Under any given conditions of use, some grasses will hold up and others will quickly wear away. Some will accept heavy use and recuperate quickly and others will rebound much more slowly. Some can accept the compaction of heavy foot traffic and still look good and others discolor and slow their rate of growth markedly.
Disease and Insect Resistance
As turfgrasses have become more important to people, their growth in large monocultures (as on golf courses or sod farms) has increased the probability of infestation or infection by insects or pathogens. Breeding for resistance is an ongoing effort of horticulture scientists. Certain cul – tivars enjoy widespread use for a while until their resistance is overcome by a new mutant of an old pest.
In Table 13-1 on page 346, many of the most commonly used turf – grasses are compared.
