Warm-season turfgrasses are grown throughout the warm humid, sub-humid, and semiarid regions. The objective of this study was to determine the adaptation of six warm-season turfgrass species and several of their cultivars to Mediterranean growing conditions of Turkey by evaluating turfgrass establishment rate, quality, color, and percentage of turfgrass cover. Information of this nature is lacking and would be helpful to turfgrass managers and advisers working in the region. A study was conducted over a 2-year period in two locations of the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The warm-season turfgrass species studied were bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon ), buffalograss ( Buchloë dactyloides ), zoysiagrass ( Zoysia japonica ), bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum ), seashore paspalum ( Paspalum vaginatum ), and centipedegrass ( Eremochloa ophiurioides ). Tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) was included as a cool-season turfgrass species for comparison. Twenty cultivars belonging to these species were evaluated for their establishment, turfgrass color and quality, spring green-up, and fall color retention. Bermudagrass, bahiagrass, and seashore paspalum established 95% or better coverage at 1095 growing degree days [GDD (5 °C base temperature)], buffalograss and centipedegrass at 1436 GDD, and ‘Zenith’ and ‘Companion’ Zoysiagrass had 90% and 84% coverage at Antalya after accumulating 2031 GDD. ‘Sea Spray’ seashore paspalum; ‘SWI-1044’, ‘SWI-1045’, ‘Princess 77’, and ‘Riviera’ bermudagrass; ‘Cody’ buffalograss; and ‘Zenith’ zoysiagrass exhibited acceptable turfgrass quality for 7 months throughout the growing season. ‘Argentine’ and ‘Pensacola’ bahiagrass; ‘Sea Spray’ seashore paspalum; and ‘SWI-1044’ and ‘SWI-1045’ bermudagrass extended their growing season by retaining their green color 15 days or longer than the rest of the warm-season cultivars and/or species in the fall. The warm-season species stayed fully dormant throughout January and February. Zoysiagrass and buffalograss cultivars showed early spring green-up compared to the other warm-season species studied. Results from this study support the use of warm-season turfgrass species in this Mediterranean region, especially when heat stress and water limitations exist. Tall fescue did not survive summer heat stress necessitating reseeding in fall.

There is a dearth of information about turfgrass drought resistance and adaptation in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Turfgrass managers in this region need this information to help them make informed decisions regarding turfgrass selection and management. This research was conducted to assess the drought resistance of bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon ), buffalograss ( Buchloe dactyloides ), bahiagrass ( Paspalum notatum ), seashore paspalum ( Paspalum vaginatum ), zoysiagrass ( Zoysia japonica ), centipedegrass ( Eremochloa ophiuroides ), and tall fescue ( Lolium arundinaceum ) under Mediterranean conditions of Turkey. The study was conducted at two locations, Antalya and Mersin, and was repeated in 2006 and 2007 at both locations. One year after establishment, the turfs were subjected to drought stress for 90 days, which was followed by resumption of irrigation for recovery of the turf. Percentage leaf firing, turfgrass quality, and percent green shoot recovery were recorded. There were inter and intraspecies differences detected for percentage leaf firing and shoot recovery. Bermudagrass, bahiagrass, and buffalograss exhibited superior drought resistance as demonstrated by lower leaf firing and better shoot recovery values when compared with other species studied. Centipedegrass and zoysiagrass demonstrated a high leaf firing and very poor shoot recovery, whereas zoysiagrass and tall fescue were unable to recover from the drought stress in the sandy soil. Results showed that ‘SWI-1045’ (Contessa®) and ‘SWI-1044’ bermudagrass and ‘Cody’ buffalograss possessed superior drought resistance with acceptable turfgrass quality up to 30 days under drought stress that can be used for water-efficient turf management under the Mediterranean environment.

Pinching, manual removal of shoot apices, and/or plant growth regulators (PGRs) are used to create commercially preferred compact and well-branched ornamental plants. The influence of paclobutrazol (PB) with and without pinching on the growth and fruit characteristics of a tall ornamental pepper ( Capsicum annuum ) was assessed 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after the initial treatment. PB was sprayed on pinched or nonpinched whole plants at 5, 10, or 15 ppm a.i. Pinching and PB reduced the plant height between 25% and 50% and the canopy diameter up to 8% and 17%, respectively. Height/diameter ratio (H/D) ranged from 1.0 for 10 and 15 ppm PB applied to pinched plants to 2.3 for control plants. Paclobutrazol increased the SPAD chlorophyll value and total fruit number, delayed fruit set, and decreased fruit diameter and dry weight. The relationship between PB and plant height and diameter, SPAD chlorophyll value, dry weight, and fruit number was best explained by a third-order polynomial ( r ² = 0.83–0.99). Paclobutrazol may substitute costly pinching treatment for height control and may offer an economic advantage for commercial greenhouse operators.

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.), the grass of choice, is used on most sports fields and recreational areas in Mediterranean countries. Traffic is the most frequent, destructive abiotic stress imposed on intensively-used green areas. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the traffic tolerance of three seeded-type experimental bermudagrass cultivars ('A4-4', 'B3-6', 'C12-133'), compare their performance to those of commercial cultivars 'Riviera', 'Princess 77', and 'Tifway', and determine the effects of mowing height on traffic tolerance. A 2-year field study was conducted at Mersin, Turkey. The plots were maintained at 2.5-cm and 5.0-cm mowing heights. Simulated traffic was applied at two and four soccer games per week in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Traffic stress reduced the green cover percentage, quality, shoot density, chlorophyll index, and normalized difference vegetation index, and affected playability parameters by decreasing turf shear strength and increasing surface hardness. Surface hardness was within the acceptable range after two games per week. The cultivars with higher tiller density and finer leaf texture tolerated traffic better than those with lower tiller density and coarser leaf texture. All cultivars, except 'Princess 77' in 2017 and 'Riviera' and 'C12-133' in 2018, provided good shear strength. Traffic stress affected bermudagrass more severely at 5.0-cm mowing height than at 2.5-cm mowing height. In summary, 'Riviera', 'A4-4', and 'C12-133' exhibit superior traffic tolerance and offer great potential for use in sports fields and recreational areas. The use of improved, traffic-tolerant bermudagrass cultivars with proper mowing height may help to reduce damage caused by traffic stress and produce high-quality surfaces for playability.