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A Laboratory Method of Determining Cold Hardiness in Bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. 1
Author(s) -
Ahring R. M.,
Irving R. M.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1969.0011183x000900050031x
Subject(s) - hardiness (plants) , cynodon dactylon , rhizome , biology , cynodon , tetrazolium chloride , horticulture , botany , agronomy , cultivar , medicine , ischemia , cardiology
Differences in cold resistance among bermudagrass varieties can be detected by the triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) test. The TTC test has a limited potential as a tool in screening and predicting survival in areas where certain varieties are not recommended. The freezing technique which supplemented the TTC test showed that: 1) temperatures between –2.2 and –4.4 C caused significant injury to rhizomes of ‘Coastal;’ 2) –6.6 C caused significant injury to common, ‘Midland,’ and ‘Greenfield;’ 3) introductions A‐9957 (Yugoslavia) and A‐8153 (Afghanistan) were not injured at –6.6 C and occasionally will survive with some freeze injury at –9.4 C; 4) a 25% reduction in TTC absorbance following freeze treatment correlated closely with visual survival checks and served as a good index of viability; 5) cold hardiness may be induced in certain strains of bermudagrass in response to short‐day lengths and further conditioned by low temperatures under field conditions; and 6) rhizomes acclimated to fall and winter field conditions are more cold resistant than those grown under short day lengths and warm temperatures.