PGR research offers new perspectives on bermudagrass fall color and winter dormancy. Bermudagrass is the most widely used turfgrass in the southern United States for golf courses, athletic fields, parks, roadsides and private grounds. Native to eastern Africa, bermudagrass has aggressive stolons and rhizomes that form a vigorous turf with high shoot densities and rapid growth capabilities. Bermudagrass has excellent wear, drought and salt tolerances but necessitates high nitrogen fertility, full sunlight and routine cultivation. As a warm-season grass, bermudagrass requires temperatures from 80°F to 95°F for optimum growth and is widely distributed throughout warm humid, warm subhumid, and warm semiarid climates. One of the characteristics of managing bermudagrass in the transition zone is winter dormancy. As temperatures approach 50°F, bermudagrass begins to lose chlorophyll and turns brown. Recent research offers new perspectives on bermudagrass dormancy mechanisms to help practitioners better manage fall fertilizations.
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