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Title: SALT TOLERANCE ASSESSMENT OF KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS CULTIVARS SELECTED FOR DROUGHT TOLERANCE

Author
item Grieve, Catherine
item BONOS, STACY - RUTGERS U, BRUNSWICK,NJ
item Poss, James

Submitted to: American Society of Horticulture Science Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/10/2006
Publication Date: 7/10/2006
Citation: Grieve, C.M., Bonos, S.A., Poss, J.A. 2006. Salt tolerance assessment of kentucky bluegrass cultivars selected for drought tolerance [abstract}. American Society of Horticulture Science, 41(4):1057.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Six selections of Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) cultivars, selected based on their drought tolerance under field and growth chamber conditions in New Brunswick, NJ., were evaluated for salt tolerance based on yield and growth rates at eight soil water salinities [2 (control), 6,8,10,12,14,18, and 22 dS/m] from Apr. to Sept. 2005 in Riverside, Calif. Cultivars Baron and Brilliant were selected as drought sensitive and ‘Cabernet’, ‘Eagleton’, and ‘Midnight’ were selected as drought tolerant. A Texas x Kentucky bluegrass (Poa arachnifera x Poa pratensis) hybrid selected (Identified as A01-856) developed for improved drought and heat tolerance was also included. Vegetative clones were established in a randomized complete-block design with three replications, each containing 11 clones. Cumulative biomass and clone diameters were measured over time to evaluate relative yields and growth rates for the six cultivar selections. Based upon maximum absolute biomass production as a function of increasing EC, the order of production was ‘Baron’ > ‘Brilliant’ > ‘Eagleton’ > ‘Cabernet’ >/- ‘Midnight’ > A01-856. Yield relative to the non-saline control (2 dS/m) for each cultivar was similar, except that the differences between cultivars were less pronounced, and ‘Baron’ slightly outperformed ‘Brilliant’. Clone area expansion rates were analyzed with a phasic growth model and beta, the intrinsic growth rate of the exponential phase parameter, significantly varied with salinity. Ranking of cultivars, based on expansion rates, was similar to that based on cumulative biomass. Salinity tolerance in this experiment did not appear to be related to the observed ranking for drought tolerance.