for medium-dark green color, high shoot density, leaf spot disease [caused by Drechslera dictyoides (Drechs.) Shoemaker] resistance, and improved turf quality. Ninety percent of the plants harvested to produce the Breeder seed trace their maternal origin to a plant found in the Rose City Cemetery, Portland, OR, in May 1984. This plant is the source of the fungal endophyte (Epichloe festucae Leuchtm., Schardl, & Siegel) and cytoplasm of Cindy Lou. This plant is one of the only Neotyphodium endophytes found to date that has demonstrated the ability to enhance field resistance of the host plant (fine fescue) to the red thread disease [caused by Laetisaria fuciformis (McAlpine) Burdsall] (Bonos et al., 2005). The remaining 10% of the maternal germplasm and all of the paternal germplasm of Cindy Lou traces its origin to plants collected from old turfs of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Oregon, New York, Kentucky, and Kansas between 1962 and 1990 by turfgrass scientists at the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. This germplasm underwent numerous cycles of recurrent selection before the final selection and development of Cindy Lou. Cindy Lou is somewhat related to the cultivar ‘Navigator’ in that both cultivars trace maternally to the Rose City endophyte; however, germplasm used in the development of Navigator also traces to a few plants selected from the cultivar ‘Ensylva’, while Cindy Lou does not.
Plants selected from old turfs were subjected to evaluation in spaced-plant nurseries, frequently mowed single-plant progeny turf trials, mowed clonal evaluation tests, and greenhouse tests for resistance to powdery mildew (caused by Blumeria graminis DC). The most promising plants were identified by their persistence, appearance, and performance. They were then intercrossed and subjected to varying cycles of genotypic and phenotypic recurrent selection, depending on their date of collection. New sources of germplasm were added to the breeding program as they became available from the continuing collection program. Each cycle of selection showed continued progress for producing plants with lower growth habit, darker green color, finer textured leaves, and improved turf performance scores.
Single-plant progenies of 707 clones selected from the Rutgers turfgrass breeding program were seeded into individual turf plots at the Plant Biology and Pathology Research and Extension Farms in North Brunswick and Adelphia, NJ during the late summers of 1992 and 1993. Tillers were selected from 14 of the best-performing plots from the 1993 turf trial at Adelphia and from three of the best-performing plots from the 1992 turf trial at North Brunswick. These plants were used to establish two spaced-plant nurseries, containing 1020 plants in the spring of 1995 at Adelphia. The following spring, 39 plants were selected from these nurseries for low growth habit, fine-leaf texture, and medium-dark green color before anthesis and were moved to an isolated crossing block at Adelphia. Seeds harvested from these plants were germinated, and several thousand young seedlings were screened for medium-dark green color, low growth habit and high shoot density in the greenhouse. Approximately 75% of the plants were discarded. The remaining 1984 plants were used to establish an isolated spaced-plant nursery in the spring of 1997 at Adelphia. Before anthesis, in the spring of 1998, approximately 72% of the plants in this nursery were removed because of light green color, leaf spot disease susceptibility, poor seed yield potential, and nonuniform growth habit, leaving 546 plants to interpollinate. Seed was subsequently harvested from 240 plants from seven different mother lines. Plants selected for harvest had excellent floret fertility and freedom from disease. Approximately 14 kg of Breeder seed was produced from these 240 plants. Breeder seed was sent to DLF International Seeds (formerly Cebeco International Seeds) in the fall of 1998 and also sent to the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) for testing and evaluation in the 1998 National Fine-Leafed Fescue Test.
Cindy Lou is a medium-low growing turf-type cultivar. Cindy Lou performed well in the NTEP test seeded in 1998 at 29 full-sun locations in the USA and Canada (Morris, 2002). It exhibited excellent performance under medium and low maintenance and very good performance at high maintenance. Cindy Lou has a medium-dark green color and medium shoot density compared with other strong creeping red fescue cultivars evaluated in the NTEP test (Morris, 2002). Cindy Lou also exhibited excellent resistance to summer patch (caused by the fungus Magnaporthe poae Landschoot & Jackson) and good resistance to leaf spot. One of the most important attributes of Cindy Lou is its improved red thread resistance (Morris, 2002). Strong creeping red fescues are typically very susceptible to red thread, which can limit their use in cool, humid environments. However, because of the incorporation of the Rose City endophyte, Cindy Lou has demonstrated improved resistance to this disease in several locations.
Cindy Lou is useful for lawns, parks, and conservation areas in temperate climates where a medium-low maintenance fine fescue stand is desired. Cindy Lou should perform well in mixtures with Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) and turf-type perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) cultivars with similar color and growth habit. Turfs of Cindy Lou with a high percentage of plants containing endophyte should have enhanced resistance to insect pests and dollar spot and persist better than endophyte-free plants (Funk and White, 1997).
Breeder seed of Cindy Lou is maintained by DLF International Seeds Inc. Certified seed propagation is restricted to three generations of increase, one each of Foundation, Registered, and Certified. U.S. Plant Variety Protection for Cindy Lou has been approved (PVP application no. 200200230). All seed requests should be sent to the corresponding author during the period of protection by the Plant Variety Protection Certificate. Seed of this release is deposited in the National Plant Germplasm System, where it will be available after the expiry of the Plant Variety Protection for research purposes, including development and commercialization of new cultivars. It is requested that appropriate recognition be made if this cultivar contributes to the development of new germplasm or cultivars.
Footnotes
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Received for publication September 2, 2006.
References
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