Drought resistance of bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) ecotypes collected from different climatic zones

The objectives of this paper were to (1) evaluate drought resistance of a large number of bermudagrass ecotypes collected from different climatic zones of regional Australia and compare their performance to commercial cultivars, (2) describe the mechanisms of drought resistance observed, and (3) investigate the relationship between geographic origins of the ecotypes and their drought resistance. Fifty-two genotypes of bermudagrass were evaluated in two field experiments using lysimeters 40 cm deep. The grasses were grown in well-watered conditions and then a drought treatment was imposed by withholding water and excluding rainfall using a portable rain-out shelter. Two criteria were used to select for drought resistance, i.e. survival period (SP), defined as the number of days after water was withheld to the stage when 100% leaf firing had occurred and Days50 defined as the days required to reach 50% green cover. These experiments suggested that genotypes with superior drought resistance had lower stomatal conductance in the earlier phases of the dry-down period as suggested by less water use and higher canopy temperature depression. Lower water use during the early stage of dry-down resulted in more soil available water at the end of the drought period to extend green-leaf cover. There was no correlation between root dry matter and survival period/Days50. We also found some ecotypes performed better in drought conditions than popular commercial cultivars. There was no relationship between drought resistance and geographic origins, suggesting that drought resistant ecotypes could be obtained from any climatic zone sampled in this study.

► We determined the drought resistance of 48 bermudagrass ecotypes collected from different climatic zones of Australia.
► We hypothesised that the ecotypes with the best drought resistance would originate from dry environments.
► Dehydration avoidance was the main mechanism of drought resistance identified.
► We found no association between drought performance of ecotypes and their geographical location.