Registration of 'Hammock' Centipedegrass

'Hammock' (Reg. No. CV-264, PI 652949) centipedegrass [Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack] was developed at the Everglades Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Belle Glade, FL and initially approved for release in 2006. A plant patent was filed in 2008, and U. S. Patent PP20,812 was issued in 2010. Hammock was tested in Florida under the experimental designation of BA-417 and also patented under this name. The purpose of this breeding program was to identify, select, and develop a centipedegrass that would be acceptable as a regional cultivar in the subtropical and tropical climates of Florida. This cultivar originated as an open-pollinated progeny selected and identified as a unique and distinctly different vegetative phenotype growing in a planting of an unimproved population of centipedegrasses typically known throughout the southern U.S. turf industry as common centipedegrass. Hammock was selected for a more compact leaf structure with consistent canopy structure, uniformity, and quality and for its faster rate of crop establishment and ground coverage. Hammock produced leaves that were 13.9% shorter than Centennial and 22.2% shorter than the common centipedegrass standards. It also received significantly higher summer-quality ratings, presented acceptable color ratings, and generally produced narrower leaves than the standard cultivars. Hammock established full ground coverage and closed canopy 1 mo earlier than the standard cultivars, but this was site dependent, and differences in seasonal patterns were evident.