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Pak. J. Bot., 42(5): 3441-3448, 2010.

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MORPHOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL RESPONSES OF TURF GRASSES TO WATER DEFICIT CONDITIONS

ATIF RIAZ¹*, ADNAN YOUNIS, MANSOOR HAMEED¹ AND SIDRA KIRAN

Abstract: Turf grasses are the most important cover plants in the world. Knowledge of relative drought resistance among the turf species/cultivars is important for selecting turf grasses that persist during drought stress. A pot experiment was conducted to assess the morphological and biochemical responses of Bermuda grass cultivars (Khabbal, Dacca and Fine Dacca) to water deficit conditions. Four drought levels at 100% (control), 75%, 65% and 55% field capacity were maintained throughout the experiment. Morphological characters including fresh and dry weights (g) of roots and shoots, root and shoot length (cm), root/shoot ratio for fresh and dry weight, leaf thickness (mm), leaf width (cm), leaf area (cm²), percentage of leaf firing, turf quality and shoot recovery percentage, as well as chlorophyll contents were measured. Over all turf quality of all cultivars decreased with the progression of drought stress but “Khabbal” performed best as compared to other two grass cultivars for all attributes studied.

¹Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

²Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan