Comparative Evaluation of Common Savannahgrass on a Range of Soils Subjected to Different Stresses I: Productivity and Quality

Turfgrass growth, performance and quality are affected by abiotic stress factors and are of primary concern for persons managing turfgrass areas under seasonal tropical climates. Under these conditions, common Savannahgrass (SG) may have a performance advantage over imported hybrid turfgrasses. A greenhouse study was conducted to comparatively evaluate the performance of tropical turfgrasses exposed to water and compaction related stresses across a range of soils, with or without the addition of a surface sand layer. Turfgrass productivity and quality was monitored over a four-month growth period. Clipping yield (CY) was lower at the higher compaction effort for all turfgrasses, but across all stresses, drought (D) and waterlogging (WL) resulted in lower CY. Values were significantly lower under D. SG had the highest clipping yield across all soils. The chlorophyll index (CI) was lower for all turfgrasses under water-induced stress compared to compaction stresses. SG had a significantly higher CI across all stress treatments. Correlation analysis showed a positive (r2 = 0.420) and significant (p < 0.05) relationship between CY and CI. Similar to CI, stress type influenced turfgrass visual quality (VQ), with D stress, resulting in the lowest VQ rating among turfgrasses. Bermudagrass (BG) had the lowest VQ across all stress treatments, whilst, comparatively, Zoysiagrass (ZG) had significantly higher VQ under high compaction (HC), low compaction (LC) and WL stress. Overall, SG showed a higher level of tolerance to applied stresses and warrants greater attention as a potential turfgrass under tropical conditions. OPEN ACCESS Agronomy 2014, 4 203