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The objective of this study was to compare differential nutrient responses to heat stress in relation to heat tolerance for warm-season (C₄) common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] and cool-season (C₃) kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.). Both species were exposed to two temperature regimes in growth chambers: optimal day/night temperature conditions (24/20 °C for kentucky bluegrass and 34/30 °C for bermudagrass) or heat stress (10 °C above the respective optimal temperature for each species). Heat injury in leaves was evaluated and the concentrations of several major macronutrients [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg)] in both grass species were measured at 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of treatment. Heat stress reduced leaf photochemical efficiency and cellular membrane stability in both species, but bermudagrass leaves exhibited less damage in these parameters than kentucky bluegrass. Heat stress caused a significant decline in N, P, and K concentration, beginning at 7 days in kentucky bluegrass, but had no significant effects on N, P, and K concentration in bermudagrass during the 28-day treatment period. The concentration of Ca and Mg increased under heat stress in both kentucky bluegrass and bermudagrass, but there were no significant differences between the species under optimal or high-temperature conditions, suggesting they were not involved in heat responses in either species. The differential responses of N, P, and K to heat stress could at least partially account for the differences in heat tolerance between the two species and demonstrate the importance of sufficient N, P, and K in turfgrass adaptation to heat stress.

Salinity is a detrimental abiotic stress for plant growth in salt-affected soils. The objective of this study was to examine photosynthetic responses to salinity stress in two warm-season turfgrasses differing in salinity tolerance. Salt-tolerant species seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) and salt-sensitive species centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides) were exposed to salinity at three NaCl concentrations (0, 300, and 500 mm) in a growth chamber. Turf quality, relative water content (RWC), and leaf photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) declined, whereas electrolyte leakage (EL) increased under the two NaCl regimes for both grass species, and the changes were more dramatic in centipedegrass than that in seashore paspalum as well as in the higher salinity concentration. Two grass species showed different phytosynthetic responses to salinity stress. The earlier inhibition of photosynthesis in seashore paspalum was mainly associated with stomatal closure. As salinity increased and salinity stress prolonged, the inhibition of photosynthesis in seashore paspalum was mainly associated with non-stomatal factors. The inhibition of photosynthesis in centipedegrass was associated with both stomatal closure and non-stomatal factors at both salinity levels. The sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis demonstrated the Rubisco large subunit had no obvious decrease during the whole stress period under the 300-mm and 500-mm treatments in seashore paspalum, whereas it significantly decreased in centipedegrass under both the 300-mm and 500-mm treatments. The results indicated that the superior salinity tolerance in seashore paspalum, compared with centipedegrass, could be attributed to its maintenance of Rubisco stability, chlorophyll content, photochemical efficiency as well as photosynthetic rate (Pn) capacity under salinity stress.

Low-temperature storage in darkness is usually used for preserving seedlings for a short period. To investigate whether grafted watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai] seedlings are superior to non-grafted ones under low-temperature storage in darkness and to study their physiological differences during storage, watermelon (‘Zaojia 84-24’) scions were grafted to pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch. ‘Zhuangshi’) rootstocks. Carbohydrate levels; chlorophyll and malondialdehyde contents; the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase; and photochemical efficiency were assayed during 6 days of storage at 15 °C in darkness. After that, seedlings were transplanted into an artificial climate chamber. The net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance (g _S) were measured on the first and third days after transplanting. The results showed that the grafted watermelon seedlings had more soluble sugar and chlorophyll contents, higher activities of antioxidant enzymes, and less malondialdehyde content than the non-grafted ones after 6 days of storage. In addition, low-temperature storage in darkness damaged the photosystem II of non-grafted watermelon seedlings more than that of grafted ones. After transplanting, grafted seedlings had a higher net photosynthetic rate. The results suggest that grafted watermelon seedlings were more suitable for the low-temperature storage in darkness than the non-grafted ones.