Premium
Effects of Sequential Application of Plant Growth Regulators and Osmoregulants on Drought Tolerance of Creeping Bentgrass ( Agrostis stolonifera )
Author(s) -
Burgess Patrick,
Huang Bingru
Publication year - 2014
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/cropsci2013.03.0200
Subject(s) - agrostis stolonifera , betaine , drought tolerance , biology , agronomy , agrostis , cultivar , glycine , loam , drought stress , horticulture , soil water , poaceae , ecology , biochemistry , amino acid
Plant growth regulators and osmoregulants may be involved in protection against drought stress, but their additive effects are not well documented in turfgrass. The objective of this study was to determine physiological effects of trinexapac‐ethyl (TE) and glycine betaine on drought tolerance in creeping bentgrass ( Agrostis stolonifera L.) under field conditions. The experiment was conducted in 2010 and 2011 on mature field plots of creeping bentgrass cultivar 007 planted on a Nixon sandy loam soil. The application of TE before drought in conjunction with glycine betaine at drought onset and during water withholding significantly improved turf performance evaluated as turf quality (TQ) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Enhanced turf performance was associated with greater osmotic adjustment promoting water retention in leaves and improved cellular membrane stability, indicating less membrane damage during drought stress. Furthermore, the combined TE plus glycine betaine treatment was more effective in maintaining high TQ during soil‐water deficit than when either TE or glycine betaine was applied alone. The results suggested that the sequential application of TE before drought onset and glycine betaine during water withholding effectively promoted creeping bentgrass tolerance to prolonged periods of drought stress. Cultural methods to maintain acceptable TQ with limited water resources are of major concern in the turfgrass industry, and this study provided promising results as to the effects of TE and glycine betaine for promoting creeping bentgrass drought tolerance.