Bermudagrass and Buffalograss Drought Response and Recovery at Two Soil Depths

Abstract

ABSTRACTDrought responsive turfgrass cultivars are becoming increasingly important in water conservation. Eight cultivars of bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], one cultivar of buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.], and two root‐zone depths were evaluated for drought response and recovery during consecutive 60‐d drought and 60‐d recovery periods over 2 yr. Individual cultivar responses to drought and post‐drought recovery time were quantified through digital image analysis as the number of days to decrease to or increase to 50% green ground cover, respectively. No grass survived the 60‐d drought when planted on the restricted 10‐cm soil depth in 2006 or 2007, while all entries survived when planted on the unrestricted native soil depth. Both study years provided unique conditions for investigating drought response as the mean time to reach 50% green ground cover differed by 17 d between the 2 yr of study. Some cultivars lost 50% green ground cover in 20 d while other cultivars lasted the entire 60‐d drought period without losing 50% green ground cover. Post‐drought turfgrass recovery responses differed by as much as 45 d in achieving 50% green ground cover. Documenting individual cultivar responses to drought and recovery may provide perspective on individual grass cultivars that may initiate poor irrigation management behavior due to early leaf firing as well as refine consumer expectations following drought conditions.