Evaluation of Salinity Tolerance of Prairie Junegrass, a Potential Low-maintenance Turfgrass Species

Abstract

Prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) is a perennial, cool-season, native grass that has shown potential for use as a turfgrass species in the northern Great Plains; however, limited information is available on its salt tolerance. In this study, salinity tolerance of four junegrass populations from North America (Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Dakota) and two improved turf-type cultivars from Europe ('Barleria' and 'Barkoel') was evaluated and compared with kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), sheep fescue (Festuca ovina), hard fescue (F. brevipila), and tall fescue (F. arundinacea). Salinity tolerance was determined based on the predicted salinity level causing 50% reduction of final germination rate (PSLF) and daily germination rate (PSLD) as well as electrolyte leakage (EL), tissue dry weight (DW), and visual quality (VQ) of mature plants. All populations of prairie junegrass showed similar salt tolerance with an average of PSLF and PSLD being 7.1 and 5.3 gÁL -1 NaCl, respectively, comparable to kentucky bluegrass and hard and sheep fescue but lower than tall fescue and perennial ryegrass. Larger variations were observed in VQ in the junegrasses compared with EL and DW, in which 'Barleria' from the European population showed the highest VQ, following two salt-tolerant grasses, tall fescue and sheep fescue. Nebraska population was the least salt-tolerant within the species but still exhibited similar or higher tolerance than kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass cv. Arctic Green. Overall, junegrass was more salt-sensitive during germination but more tolerant to salinity when mature. Salinity tolerance of junegrass may be further improved through turfgrass breeding because salinity tolerance varied in different populations.

Salt Tolerance of 74 Turfgrass Cultivars in Nutrient Solution Culture

“…However, the results agree with those from Wang et al (2011), who previously found European cultivars 'Barkoel' and 'Barleria' to possess greater salt tolerance than several native North American populations of prairie junegrass, including that from Minnesota. Improved European cultivar 'Barkoel' retained a much higher percentage of green tissue than the Minnesota ecotype, although with just two entries in the trial it is not clear if the difference is an effect of breeding efforts or a difference in the habitat of origin.…”

“…Use of digital image analysis allowed for a more accurate measure of salinity tolerance during vegetative growth than visual rating methods used in previous studies (Marcum, 2001;Rose-Fricker and Wipff, 2001;Pessarakli and Kopec, 2008;Wang et al, 2011;Koch and Bonos, 2011b). Use of digital image analysis allowed for a more accurate measure of salinity tolerance during vegetative growth than visual rating methods used in previous studies (Marcum, 2001;Rose-Fricker and Wipff, 2001;Pessarakli and Kopec, 2008;Wang et al, 2011;Koch and Bonos, 2011b).…”

“…Although a multitude of screening methods have been used under greenhouse conditions to evaluate turfgrass salt tolerance (Greub et al, 1985;Marcum, 2001;Rose-Fricker and Wipff, 2001;Pessarakli and Kopec, 2008;Qian et al, 2007;Koch et al, 2011;Wang et al, 2011), few have included enough entries to allow for ranking of cultivars within several different species. Establishment of salt-tolerant turfgrass cultivars can help mitigate the effects of salts in irrigation water or the soil environment.…”

Turfgrasses Responded Differently to Salinity, Waterlogging, and Combined Saline–Waterlogging Conditions

“…The experiment was terminated 4 wk later (3 Aug. 2012) when treatment differences had been observed and plants showed severe visual damage under saline and saline-waterlogging conditions at 11.0 dS m -1 . Electrolyte leakage was measured following the method of Wang et al (2011). 1).…”

“…In contrast, Kentucky bluegrass had the highest quality (6.8) under waterlogging, followed by the control and WHS treatments. Shoot dry weight, absolute water content, and root dry weight of each grass under salinity, waterlogging, and saline-waterlogging conditions were expressed as a percentage of the control of the same grass species to minimize the difference attributed to variable growing habits among different species (Wang et al, 2011). Further separation was observed in tall fescue visual quality at 3 WAT, in which the highest and lowest quality was observed in those plants exposed to the W and WHS treatments respectively (Table 2).…”