FEATURES:
• The world’s first sheep fescue
variety with endophyte
• Excellent for low maintenance areas
• Can be used as an ornamental grass
• Outstanding heat and drought tolerance
• Deep rich color even under high stress
conditions
• Excellent shade tolerance
• Good rate of establishment
• Good resistance to chinch bug, white
grub, and billbug due to endophyte
• Very good resistance to dollar spot
and pythium blight due to endophyte
• Improved brown patch resistance and
overall turf quality
• Superb performance throughout North
America, wherever fine fescues are adapted
• Recommended for home lawns, parks,
and golf course roughs
PERFORMANCE
CHARACTERISTICS:
• MX-86 AE outperformed Bighorn and
MX-86 in overall turf quality (Idaho)
• MX-86 AE outperformed Bighorn and
MX-86 in early spring greenup (Idaho)
• MX-86 AE outperformed Bighorn and
MX-86 in overall turf quality (Maryland)
• Outperformed Quatro and Bighorn in
turf quality and overall color (Ohio)
• MX-86 AE had higher leaf texture ratings
than MX-86 (Maryland)
DISEASE TOLERANCE:
• Very good net blotch resistance as
recorded in our 1994 Maryland trial
• Good brown patch resistance
• Very good dollar spot resistance
• Good pythium blight resistance
DEVELOPMENT:
MX-86 has been a popular variety since the
mid-1980’s. Our goal was to improve
it without shifting its genetic makeup. In
spring, 1993, selections from an MX-86 seedstock
field were put into an isolation block. These
were later pollinated with 40 MX-86 plants
that had been inoculated with endophyte. Seed
was harvested only from the endophyte-enhanced
plants.
