Effect of drought stress on the germination and shoot development in some cool climate turfgrass

This study was carried out in order to determine the resistance of 10 varieties belonging to the species Lolium, Poa, Agrostis and Festuca, which have a cool climate turfgrass to drought stress during germination, in the laboratories of Sakarya University of Applied Sciences Pamukova Vocational School in September 2020. PEG-6000 (Polyethylene glycol) concentrations (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 bar) were used to create different levels of drought stress. The study was established in a "Randomized Plot Design" with 2 factors and 3 replications. In this study, by observing the germination and seedling development of the plants in the laboratory research; the characteristics of germination rate, stem length, root length, vigor index, stem/root ratio, stem wet weight, root wet weight, stem dry weight, root dry weight and drought tolerance index were investigated. According to the findings obtained in the study, it was observed that as the PEG concentrations increased, germination rates decreased at the 8 bar level and all varieties could't germinate at the -10 bar level. Among the varieties we examined, it was determined that Festuca species are more resistant to drought than other species and can withstand -8 bar severity partially unlike other species. Festuca arundinacea and Festuca arundinacea Rhizome varieties were found to be more drought tolerant than other varieties in terms of the characteristics examined among Festuca species.