Evaluation of Paspalum germplasm for variation in leaf wax and heat tolerance

Summary

The genus Paspalum contains a number of important forage grasses, including P. dilatatum Poir. (dallisgrass) and P. notatum Flugge (bahiagrass). Even though many Paspalum species are adapted to moist, humid areas, they frequently are subjected to extended periods of drought stress which reduces forage productivity. This study was initiated to determine the range of variation for different indicators of drought tolerance in several Paspalum species. Fifteen species representing a broad cross section of germplasm were grown in a replicated field nursery and sampled for leaf epicuticular wax content on four dates over three years. Wax was extracted with chloroform and quantified by the dichromate oxidation technique. Heat tolerance (solute leakage technique) was also determined by calculating the ratio of the conductivity of the external bathing solution of leaves following a heat treatment to the conductivity of the bathing solution after leaves were boiled. Wax values of the entries ranged from 5.7 to 0.88 mg/dm². Both relative rankings and absolute wax values were very consistent across all sampling dates. The accessions of Paspalum nicorae Parodi and P. quandrifarum Lam. were consistently high in wax content, while the accessions of P. commune Lillo and P. unispicatum (Scribn. et Merr.) Nash were consistently low. The heat tolerance testing demonstrated that the accession of P. notatum var. saurae Parodi was the most heat tolerant of the entries. Results from this investigation demonstrate the wide range of diversity that exists for both epicuticular wax and heat tolerance within the genus Paspalum.