Differential Salt Tolerance of 75 Cool-Season Turfgrass Cultivars for Sustainable Roadsides.

Roadside vegetation is subject to significant salt damage each year as a result of runoff and deicing practices in Minnesota.  Establishment of salt tolerant turfgrass can play a part in maintaining high quality, sustainable roadsides.  As such, the objective of this research was to evaluate the differential salt tolerance of improved turfgrass cultivars that may be suitable for roadside establishment.  Three replications of 75 cool-season turfgrass cultivars were established in a randomized complete block design at four locations: Roselawn Cemetery (St. Paul, MN), I-35W at 50^th St. (Minneapolis, MN), MnROAD research facility (Albertville, MN), and the University of Minnesota campus (St. Paul, MN).  Plots were established during August and September of 2010.  Visual establishment ratings were recorded throughout the fall, and subsequently, survival was evaluated visually in spring 2011.  Numerous cultivars of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) established best at all locations in the fall; however, winter survival varied by location.  Salt loading at the I-35W and University of Minnesota locations were severe and mild enough, respectively, that no differences were observable between cultivars at those locations.  Cultivars of alkaligrass (Puccinellia spp.), including ‘Fults’, ‘Salty’, ‘Oceania’, and ‘Salton Sea’, performed best at MnROAD.  ‘Shoreline’ slender creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L. ssp. litoralis), ‘Navigator’ strong creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra L. ssp. rubra), and an advanced population of sheep fescue (Festuca ovina L.) from the University of Minnesota turfgrass breeding program were among the most salt tolerant at Roselawn Cemetery.  Site-dependent performance and effective salt tolerance of numerous cultivars indicate that a carefully chosen mix of species will be best suited for establishment and maintenance of high quality roadside turfgrass.