Agrostis

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Bentgrass
File:Gewoon struisgras Agrostis tenuis.jpg
Agrostis capillaris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Monocots
(unranked):
Commelinids
Order:
Poales
Family:
Poaceae
Genus:
Agrostis
Type species
Agrostis canina
Synonyms[3]

Lua error in Module:Taxonbar/candidate at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Agrostis (bent or bentgrass) is a large and very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family, found in nearly all the countries in the world.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] It has been bred as a GMO creeping bent grass.[14]

Species[3]

<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>

4
formerly included[3]

hundreds of species now considered better suited to other genera: Achnatherum Aira Alloteropsis Apera Arundinella Calamagrostis Chaetopogon Chionochloa Chloris Cinna Colpodium Crypsis Cynodon Deschampsia Dichelachne Digitaria Eremochloa Eriochloa Eustachys Gastridium Graphephorum Gymnopogon Lachnagrostis Leptochloa Muhlenbergia Pentameris Phippsia Piptatherum Poa Polypogon Puccinellia Reimarochloa Relchela Schismus Sporobolus Zingeria

Uses

Some species of bents are commonly used for lawn grass. This is a desirable grass for golf course tees, fairways and greens.

Bentgrass is used in turf applications for its numerous advantages: it can be mowed to a very short length without damage, it can handle a great amount of foot traffic, it has a shallow root system that is thick and dense allowing it to be seeded and grow rather easily, and it has a pleasing, deep green appearance. The name "bent" refers to the shallow roots, which bend just below the surface of the soil to propagate laterally.[citation needed]

Creeping Bent

(Agrostis stolonifera) is the most commonly used species of Agrostis. Historically, it was often called Orcheston long grass, after a village on Salisbury Plain, England. It is cultivated almost exclusively on golf courses, especially on putting greens. Creeping Bent aggressively produces horizontal stems, called stolons, that run along the soil's surface. These allow Creeping Bent to form dense stands under conducive conditions and outcompete bunch-type grass and broadleaf weeds. As such, if infested in a home lawn, it can become a troublesome weed problem. The leaves of the bentgrass are long and slender.[citation needed]

Creeping bentgrass has been genetically engineered to be glyphosate tolerant, as "one of the first wind-pollinated, perennial, and highly outcrossing transgenic crops". In 2003 the Scotts Company planted it as part of a large (about 160 ha) field trial in central Oregon near Madras, Oregon. In 2004, its pollen was found to have reached wild growing bentgrass populations up to 14 kilometres away. Cross-pollinating Agrostis gigantea was even found at a distance of 21 kilometres.[14] The grower could not remove all genetically engineered plants and in 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture fined the grower $500 thousand for non compliance with regulations in 2007.[15]

Common Bent

(Agrostis capillaris) was brought to America from Europe. This was the type of grass that was used on the lawns of most estates. It is the tallest of the bents with very fine texture and like most bent grasses grows very dense. Although this species has been used on golf courses and sporting fields it is better suited for lawns. Colonial Bent is fairly easy to grow from seeds and fertilization of the lawn is not as intense. This grass also takes longer to establish than Creeping Bent. However it does not require the intense maintenance.[citation needed]

Velvet Bent

(Agrostis canina) gets it name for the velvet appearance that this grass produces. It has the finest texture of all the bent grasses. This grass was used in Europe for estate lawns and golf courses because it could be cut so short. Velvet bent grass requires similar upkeep and maintenance to Creeping Bent. Velvet Bent has recently had a resurgence in the UK due to the high demands on greens from inclement weather and speed expectations. This species also has a lighter color than the two previous species.[citation needed]

Butterfly foodplant

Butterflies whose caterpillars feed on Agrostis include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ lectotype designated by Philipson, J. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 51 (1937)
  2. ↑ Tropicos, Agrostis L.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 61-63
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 340 剪股颖属 jian gu ying shu Agrostis Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 61. 1753.
  7. ↑ Flora of Pakistan
  8. ↑ Altervista Flora Italiana genere Agrostis includes photos and distribution maps of several species
  9. ↑ Ausgrass, Grasses of Australia
  10. ↑ Cabi, E. & M. Doğan. 2012. Poaceae. 690–756. In A. Güner, S. Aslan, T. Ekim, M. Vural & M. T. Babaç (eds.) Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi. Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını, Istanbul
  11. ↑ Rúgolo de Agrasar, Z. E. & A. M. Molina. 1997. Las especies del género Agrostis L. (Gramineae: Agrostideae) de Chile. Gayana, Botánnca 54(2): 91–156
  12. ↑ Soreng, R. J. & P. M. Peterson. 2003. Agrostis. 48: 42–89. In R. J. Soreng, P. M. Peterson, G. Davidse, E. J. Judziewicz, F. O. Zuloaga, T. S. Filgueiras & O. Morrone (eds.) Catalogue of New World Grasses (Poaceae): IV. Subfamily Pooideae, Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C
  13. ↑ Zon, A. P. M. v. 1992. Graminées du Cameroun. Wageningen Agricultural University Papers 92–1(2): 1–557.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Watrud, L.S., Lee, E.H., Fairbrother, A., Burdick, C., Reichman, J.R., Bollman, M., Storm, M., King, G.J., Van de Water, P.K. (2004) Evidence for landscapelevel, pollen-mediated gene flow from genetically modified creeping bentgrass with CP4 EPSPS as a marker. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101(4): 14533-14538. PMID 15448206
  15. ↑ USDA USDA CONCLUDES GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CREEPING BENTGRASS INVESTIGATION USDA Assesses The Scotts Company, LLC $500,000 Civil Penalty. 26 November 2007

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Agrostis&oldid=2321856"