Roundup-Resistant Turf: Coming to a Lawn Near You?

Tony Koski, Extension Turf Specialist

 

Lately, it seems, the acronym “GMO” (genetically modified organism) can be heard or read daily in the news we receive. I did a Google search of “GMO” and got 85.6 million hits. That’s a lot to wade through – especially if you are looking for unbiased information. A great deal of the debate revolves around potential health effects that GM plants and animals may have when they in some way become part of the food we eat and the labeling of that food. How the growing of GM crops and animals affects the environment, and the economic implications of GMOs, also pose concerns for many people. Unfortunately for those seeking valid information on GMOs, the facts and science often become lost among ideological debates, conspiracy theories, and distrust that both sides have for each other. Well, my purpose here is not to provide the answers for which you might be searching. Heck, this might cause even more confusion – and debate.

In the past week, kind of “under the radar”, a few articles have appeared about field testing the Scotts Company will begin of a glyphosate/Roundup-resistant (RR) tall fescue (as far as I can tell, there has been no official press release about this grass from Scotts). Almost more newsworthy than the grass itself is the fact that the USDA determined in January 2014 that it had no authority to regulate the testing or introduction of this GM tall fescue. They concluded (read the USDA’s letter to Scotts here), that the USDA and APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) have no authority to regulate the testing of the Scotts RR tall fescue because: a) the tall fescue was not transformed (i.e., made glyphosate/Roundup resistant) using plant pests, unknown organisms, or regulated organisms, .

b) that tall fescue is not a federal noxious weed, and c) that there is no reason to believe that the glyphosate-resistance transformation is likely to “increase the weediness of tall fescue”. The USDA and APHIS similarly ruled in 2011 that they would not regulate the development or release of glyphosate-resistant Kentucky bluegrass by Scotts – a ruling which paved the way for the testing of GM bluegrass in the yards of some Scotts employees in 2014 and limited commercialization in 2015

For many years Roundup-tolerant (not resistance to glyphosate, but tolerance of lower rates of the herbicide) tall fescues and perennial ryegrasses have been commercially available. But if Scotts begins selling their GM bluegrasses and tall fescue, they would be the first RR turfgrasses (and genetically modified ones, in the GMO sense) to become commercialized. Scotts’ first attempt at releasing a Roundup-resistant turfgrass (a creeping bentgrass) was nothing short of disastrous and was discontinued when the Roundup-resistance gene escaped (via pollen) from Oregon test seed production fields and was found in native bentgrass plants 12 miles away. As recently as 2010, populations of glyphosate-resistant bentgrass were still being discovered in eastern Oregon after the gene escaped from western Idaho seed fields that were destroyed by Scotts in 2006.

So why the interest by Scotts in the development of RR tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass – or any turfgrass, for that matter? Because it makes weed control simpler: there would be (theoretically) only one herbicide needed to kill weeds in lawns planted with RR grasses – Roundup (glyphosate). This is the basis for the development of the many “Roundup-Ready” agricultural crops (soybeans, corn, cotton, alfalfa, others) being grown worldwide.

Are there valid reasons to be concerned about the commercialization of RR tall fescue and bluegrass? Certainly.  Because these species also produce pollen, the potential exists for the gene to move – as happened with the GM bentgrass 10 years ago. And the development of glyphosate-tolerant/resistant weed populations, as has happened with some Roundup-Ready cropping systems, is a legitimate concern. Proponents of the Scotts RR turfgrasses might suggest that these grasses would provide simplified weed management for the end user, allow the use of an environmentally benign herbicide for weed control when needed, and that by employing integrated weed management principles the potential for resistant weeds would be minimized. And it has been suggested that tall fescue pollen is much less likely to cause the problems experienced with the RR creeping bentgrass.

The concerns of those opposed to the commercialization of these grasses are valid ones. Hopefully the research will be done properly, care will be taken in the commercialization and production process, and the debate will be based on science and not like what I just read on this blog – which suggests that rolling on a lawn of “poisonous” RR tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass might be hazardous to your health. (I hesitated to link to this blog, but am confident that our readers are intelligent enough to filter out the more ridiculous rantings of the writer).

To finish on a lighter note…I did a Google search of “golf” and found – to my delight – an impressive 1.38 BILLION hits. This proves that golf is 60% more important…and fun…and popular to read and write about… than GMOs. 

Finally, my prediction for the national football championship tonight: Ohio State defeats Oregon 41-38. Go Buckeyes!!!

I Think I Might have Crabgrass in my Lawn?

Alison O'Connor, CSU horticulture agent in Larimer County

Clumpy, fast-growing tall fescue is often incorrectly called
"crabgrass" by home gardeners

It seems that, whenever a grass growing in a lawn doesn’t look quite “right”, it is labeled as “crabgrass”. In the spring we receive calls and emails about ugly, quick-growing clumps of grass that home gardeners suspect to be crabgrass. It never is. Crabgrass doesn’t even think of germinating until late April or May, since it is a warm-season annual. But people will insist that crabgrass is making a mess of things in their lawns in March and April. They are usually seeing tall fescue, bromegrass and quackgrass – perennial, wide-bladed, cool-season weedy invaders of bluegrass lawns that green up early in the spring. Ironically, people rarely recognize true crabgrass in their lawns when it really does begin growing in July and August. We wrote about crabgrass - the real stuff, and its look-alikes - back in July. http://csuhort.blogspot.com/2014/07/weed-of-moment-crabgrass-and-its-look.html

Close-up of tall fescue - often mistaken for crabgrass

In the past few weeks, the cool-season grasses (including the clumpy, ugly ones) are perking up after the heat of August and early September - and home owners are once again seeing “crabgrass” in their lawns. The problem with that is the REAL crabgrass has recently been stunted or killed by cool nights and frost – and is no longer growing in lawns. However, tall fescue, bromegrass and quackgrass are growing happily in response to cool fall temperatures and rain - and people, as in the spring, believe they are seeing "crabgrass" in their lawns.

Crabgrass killed by frost

Even if you have some green, living crabgrass (the real stuff) in your lawn that wasn't hit by that frost on the morning of September 13, it will eventually be killed by frost very soon - so it would be irresponsible (and ineffective) to apply a crabgrass herbicide at this point in the year. But, it’s another story for those nasty patches of quackgrass, brome, or tall fescue. Now is an ideal time to apply glyphosate (aka Roundup…and other brand names of glyphosate products) to control these cool-season perennial grasses. Just remember that glyphosate is non-selective, so anything that it contacts – including bluegrass – will be harmed or killed. Apply glyphosate carefully to patches or clumps of these perennial grasses; apply in the morning when it is calm, and avoid walking where you have sprayed (glyphosate can be tracked onto desirable grass). Wait about 7 days and reapply to control any grasses that were missed or not killed with the first application. When the area is dead, rough up the dead grass with a rake – or use a “foot aerator” to punch holes (the more, the better) in the dead turf. Seed with the appropriate grass (bluegrass or ryegrass into a bluegrass lawn; tall fescue into a tall fescue lawn) and rake lightly to work the seed into the holes. There is no need to topdress with soil or compost. Simply water the spots to keep them moist and you will have new grass growing in the killed area in a few weeks.

So, you might have crabgrass in your lawn - but if it isn't already dead, the next hard frost will kill it. Any ugly, green, happily growing grass you see this in a lawn this time of the year is most likely tall fescue, bromegrass or quackgrass - and it's a good time to control it if you don't want it there next year.

Weed of the Moment: Crabgrass and its look-alikes

By: Tony Koski, Turfgrass Specialist

Guess what? You might actually be seeing crabgrass in your lawn this time of year! It was late germinating this spring (we didn't see it in Fort Collins until late May), but now it's large and in charge. This is crabgrass in late May:

Young crabgrass

Now it looks like this (late July):

Small (smooth) crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum)

Small (smooth) crabgrass--growing in concrete!
(That's a joke)

Small (smooth) crabgrass near sidewalk

Crabgrass seedhead

Many think they have crabgrass, but they don't. Here are some other crabgrass look-alikes that are often called crabgrass, but misidentified...

This is not crabgrass; this is bromegrass (wide, coarse blade; often a "W" watermark on upper tip of leaf):

Bromegrass in a bluegrass lawn

This is not crabgrass; this is annual bluegrass (characteristic apple green color; often with seedheads):

Annual bluegrass in a Kentucky bluegrass lawn

And this is not crabgrass; this is tall fescue (clumps of grass with rough edges on the leaf blade):

Tall fescue in a bluegrass lawn

 This isn't crabgrass either; this is orchardgrass (flat "stems" and tall white ligule):

The ligule is located like a collar on the inside of the leaf

Orchardgrass in the lawn

And no, this isn't crabgrass either; this is yellow foxtail (characteristic red base, yellow-y color):

Yellow foxtail, which can easily be confused with crabgrass.
The great news is that the same products that work on crabgrass
will work on foxtail.

Yellow foxtail--look at that distinctive red color!

Finally, this isn't crabgrass--this is bermudagrass (forms runners, invasive, pointy leaf tip):

Bermudagrass

Crabgrass is characterized by its prostrate growth habit, especially after mowing and a light, apple green leaf color. The seedheads are digitate (finger-like) and will begin forming in earnest in August. Crabgrass is a warm season grass (and a summer annual), so it will die with the first frost.

If you want to control it now, use any herbicide product containing quinclorac (such as Ortho Weed Be Gon Max Plus Crabgrass Control, Fertilome Weed Out Plus Q or Bayer All-in-One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer). Be aware it may take more than one application to completely kill this persistent weed. It's much easier to control when it's a seedling or use preemergence products in early spring.

The big point to make, with the exception of foxtail and crabgrass, is that quinclorac will not work to selectively remove tall fescue, bermudagrass, bromegrass or annual blugrass from your lawn. So identification of grasses that LOOK like crabgrass is essential before you start spraying herbicides willy-nilly.