Princess 77 Hybrid Bermudagrass
Key Points
- Elite bermudagrass
- Outstanding drought tolerance, divot recovery and wear tolerance
- Higher overall turf quality than all commercial seeded varieties in US and international tests
- Excellent autumn colour retention
- Very low weed pressure after initial establishment
Characteristics and areas of use
Princess 77 is one of PGG Wrightson Turf’s elite bermudagrass varieties. Princess 77 bermudagrass is the first dense, fine textured hybrid bermudagrass variety to be available in seeded form. It has outstanding drought tolerance, great divot recovery and an attractive dark green colour. Its medium fine leaf texture makes it a great choice for sports fields, golf courses and amenity situations.
Breeding history
Princess 77 was bred Dr. Arden Baltensperger from Seeds West Inc. and became the first commercially available seeded hybrid bermudagrass variety in 1995. Princess 77 seed is produced much like hybrid corn seed, but instead of two inbred parent lines, two self-incompatible but crossfertile parent clones are planted in alternating rows. The specific combining ability of these two elite parent clones is what makes Princess 77, an F1 hybrid, the first seeded bermudagrass that is competitive with the vegetative hybrid bermudagrasses for turfgrass quality, leaf texture, colour, and density.
Sowing rate and maintenance
Sow Princess 77 at 500g-1Kg/100m2 (50-100kg/ha) when sown alone, or at 250-500g/100m2 (25-50kg/ha) for existing turf repairs. Seed should be planted in a minimum soil temperature of 18°C at a depth of about 3-5mm (no more than 5 mm depth is recommended). Maintain soil moisture around the seed until germination. Full coverage can be expected in 8 weeks and begin mowing when Princess 77 is about 1/3rd above the expected maintenance height.