Drought and Shade Tolerant Turfgrass Varieties
For the Southern United States
Research Highlight: (Dick Auld)
Since 1992, Texas Tech University has developed a small, but commercially competitive program to develop new varieties of turgrass that compete in highly, lucrative niche markets for turfgrass across the Southern half of the United States. This program has targeted one grass species native to North America (Buffalograss) as well as a second grass species introduced from Asia (Zoysiagrass). Our program partnered during the initial research and development phase with two regional businesses with proven expertise in production and marketing but lacking in the genetic and molecular biology research capacity provided by the University. By partnering with smaller, regional business we are developing a model that demonstrates how academic research can have a significant economic impact on the community which directly supports the University. This collaborative research effort has developed a new generation of drought and shade tolerant turfgrass varieties that fill a unique niche market across the Southern United States. We are currently in critical need of funding to support development of the plant phenotypic and DNA fingerprinting data necessary to support the filing of two plant patents (‘Tech Turf II’ – Buffalograss and ‘Shadowturf’ Zoysiagrass).
In 2004, we submitted Plant Variety Protection for the ‘Tech Turf I’ variety of buffalograss and in 2006 completed contract negotiations with Frontier Hybrids, Inc. and it’s subsidiary (Turfallo, Inc.) to market this variety of Buffalograss as plugs. Frontier Hybrids, Inc. is a small family owned seed business in Abernathy, TX that has cooperated with TTU in Buffalograss improvement since 1992. They have developed a proprietary process to reduce the seed dormancy that has limited commercialization of diploid cultivars of BuffalogPHP has encountered an Access Violation at 01D373CDrass as well as providing proprietary germplasm to the research program. In 2005, initial test marketing concentrated on the Texas High Plains and in 2006, marketing was expanded across the Southwestern U.S. Also in 2006, we enter a collaborative program with Ivey Gardens Greenhouses to help develop the ‘Shadowturf’ variety of Zoysiagrass. In 2007, sales of ‘Tech Turf I’ and ‘Shadowturf’ are expected to have a national impact with production of over 1.5 million plugs that will generate in excess of $400,000 in gross sales. Our business projection calls for us to continue our growth over the next five years eventually generating $11.2 million of sales and twenty additional jobs for the Lubbock area. If successful, this enterprise will produce in excess of half a million dollars of annual royalty income for Texas Tech University.
Texas Tech University,
Department of Plant and Soil,
Campus Box 42122, Lubbock, TX 79409 
806. 742-2837 