Abstract
Perennial ryegrass is generally known as exhibiting poor drought tolerance with poor recuperative capacity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of acute drought followed by a recovery period, on 11 perennial ryegrass varieties (Apple SGL, Azimuth, Barrage, Caddieshack, Double, Double Time, Ecologic, New Orleans, Pizzaz 2, Rainwater, Turfgold) and one tall fescue (Olympic Gold). The study was conducted in a rain-out structure to control water inputs. Green cover percentage, visual quality, color, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and soil moisture were measured weekly. Eighty percent coverage was considered optimal and was reached only during the first two weeks of the drought period. Starting from the fourth week, a significant decrease in green cover was observed for most of the perennial ryegrass cultivars. However, 5 cultivars displayed a visual quality rate greater than 6, which is considered acceptable during this period, while color ratings were recorded greater than 6 for 7 cultivars. At the end of the drought phase, the cultivar ’New Orleans’ exhibited significantly greater green cover compared to most other perennial ryegrasses. The recovery of the grasses was slow and at the end of the experiment the variability in green cover between cultivars was greater than during the first week.
Highlights
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is known for its pleasant color, attractiveness, persistency, and wear tolerance, making it one of the most used turfgrass species [1]
One of the major drawbacks of perennial ryegrass is its poor drought and heat tolerance [2] compared to other cool-season grasses such as tall fescue
The analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction between sampling date and cultivar for green turf cover, while the main effects of sampling date and cultivar were significant for normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), visual quality and color (Table 2)
Summary
Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is known for its pleasant color, attractiveness, persistency, and wear tolerance, making it one of the most used turfgrass species [1]. It is recognized as one of the fastest establishing cool-season turfgrass, which explains its popularity for use on golf courses, sport fields, parks, and home lawns. One of the major drawbacks of perennial ryegrass is its poor drought and heat tolerance [2] compared to other cool-season grasses such as tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.]. In a Mediterranean environment, precipitation amounts often fall short of evapotranspiration requirements for perennial ryegrass, resulting in periods of drought conditions. The most critical period is summer, when temperatures are high, the evapotranspiration requirement is greatest, and precipitation is scarce
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