Two years of research were carried out to evaluate the effects of various sewage sludge and nitrogen doses on the turf performance of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) under Mediterranean-type climatic conditions. Four nitrogen sources (NS) [NS1: ammonium nitrate (26%), NS2: Bursa City’s wastewater treatment plant’s waste, NS3: biogas production plant reactor waste, and NS4: food processing and canning factory’s sludge waste] were used in the research. Four different nitrogen doses (0.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 g m⁻²) were applied. The sewage sludges were analyzed before the start of the research. It was determined that the heavy metal concentrations were below the limit values, and the plant nutrient content was high. Turfgrass color and quality observations were taken in the study, and turfgrass clipping yield was determined. The 4.0 g m⁻² nitrogen dose provided acceptable turf color and quality values among the sewage sludges. NS4 showed the best turf performance among the sewage sludges. Despite increased turf color and quality values, sewage sludge produced a low clipping yield. Food processing and canning factories’ sewage sludges can be alternatives to a nitrogen source.

Climate change has increased the need for turfgrass germplasm with improved adaptation, persistence, and resource-use efficiency. Tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus) is an important cool-season turfgrass species valued for its tolerance to environmental stresses. This study aimed to assess phenotypic and molecular diversity among individual tall fescue plants derived from 24 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Gene Bank accessions and to identify promising turf-type parental material by integrating phenotypic and molecular information. A total of 223 genotypes were evaluated for 17 morphological and agronomic traits, and 120 genotypes were selected using a multi-trait weighted selection index for SSR-based molecular characterization. Principal component (PC) analysis showed that PC1 and PC2 accounted for 50.8% and 12.0% of the total phenotypic variation, respectively. Fourteen polymorphic SSR markers generated 69 polymorphic bands, with an overall mean polymorphism information content (PIC) value of 0.343. Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) analysis resolved two major molecular groups with four nested subclusters. Mantel analysis showed a weak but significant positive association between phenotypic and SSR-based molecular distances (r = 0.137, p < 0.001), indicating limited correspondence between the two data types. By jointly considering morphological performance and molecular diversity, 60 genotypes were identified as promising parental candidates for future tall fescue breeding programs.

Mixture ratio and growth stage are important management factors influencing forage productivity and quality in wheat–pea intercropping. Therefore, a two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate five wheat–pea mixture ratios and three pea flowering stages under rainfed Mediterranean conditions. Five seeding ratios (100W, 75W+25P, 50W+50P, 25W+75P, and 100P; W = wheat, P = pea) and three growth stages (early flowering, 50% flowering, and full flowering) were evaluated. Plant height, forage and dry matter yields, crude protein, land equivalent ratio (LER), and economic performance were evaluated. Year-specific responses were observed for most yield traits. In 2024–25, the highest total forage yield (49.5 t ha⁻¹) was obtained from 50W+50P at 50% flowering, whereas the highest total dry matter yield (15.9 t ha⁻¹) and total LER (1.63) were recorded for the same mixture at full flowering. Across the two years, crude protein declined with maturity, ranging from 12.9% to 4.0%. Based on the two-year average economic analysis, 50W+50P harvested at full flowering produced the highest net income (US$ 391.36 da⁻¹) and benefit–cost ratio (5.31). Findings highlight the joint management of mixture ratio and growth stage for sustainable forage production.