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Anthocyanins are plant pigments that are in demand for medicinal and industrial uses. However, anthocyanin production is limited due to the harvest potential of the species currently used as anthocyanin sources. Rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis L.) is a perennial turfgrass known for accumulating anthocyanins, and may have the potential to serve as a source of anthocyanins through artificial light treatments. The objectives of this research were to determine optimal light conditions that favor anthocyanin synthesis in rough bluegrass, and to determine the suitability of rough bluegrass as a source of anthocyanins. When exposed to high-intensity white light, rough bluegrass increased anthocyanin content by 100-fold on average, and anthocyanin contents greater than 0.2% of dry tissue weight were observed in some samples. Blue light, at intensities between 150 and 250 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹, was the only wavelength that increased anthocyanin content. However, when red light was applied with blue light at 30% or 50% of the total light intensity, anthocyanin content was increased compared with blue light alone. Further experiments demonstrated that these results may be potentially due to a combination of photosynthetic and photoreceptor-mediated regulation. Rough bluegrass is an attractive anthocyanin production system, since leaf tissue can be harvested while preserving meristematic tissues that allow new leaves to rapidly grow; thereby allowing multiple harvests in a single growing season and greater anthocyanin yields.

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) is a turfgrass species that is widely used on golf courses throughout the United States. In field settings, plants are often subjected to more than one stress at a time, and studying stresses independently is likely insufficient. Stresses, such as heat stress and salt stress, can affect plant hormone levels and, in turn, plant hormone levels can affect how well the plant tolerates stress. The objectives of the experiments were to determine if the levels of heat stress and salt stress used would be detrimental to creeping bentgrass health, and if applying plant growth regulators could improve plant health during stress. During the first experiment, creeping bentgrass was transplanted to hydroponics systems in two different growth chambers. One chamber was set to have day and night temperatures of 35 °C and 30 °C (heat stress), respectively, and the other had day and night temperatures of 25 °C and 20 °C, respectively. Within each chamber, one block received a 50 mM NaCl treatment (salt stress) and the other did not (control). The stress treatments were applied for 14 days. Results of the first experiment indicated that the treatments were sufficient to negatively affect creeping bentgrass growth and health as indicated by fresh shoot and root weights, tillering, electrolyte leakage, and total chlorophyll content (TCC). There were significant interactions of temperature × salt level detected for shoot and root weights and electrolyte leakage. Plants that were exposed to both heat stress and salt stress were more negatively affected than plants exposed to either heat stress or salt stress alone for all metrics except for tillering. The presence of salt reduced tillering regardless of the temperature regimen. During the second experiment, plants were treated the same, but the plant growth regulator (PGR) treatments were also applied. The PGR treatments consisted of two different gibberellic acid (GA) synthesis inhibitor products, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, two different rates of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), an ethylene synthesis suppressor, and plants that were not treated with the PGR. In addition to the measurements of plant health and growth, dry shoot and root weights were measured. For the TCC, there was a two-way interaction between temperature × PGR treatment. For electrolyte leakage, there was a three-way interaction between temperature × salt level × PGR treatment. Combined heat stress and salt stress negatively affected all plants regardless of PGR treatment, but there were differences between PGR treatments. Plants treated with AVG exhibited improved health and growth compared with the other PGR treatments. These plants had the highest shoot and root masses. Plants treated with GA synthesis inhibitors had the lowest shoot and root masses as well as the lowest TCC when subjected to stress.

Consumers often have multiple choices when purchasing retail lawn products in stores. In this study, we evaluated the acute drought performance of locally available retail lawn seed products (mixtures or blends) at two mowing heights of 2.5 and 3 inches. We hypothesized that the species present in the products and the height-of-cut differentially influence the drought resistance and recovery of the mixtures and blends. In Fall 2016 and 2017, 28 different products consisting of 25 mixtures and 3 blends of turfgrass seeds were established under a fully automated rainout shelter at the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. The drought treatments lasted for 67 days in 2017, and 52 days in 2018; both the 2017 and 2018 treatments were followed by a recovery period. Data were obtained during acute drought treatments and recovery periods for visual turfgrass quality and green turfgrass cover using digital images of the plots. During the first year, several products displayed higher green stability (or the ability to remain green) at the 3-inch height-of-cut compared with the 2.5-inch height-of-cut. Products with tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) and fine fescue (Festuca sp.) as dominant species generally performed better during the drought treatments, whereas an increasing presence of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) decreased the visual drought performance of the products. During the recovery period, an effect of the interaction between mowing height and the date of data collection on the percentage of green cover was observed: the lower mowing height improved the early recovery of green cover after acute drought. These findings suggest that consumers in the upper midwestern United States and areas with a climate similar climate to that of St. Paul, MN, who are challenged with multiple choices of lawn seed products should choose products containing a higher tall fescue content and adjust their mowing heights to optimize recovery.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation poses a potential stress for plant growth and development due to its effect on photosynthesis and plant productivity. In the northern hemisphere, peak UV radiation exposure is predicted to occur from 2010 to 2020, with reduced color from UV-related injury, a possibility for turfgrasses. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) light on turfgrass growth and morphology in three cool-season grasses. Cultivars Barvado tall fescue [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort., nom. cons.], Penncross and L-93 creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.), and Barlenium perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), were selected because of limited information on their growth and development in elevated UV conditions at heights of cut above 10 cm. The impact of UV-B light treatment on color, relative growth rate, and tillering was measured over a 4-week period in repeated experiments. Ultraviolet-B radiation levels were measured at 16 kJ·m⁻²·d⁻¹ biologically effective UV-B light in growth chambers programmed for a day/night regime of 14/10 hours. Chamber temperatures were maintained at 20 °C day/17 °C night. Ultraviolet-B light significantly inhibited tiller production in the first experiment in all grasses except PR, whereas no grasses were inhibited in the second experiment. Relative growth rates in all grasses were significantly lower in UV-B conditions 3 weeks after treatment initiation. Turfgrasses exposed to this level of UV-B light at typical lawn heights-of-cut had lower color ratings compared with the non-UV-B-treated control at 2 weeks after treatment initiation. The experiments demonstrated that exposure to UV-B resulted in a decline of growth rate and color in cool-season turfgrasses within a timeframe of 2 weeks. Coarse-textured turfgrasses [tall fescue (TF)/perennial ryegrass (PR)] may be more adapted to higher UV-B conditions due to morphological differences compared with the finer textured varieties [creeping bentgrass (CB)].