Mechanisms of wear tolerance in seashore paspalum and bermudagrass

Traffic causes shoot injury to turfgrass, with resulting inhibition of grow th and reduction of quality. Turfgrasses in high traffic venues are general ly selected for tolerance to traffic or for an ability to quickly outgrow t he injury. However, limited knowledge exists on the mechanisms that impart wear tolerance to turfgrass, particularly For warm-season grasses. This fie ld research was undertaken to assess overall wear tolerance within and betw een seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum Swartz.) ecotypes and bermudagras s hybrids (Cynodon dactylon L. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy) and to deter mine the mechanisms that contribute to wear tolerance for both species. The research was conducted in two consecutive field trials during 1997 on seve n seashore paspalum ecotypes and three hybrid bermudagrass cultivars establ ished on a native Appling (fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Kanhapludult) so il at the University of Georgia Experiment Station in Griffin, GA. Regressi on analysis determined that the most important potential mechanism related to enhanced wear tolerance of seashore paspalum was reduced leaf total cell well (TCW) content, which accounted for 51% of the variation. Other factor s that enhanced wear tolerance in this species were low leaf strength, low stem TCW, greater Leaf moisture, greater shoot density, and higher K shoot tissue concentration. In bermudagrass, high stem moisture (40.9% of variati on) and reduced stem cellulose content (31.5% of variation) were associated with better wear tolerance. Other factors that enhanced wear tolerance wer e greater stem and leaf moisture, shoot density, leaf lignin, stem and leaf lignocellulose, and concentration of K, Mn, and Mg. Knowledge of these cha racteristics will assist in developing screening protocols for selection of future wear tolerance cultivars within these species.