Response of selected species and cultivars of forage grass to water shortage in the soil

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Date
2013
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Instytut Uprawy Nawożenia i Gleboznawstwa – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy w Puławach
Abstract
Description
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of long-term stress caused by shortage of water in the soil, on the sensitivity of four species of forage grasses: Dactylis glomerata – Amera and Minora cultivars, Festuca pratensis – Skra and Fantazja, Festulolium brauni – Felopa, Agula and Sulino, and Lolium multiflorum – Gisel and Lotos cultivars. The effect of different soil moisture on productivity, gas exchange parameters, leaf greenness (SPAD), morphological characteristics and quality of forage grasses was evaluated. Two-factor pot experiments were carried out in the years of 2009–2011, in the completely randomized system with four replications. Grasses were evaluated at two levels of soil moisture: 70% FWC (optimum moisture content) and 40% FWC (water stress). Response to drought stress was studied in the first, the second and third year of vegetation. The results showed that long-term water stress caused a significant reduction of yield of cocksfoot, meadow fescue, festulolium, and Italian ryegrass. The smallest reduction in dry matter yield, and hence the largest resistance to stress was found with cocksfoot, and a little lower with meadow fescue. Resistance of Italian ryegrass and festulolium to the shortage of water in the soil was significantly lower and similar. High sensitivity of festulolium hybrid to drought was found. There was a varying response of grass cultivars to the limited soil moisture. Based on DSI index, cultivars were ranked according to sensitivity to drought. Amera was the most resistant to stress, and the sensitivity of other cultivars increased in the following order: Minora, Fantazja, Skra, Sulino, Gisel, Felopa, Agula, Lotos. The ability of yielding of grasses in soil drought conditions was dependent on the year of vegetation and therefore the age of the plant. It has been shown that the young plants in the first year of vegetation were less reactive to stress than older plants, which resulted in a smaller reduction in dry matter yield under these conditions. Total regeneration of the plants occurred for all the objects after the period of reduced soil moisture to 40% ppw. Under conditions of drought stress, the intensity of photosynthesis and transpiration, in all the studied species and cultivars of grasses, was significantly lower, and the efficiency of water use was significantly greater than that achieved on the optimally moisturized objects. Gas exchange processes were the least limited at cocksfoot cultivars, and the most at festulolium. The most efficient water management was found at cocksfoot cv. Amera and Fantazja, while the most wasteful at festulolium cv. Agula and Italian ryegrass cv. Lotos. This confirms the greater resistance of cocksfoot and meadow fescue to drought, as compared to hybrid festulolium and Italian ryegrass. It was found that the critical periods for the grasses occur at the end of the vegetative stage and at the beginning of shooting stage. During this period, the grasses were the most vulnerable to water shortages in the soil, resulting in a lowering yield and rate of photosynthesis, and the largest reduction of transpiration and stomatal conductance. Also, water use efficiency (WUE) was the largest at that stage of development of grasses. The water content in the soil modified SPAD index in grasses. In the first year of vegetation, in soil drought conditions, relative chlorophyll content estimated by leaf greenness index SPAD for all the tested species and cultivars of grasses was significantly higher as compared to the objects with optimal soil moisture. The greatest SPAD values characterized by the meadow fescue cv. Fantazja and Skra, and the least – by Italian ryegrass cv. Lotos. In the second year, the increase in SPAD index under stress was found in cocksfoot and meadow fescue cultivars, and the reduction in Italian ryegrass and festulolium, which indicates a lower vitality of these species in unfavourable water shortage conditions in the soil. Prolonged drought stress inhibits plant growth, which was shown by significantly lower values of morphological characters. In the conditions of reduced soil moisture, grasses were characterized by a smaller shoot length, plant height, leaf blade length and width. Festulolium cultivars limited growth the most, and cocksfoot cultivars, the least. Soil drought affected the chemical composition of the studied species of grass; they contained more total protein, crude fat, ash, phosphorus, calcium and potassium in comparison to the control objects. The content of crude fiber content decreased, especially acid detergent fraction (ADF) and cellulose and water-soluble carbohydrates. The greatest differences in the chemical composition of the tested species was found for fiber and sugars. Cocksfoot cultivars contains the most crude fiber and its fractions and the least of soluble carbohydrates, and Italian ryegrass and festulolium cultivars showed the highest content of soluble carbohydrates and the lowest of structural ones. There were no differences between cultivars in the contents of basic nutrients and macroelements.
Celem podjętych badań było rozpoznanie wrażliwości na długotrwały stres wywołany niedoborem wody w glebie czterech gatunków traw pastewnych: Dactylis glomerata - odmiany Amera i Minora, Festuca pratensis - Skra o Fantazja, Festulolium braunii - odmiany Felopa, Agula i Sulino oraz Lolium Multiflorum - odmiany Gisel i Lotos. Oceniano wpływ zróżnicowanej wilgotności gleby na poziom plonowania, parametry wymiany gazowej, indeks zieloności liścia (SPAD), cechy budowy morfologicznej oraz skład chemiczny suchej masy traw. Doświadczenie wazonowe, dwuczynnikowe przeprowadzono w latach 2009-2011, w układzie kompletnie zrandomizowanym, w czterech powtórzeniach. Ttrawy oceniano przy dwóch poziomach wilgotoności gleby: 70% ppw (wilgotność optymalna) i 49% ppw (stres). Reakcję roślin na suszę badano w pierwszym, drugim i trzecim roku wegetacji. Stres wywołany niedoborem wody w glebie wpływał na skład chemiczny badanych gatunków traw; zawierały one więcej białka ogólnego, tłuszczu surowego, popiołu, fosforu, wapnia i potasu w porównaniu do zawartości tych składników u roślin z obiektów optymalnie uwilgotnionych. Zmniejszyła się natomiast zawartość włókna surowego, zwłaszcza kwaśnej frakcji detergentowej (ADF) i celulozy oraz węglowodanów rozpuszczalnych w wodzie. Największe różnice w składzie chemicznym badanych traw wykazano w przypadku włókna i cukrów. Odmiany kupkówki pospolitej zawierały najwięcej włókna i jego frakcji, a najmniej węglowodanów rozpuszczalnych, natomiast odmiany życicy wielokwiatowej i festulolium charakteryzowały się największą zawartością węglowodanów rozpuszczalnych, a najmniejszą strukturalnych. Nie stwierdzono różnic pomiędzy odmianami w zawartości poszczególnych składników pokarmowych i makroelementów.
Keywords
grass, species, cultivar, drought stress, yield, photosynthesis, transpiration, water use efficiency (WUE), leaf greenness index (SPAD), morphological characters, drought susceptibility index (DSI), chemical composition, trawa, gatunek, odmiana, stres suszy, plon, fotosynteza, transpiracja, współczynnik wykorzystania wody (WUE), indeks zieloności liścia (SPAD), cechy morfologiczne, wskaźnik wrażliwości na suszę (DSI), skład chemiczny
Citation
Monografie i Rozprawy Naukowe, 38, ss. 217