| Recently, turfgrass breeders have begun to investigate tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv.) as a low-maintenance turfgrass for use in areas with reduced fertility and/or reduced sunlight. In New Jersey, selected lines of this species perform very well as a turfgrass until the onset of summer stress.; In September 2000, a tufted hairgrass trial was established to evaluate germplasm lines originating from various parts of Europe. Several lines showed acceptable resistance to summer stress, especially damage from billbugs ( Sphenophorus spp.). Based on these results, several lines were selected for further evaluation in order to understand the basis for resistance to summer stress. A study was initiated in order to examine the effects of heat and drought stress on this species. Tufted hairgrass germplasm showed decreased performance under both drought and heat stress; however, intraspecific differences were found for performance under heat stress. In growth chamber studies that measured several physiological parameters, germplasm previously classified as resistant to summer stress in field trials outperformed germplasm that had been classified as susceptible to summer stress.; In New Jersey, the primary limitation of tufted hairgrass as a turfgrass appears to be damage caused by billbugs. Plant volatiles have been shown to be an important component of insect resistance. Whole-plant volatile collection of tufted hairgrass found differences for the release of hexenyl acetate between germplasm lines. Application of jasmonic acid led to the production and release of several monoterpenes including β-ocimene and linalool, both of which are known to be important components of plant-insect interactions. Mechanical damage of tufted hairgrass plants led to increased release of characteristic green leaf volatiles.; Taken together, these results indicate that tufted hairgrass has the genetic base necessary for the development of a useful low-maintenance turfgrass cultivar for the Northeast United States. |
