Screening of Turfgrasses for Drought Tolerance in a Competitive Soil Moisture Extraction System.

Drought is characterized by a steady decrease in plant available moisture in the soil and a decline plant health. Our objective was to evaluate high throughput screening methods in a competitive drought study to identify superior drought tolerance among genotypes of different grasses. Six genotypes each of the following genera; Stenotaphrum secundatum Walter Kuntze. (St. Augustinegrass), Poa L. (Bluegrass), and Zoysia Spp. (Zoysiagrass) were grown in a calcined clay medium and planted randomly among their own genus. Drought tolerance was assessed using digital image analysis, leaf electrolyte leakage, canopy temperature, and turf quality ratings. All plants exhibited symptoms of osmotic stress. This study demonstrated the strengths of different grass genotypes and the advantages of several phenotyping methods and parameters. The information gathered will be useful in the screening of future mapping/breeding populations.