Registration of 'Mallard' Kentucky Bluegrass

Kentucky bluegrass is a pseudogomous facultative apomict, requiring viable pollen to stimulate seed set. Since Kentucky bluegrass is a facultative apomict, low levels of sexuality occur that allow for hybridization and genetic recombination. 'Mallard' (Reg. No. CV-100, PI 632598) Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) is a turf-type cultivar released by the Pennington Seed (Athens, GA) in 2002. Mallard was selected as an open-pollinated progeny of 'Unique' Kentucky bluegrass. Mallard is comparable with 'Midnight' (standard) in many turf characteristics, including turf quality and disease resistance. Mallard is significantly better in drought resistance compared with Unique (parent). The combination of these traits makes Mallard a unique, widely adapted, functional cultivar that should perform well in home lawns, golf courses, and municipalities in the Northeast, transition, North Central, and Upper West, and Mountain regions.