St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze] is a warm-season turfgrass primarily used for home lawns and commercial landscapes in the southern United States. New cultivars that possess desirable turfgrass quality (TQ) in combination with improved tolerance to diseases, drought and cold are needed to increase the sustainability of St. Augustinegrass production and maintenance in transitional zones. This study's objectives were to evaluate breeding lines in multienvironment trials across North Carolina to (a) assess relationships among economically important traits, and (b) select genotypes with stable performance across environments. Sixty-one St. Augustinegrass genotypes and five commercial checks were established in replicated field trials at three locations across North Carolina. Entries were evaluated for rate of establishment, TQ, turfgrass stand density, genetic color, leaf texture, uniformity, winter survival, fall color, drought tolerance, and gray leaf spot resistance from 2017 to 2020. Best linear unbiased predictions were used to calculate a selection index to identify elite genotypes across traits. The 10 traits were clustered into three groups: winter survival and fall color; genetic color, leaf texture, and gray leaf spot resistance; and establishment rate, TQ, density, uniformity, and drought tolerance. Selection of the top 10 genotypes using the selection index resulted in positive estimated genetic gains for all 10 traits, indicating it is an effective method for simultaneous selection. Line XSA 14271 outperformed ‘Palmetto’, ‘Raleigh’, ‘Captiva’, and ‘Seville’, for several traits and was the top-ranked line. It will be advanced to on-farm trials to evaluate sod production traits to assess its potential for commercial release.

中文翻译：

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在北卡罗来纳州的草坪草质量性状和胁迫耐受性的多环境试验中使用基础指数选择圣奥古斯丁草育种系

圣奥古斯丁草 [ Stenotaphrum secundatum(Walt.) Kuntze] 是一种暖季型草坪草，主要用于美国南部的家庭草坪和商业景观。需要具有理想的草坪草质量 (TQ) 并提高对疾病、干旱和寒冷的耐受性的新品种，以提高过渡区圣奥古斯丁草生产和维护的可持续性。本研究的目的是评估北卡罗来纳州多环境试验中的育种系，以 (a) 评估经济重要性状之间的关系，以及 (b) 选择在环境中具有稳定表现的基因型。在北卡罗来纳州三个地点的重复田间试验中建立了 61 个 St. Augustinegrass 基因型和 5 个商业检查。参赛作品的建立率、TQ、草坪草林分密度、2017 年至 2020 年的遗传颜色、叶片纹理、均匀性、冬季存活率、秋季颜色、耐旱性和灰叶斑病抗性。最佳线性无偏预测用于计算选择指数，以识别跨性状的优良基因型。10 个性状分为三组：冬季生存和秋季颜色；遗传颜色、叶片质地和灰叶斑病抗性；和建立率、TQ、密度、均匀度和耐旱性。使用选择指数选择前 10 个基因型导致所有 10 个性状的估计遗传增益为正，表明它是同时选择的有效方法。XSA 14271 线在几个特征上的表现优于“Palmetto”、“Raleigh”、“Captiva”和“Seville”，是排名第一的线。