The effect of nano magnesium (Mg) applications on drought tolerance of turf mixture

The consistent presence of water is an essential requirement for the long-term viability of turfgrass plants. In situations when water resources are restricted, it is unavoidable that the plants would experience stress. In this study; in a grass mixture [60% tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), 20% perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and 20% rhizomatous red fescue (Festuca rubra L. subsp. rubra)] used in turfgrass field facilities; different doses of nano-magnesium (Nano-Mg) applications (0, 100, 200, 300 ppm) on the drought tolerance of the grass mixture (K1-100% irrigation/PC/control, K2-75% irrigation/PC, K3-50% irrigation/PC, and K4-25% irrigation/PC). The research was carried out in greenhouse conditions, in plastic pots with a capacity of 11 liters, with three replications according to the randomized split-plot experimental design, with different drought doses constituting the main plots and different nano-magnesium (Nano-Mg) doses constituting the sub-plots. The research findings indicated that drought stress had negative effects on all of the investigated characteristics, with rates varying between 2% and 72%. Nevertheless, it has been created that the application of nano-magnessium (Nano-Mg) resulted in a range of improvements in various aspects of vegetation growth and quality. These improvements include an increase in vegetation height ranging from 15% to23%, an increase in plant green weight ranging from 31% 62%, an improvement in turf quality ranging from 8% to 25%, an enhancement in turf color ranging from 20% to 45%, an increase in plant-covered area ranging from 2% to 17%, an improvement in turf density ranging from 8% to 30%, and an increase in relative chlorophyll content index (RCCI) ranging from 24% to 36%. These improvements were observed when comparing the treated plants against the control plants under conditions of drought stress. Consequently, it was established that the application of nano-magnessium (Nano-Mg) exhibited varied degrees of tolerance to the detrimental impacts of drought stress. Particularly, the quantities of NMg3 and NMg4 yielded more favorable results in comparison to other treatments.