Whittet - Kikuyu - Turf Grass

Scientific name: Pennisetum Clandestinum.

Species common name: Kikuyugrass, Kikuyu.

Cultivar name: ´Whittet´.

Origin: Derived from seed brought to Grafton, NSW from Kitale, Kenya in 1960. Originally named Mk319 and later P.713 this line had a superior performance to 12 other Kenyan lines rated in 1961-62.

Selected by Graeme P. M. Wilson of the NSW Department of Agriculture, the cultivar was named after the agronomist J. N. Whittet, who first described Kikuyu flowering in Australia in 1934. Registered as an Australian Herbage Plant Cultivar (A-10c-1) in 1970.

Global growing areas: Native to Kenya. Seed only commercially produced in Australia. It is exported internationally to Europe, Southern Africa, Mexico, South America and China.

IP protection: None. However, commercial seed production is very specialised.

General Information: The seed variety Whittet is taller and more productive than the Common Kikuyu. It has broader and thicker stems and produces a more open sward (Sward: A measure of the thickness or leafiness of a grass crop). It has a better survival rate than the Common Kikuyu in low or declining soil fertility.

Sowing: The sowing rate of Whittet seed is 4kg/acre or 10kg/ha (1kg/1000m²) for irrigated pasture or the suburban back yard. Seed should be sown in spring to early summer, when temperature promotes rapid growth, but not too hot to fry emerging seedlings. Alternatively, in late summer to early autumn, when there is more reliable soil moisture. Seedlings are very sensitive to moisture stress, so we encourage you to Water Water Water!

Details

• Texture: Coarse.
• Description: ´Whittet´ is taller, and has broader leaves and rhizomes and longer internodes than Common Kikuyu. It is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous species, with stems 8-15 cm high (unmown). Leaf blades are 1-12 cm long and up to 6 mm wide; folded when young and flattened when mature. The leaf sheaths are yellow-green. Flowering is prolific and seed production is high when clipped.
• Use: Rough parkland, playing fields, racecourses, cemeteries, dam wall and gully stabilisation. Can lack sward density if not properly managed.
• Mowing height: Requires frequent mowing to maintain a tight sward. Scalps easily. Mow every 7-10 days in Summer and less frequently in winter as the growth rate slows. Mow at 30-40 mm. Lower cutting heights require more frequent maintenance. Mowing has the unwanted side effect of stimulating flowering expression in this variety.
• Method of propagation: Most commonly from seed, however vegetative propagation from sod, plugs and sprigs can be undertaken.
• Preferred soil types: Thrives on lower fertility soils than Common Kikuyu. Copes well with clay loam and coarser sandy loam soils.

Comments

Can be an invasive weed. Spreads vegetatively and by seeding into adjacent areas. Once established can be difficult to eradicate. During flowering, white filaments are left on the lawn surface (see Winter image).

Tolerances

• Heat: Poor tolerance of extreme heat.
• Cold: Growth declines below 7°C. Exposed foliage damaged by light frosts, but the plant will survive lower temperatures provided that the soil is moist and does not freeze. Good colour retention in Winter.
• Shade: Tolerates partial shade. Does not grow well in deep shade.
• Drought: Prefers areas with reliable root zone moisture. Relatively poor drought tolerance, mitigated by capacity to form a deep root system in suitable soils.
• Salinity: Experimental results indicate poor salinity tolerance.
• Wear: Recovers rapidly from wear. Very vigorous.
• Herbicide sensitivity: A broad range of registered chemicals is available for controlling weeds in Kikuyu. Where Kikuyu is present as a weed, it is suppressed by trifloxysulfuron sodium (Monument) and quinclorac (Drive) and readily killed with spot applications of glyphosate. Read the herbicide label or (within Australia) check InfoPest.
• Pests and diseases: Susceptible to Kikuyu yellows, producing symptoms of yellowing and patch dieback, caused by the fungus Verrucalvus flavofaciens. This can be a significant limitation. Note: ´Whittet´ is a parent of another seeded cultivar ´Noonan´ which is genetically similar, but which has resistance to Kikuyu yellows. Pests include: African black beetle and sod web worms, bill bug and two spotted mite.

Photos used on this page are not necessarily photos from DEEDI

For more information and updates on warm season turfgrasses, their production and management please go to http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/turf

For updates on Whittet - Kikuyu please go to http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/26_13328.htm