Abstract
Growth and performance of 2 Zoysiagrass cultivars ('Miyako', 'Nagissa'), 2 Bermudagrass hybrid cultivars ('Tifway', 'Tifgreen') and 1 St. Augustinegrass cultivar ('Floratam') were evaluated with two salinity levels (4.6 and 10.27dSm-1) of irrigation water in greenhouse and field conditions of Saudi Arabia. The goal of the study was to select the most suitable cultivars for each condition. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replicates. In order to evaluate the effect of salinity and different type of environmental conditions on turfgrass growth parameters such as coverage, color and quality of the turf, fresh and dry biomass were determined at monthly intervals. In addition, variations of the chlorophyll contentbetween cultivars at different salinity levels were also studied. Turfgrass cultivars exhibited different growth behavior in response to the various treatments. Bermudagrass cultivars, especially 'Tifway', appeared to tolerate saline irrigation water and the increased salt concentration in the soil. 'Tifway' produced a significantly higher amount of biomass with high salinity irrigation under greenhouse conditions. Leaflength of 'Miyako' and 'Nagissa' was not affected by the salinity irrigation but therewas a significant difference concerning the influence of shading. The St. Augustinegrass cultivar 'Floratam' produced a significantly lower amount of chlorophyll with high salinity irrigation under shading but it produced a considerable amount of chlorophyll when the salinity level was lowered under the greenhouseconditions. Bermudagrass demonstrated the best color throughout the year, whileZoysiagrass and St. Augustinegrass developed yellowish colors under shade.
Highlights
Maintaining good quality turf in an arid region is a difficult task and people are searching for turfgrass species or cultivars that will perform well in harsh desert environmental conditions
The performance of 'Tifway' under high salinity (EC=10.27 dSm-1) and low temperature (27oC/15oC) conditions was improved when compared with low salinity (EC=4.6 dSm-1) water treatments
Francois (1988) studied the effect of salinity on Bermudagrass cultivars and reported that relative top growth of 'Tifton-10', 'Tifway II' and 'Tifton-86 was unaffected by soil salinity until the EC exceeded 2.7, 8.4, and 10.3 dSm-1 respectively
Summary
Maintaining good quality turf in an arid region is a difficult task and people are searching for turfgrass species or cultivars that will perform well in harsh desert environmental conditions. A dense turf could contribute to environmental improvement through the reduction of solar radiation intensity associated with the sunny climate of deserts. Availability of good quality irrigation water is always a constraint in the arid regions and the water desalination is an expensive alternative. Due to the increased pumping of saline water from the deep wells the level of total salinity in the soils has increased. The detrimental effects of salinity on turfgrass growth include osmotic stress, ion toxicity and nutritional disturbances (Cheesman, 1988). Salt tolerant plants have the ability to minimize these detrimental effects by producing series of anatomical, morphological and physiological adaptations (Poljakoff- Mayber, 1975)
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