Stillwater, Oklahoma--(Newsfile Corp. - April 2, 2026) - A name rooted in strength, endurance and the land now represents one of Oklahoma State University's most ambitious bermudagrass varieties to date.

Endarra 81, heading into commercial production, combines exceptional drought resistance with deep, resilient roots, positioning OSU's Turfgrass Improvement Team to introduce a variety crafted for homeowners.

"Endarra 81 represents exactly the kind of forward-thinking innovation that defines OSU Ag Research. Our turfgrass team continues to push the boundaries of what's possible, not only strengthening the economic vitality of Oklahoma's green industries but also addressing one of the most urgent challenges facing communities across the country — water conservation," said Dr. Scott Senseman, associate vice president of OSU Ag Research.

Indarra is a Basque word meaning strength, and specific regions in Spain and France use the name Endara, meaning endurance. The Spanish word tierra means terrain, and the 81 represents the last two digits in the experimental ID, OSU2081, the name OSU's turfgrass team knew and used for years.

Those three words perfectly encapsulate this project. The new variety is built on strong drought resistance and water conservation, and the endurance of OSU's turfgrass team over 11 years of research brought the variety to life.

"Patience is important for many things, especially for plant breeding," said Dr. Yanqi Wu, a Regents professor in plant breeding and genetics in the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. "We developed the parents, then we made crosses, did initial screenings, worked in the greenhouses and then went out into the field for evaluations. It all took time."

That time paid off. OSU's premier bermudagrass is ideal for residential lawns. As the grass moves into commercialization, Endarra 81 is pushing OSU's turfgrass team into a new era.

"Endarra 81 shows how strategic, science-driven plant breeding can deliver real solutions for homeowners, industry partners and states where every gallon of water matters. This is the kind of impact we strive for: research that improves lives and safeguards natural resources for the future," Senseman said.

'Exactly what society needs'

Drought resistance is the crowning achievement of Endarra 81.

"Endarra 81 is the most drought-resistant grass available in the market," said Dr. Mingying Xiang, an assistant professor and OSU Extension turf specialist in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

That exceptional drought resistance starts in the roots. Endarra 81 has a dense root network full of thicker and finer roots. The fatter roots burrow deep into the soil, while the finer roots capture water within soil particles. It's an essential combination that was purposefully developed for this variety.

"These roots can go deep into the soil, tap into more water, allowing us to conserve irrigation water," Wu said.

Wu estimates that if half of Oklahoma's 500,000 acres of residential lawns switched to Endarra 81 grass, it could save enough water to fill the 3,350-acre Lake Carl Blackwell six times. That's more than 100 billion gallons of water saved annually.

"This grass is extremely drought-resistant," Wu said. "This is exactly what society needs."

Endarra 81's good traits don't stop there.

Beyond drought resistance, Endarra 81 has a darker color than most bermudagrasses, sustaining its color later in the season than most other varieties. It also springs up earlier in the year, maintaining good quality for most of the calendar year.

Endarra 81 has shown strong resistance to leaf spot, a notorious disease of bermudagrasses that causes brown, black or tan lesions on the blades of grass. Endarra 81 also produces very few seedheads — better than some industry standard varieties.

"We're not focused on only one trait," Xiang said. "Normally, we will balance multiple traits to make it a good grass."

Inside the development

Funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Special Crop Research Initiative; the U.S. Golf Association; the Meibergen Family Professorship; and OSU Ag Research contributed to the development of Endarra 81.

The goal was to develop two traits in bermudagrass since 2010: drought resistance and salinity tolerance.

Wu began crossing different bermudagrass parents in 2015, and by 2018, the team had established field crosses from which Endarra 81 was created. Then came the harvesting and extensive testing.

"This one performed superbly in drought, so that really launched it," said Dr. Charles Fontanier, an associate professor and researcher in OSU's Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

At this point, the team began to understand where the variety might fit into the marketplace. Endarra 81 would be ideal for home lawns because of its exceptional drought resistance, optimal density and low maintenance.

It could also work on non-irrigated roughs of a golf course, an area all too familiar to OSU's turfgrass program. Over the past two decades, OSU has released Latitude 36, NorthBridge and Tahoma 31, all turfgrass varieties that have had massive success in sports complexes and golf courses across the country. The variety is also featured at the U.S. Capitol.

Unlike turfgrass varieties that require heavy maintenance, Endarra 81 didn't need much watering to maintain its lush, green color. Several years into its development, Wu sent samples to scientists at fellow land-grant universities, including the University of California, Texas A&M University, the University of Georgia, the University of Florida and North Carolina State University, for regional testing to see how the variety performed in different climates.

"It's got to be adaptable. You can't rush that," Fontanier said. "You need to test it in different climates. You must get it out there, and that takes time. You want to feel confident that you can stand behind the product, and that's what the 10 or 11 years is all about."

The feedback was exactly what they were hoping for: The drought resistance was excellent.

"It has to be a good grass to start, and then, does it do something exceptionally well that makes it worth releasing?" Fontanier said.

After more than a decade of work, Endarra 81 made its way to sod farms. Sod Production Services is the licensing agent of Endarra 81. It is currently grown at sod farms in Oklahoma, California, Texas, Georgia and Virginia, and is expected to be more widely available to homeowners in 2027.

Because it cannot make viable seed, the grass is established vegetatively using sod. No seeds can be purchased. Consumers wanting Endarra 81 will need to buy it from a sod farm.

Looking forward

Endarra 81 marks a milestone in OSU's bermudagrass development.

More than four decades ago, the program primarily focused on cold tolerance and developing high-quality grasses that would survive Oklahoma winters. As the program evolved, OSU began looking to identify other needs outside the state. How could the program assist states like Florida, Texas and California — major bermudagrass markets with little need for cold-tolerant grasses?

"This is something that really has the potential to help make an impact in an area we haven't made an impact before," Fontanier said. "Those states all have huge water conservation needs."

While Endarra 81 has entered OSU in a market it hasn't been in before, work with the variety isn't done yet. OSU's Agronomy Research Station will play a vital role in that work, especially once its facilities have been upgraded.

OSU Agriculture is embarking on a plan to create the Agronomy Discovery Center with new facilities that will further advance breeding and genetics research and provide the infrastructure needed to compete in the modern era. Plans for the Agronomy Discovery Center include construction of a new headhouse, research greenhouses and a dynamic and multipurpose Research and Education Center.

OSU's biggest impact on drought-tolerant grass could still be coming.

"Like any kind of developer concept, you make a product, and you'll find out the consumer uses it in a completely unexpected way. Then you see what you really have," Fontanier said. "We will continue working with that grass to figure out how we can break it."

"The data collected will continue to impact OSU's turfgrass program," Xiang added.

OSU Ag Research is Oklahoma's premier research and technology development agency in agriculture, natural resources and the life sciences.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Special Crop Research Initiative, award number 2019-1455-05 / 2019-51181-30472 for $7,710,136. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

PHOTO: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCPFPb
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9QDD-srB3Q

Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU has more than 36,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 27,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and more than 127 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 300,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.

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Source: Oklahoma State University