Cuticle Morphology and Composition of Transgenic Creeping Bentgrasses Associated Foliar N Application.

With water restrictions increasing and effluent water use growing there is a need for drought and salinity tolerant grasses.  Research is currently being conducted to produce these grasses through genetic modification.  Transgenic grasses have been developed at Clemson University that have shown significant salinity and drought tolerance.  These grasses are currently being studied to increase our understanding of how the modified grasses will act in their environment.  A transgenic (TG) plant was generated from creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) by over expressing the AVP1 gene for drought and salinity tolerance.  The experimental units were established in 85:15 (sand:peat, v:v) in a growth room in the greenhouse facilities at Clemson University. The TG plant and the wild type (WT) were placed under drought stress to study cuticular changes in the TG vs. WT plants.  The treatments include a control with 100% ET and a drought where 50% of ET was returned.  Parameters measured included: cuticle morphology, cuticle composition and relative water content.  Cuticle composition and quantification were studied by extracting the wax with hexane and using gas chromatography.  Cuticle morphology was studied with a Hitachi SU6600 FESEM at the Clemson EM Facility in Pendleton, SC.