DROUGHT STRESS EFFECTS ON RELATIVE GROWTH RATE AND BIOMASS ALLOCATION OF THREE KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS (POA PRATENSIS L.) CULTIVARS

The objective of the study was to compare the drought resistant abilities of three cultivars using growth and biomass parameters.
A native (‘Blacktiger’) and two foreign (‘Kenblue’ and ‘Midnight’) Kentucky bluegrass cultivars were selected as plant materials.
Individual tillers from a current year sod harvest were planted and cultivated in greenhouse PVC pots.
All cultivars were subjected to 15 d of drought stress.
The results showed that ‘Midnight’ was a relatively drought tolerant cultivar with good drought resistance characteristics; these characteristics included a maxi-mum root/shoot ratio and a lower shoot growth rate compared to the other cultivars. ‘Blacktiger’ had a good potential as drought tolerant variety due to its deep root bio-mass distribution and lower biomass loss under drought stress.
After the implication of the drought treatment the changes of ‘Blacktiger’s’ relative growth rate, biomass and root distribution in the soil were similar to those of ‘Kenblue’. Further evaluation is needed to determine whether ‘Blacktiger’ belongs to the ‘high-water-use’ genotypes.

XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Environmental, Edaphic, and Genetic Factors Affecting Plants, Seeds and Turfgrass

Y.J. Chen, L. Zhang, Y.B. He, Y. Gao, C. Wang

drought-resistant, root/shoot ratio, native cultivar, cool-season turfgrass

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.938.17