Preliminary Findings on the Correlation between Water-soluble Carbohydrate Content in Stolons and First Year Green-up of Seeded Bermudagrass Cultivars

Abstract

<jats:p>Warm-season grasses are not widely accepted in Mediterranean countries because they lose color during the winter months. A study was conducted at the University of Padova (Padova, Italy) to determine whether fall and spring water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content in stolons of seeded bermudagrass cultivars (<jats:italic>Cynodon dactylon</jats:italic>) influenced spring green-up in the first year of establishment. Nine bermudagrass cultivars (La Paloma, Mohawk, NuMex Sahara, Princess 77, Riviera, SR 9554, Barbados, Contessa, and Yukon) were seeded in July 2005, and dry weight and WSC content in stolons were measured in Fall 2005 and again in Spring 2006. The percentage of green cover and days needed to achieve 80% green cover (D80) were regressed against November and March values of stolon dry weight and WSC content to determine if they were good predictors of D80. ‘Yukon’ showed earliest spring green-up by end of April, and ‘Princess 77’ and ‘Riviera’ were slowest, needing 43 to 46 days more than ‘Yukon’ to reach D80. There was a significant inverse relationship between November (r<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> = 0.57) and March (r<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> = 0.77) WSC content in stolons and D80 for all nine bermudagrass cultivars. These results suggest that bermudagrass cultivars with high WSC in stolons recover more rapidly from dormancy during establishment than those with low WSC content.</jats:p>

Nitrogen fertilization of warm‐season turfgrasses irrigated from varying irrigation systems: 2. Carbohydrate and protein content

“…These results differ from those of Macolino et al. () and Rimi et al. () who reported that a high water‐soluble carbohydrate content is needed in bermudagrasses for a faster green‐up.…”

“…Our results indicate that “Princess 77” exhibited a higher carbohydrate content than “Sea Spray” even at the same fertility rate and also greened‐up faster than “Sea Spray” (unpublished data). Our findings do not appear to support the theory of the importance of higher carbohydrate content for faster green‐up reported by others (Macolino et al., ; Rimi et al., ), but they indicate that species and management practices are important factors influencing green‐up. Based on our results, we found no evidence to support our original assumption that carbohydrate content and subsequent green‐up could be influenced solely through fertilization practices.…”

Relations between low temperature tolerance and color changes in fall and spring seasons of zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica Steud.)

“…The green‐up pattern of bermudagrass reported by Macolino et al . () and Rimi et al . () are similar to the green‐up pattern in ‬our study: the rate of change in green color was greatest when the green‐color percentage was between 20 and 80%.…”

“…Macolino et al . () found that bermudagrass cultivars, which green up quickly had higher water soluble carbohydrate content. More soluble sugars in stolon and rhizomes ensured earlier green up.…”

Nitrogen fertilization of warm‐season turfgrasses irrigated with saline water from varying irrigation systems. 1. Quality, spring green‐up and fall colour retention

“…Species and variety selection can help shorten the dormancy period and increase market acceptance of warm‐season grasses in transitional climate zones with long winter periods. For example, seashore paspalum has been shown to provide green colour longer in the fall than bermudagrass (Rimi, Macolino, Richardson, Karcher, & Leinauer, ) and Macolino, Serena, Leinauer, and Ziliotto () reported that the green‐up of the bermudagrass cultivar “Yukon” was faster in the spring than “Princess 77.” Both studies were conducted in northern Italy, in a Mediterranean climate. Furthermore, certain aspects of turfgrass maintenance such as fertilization, mowing and type of irrigation can also affect quality, colour and dormancy and should be considered when turfgrasses are evaluated for length of dormancy.…”