Germination and seedlings response of bermudagrasses under water submersion

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) at the mature stage is quite tolerant of submersion, but little information is available on the effects of submersion on seed germination and seedling development. Five cultivars (‘Jackpot’ 'La Paloma’, 'Transcontinental' “Yukon’ and 'Sunbird') were compared in two experiments conducted in growth chamber and greenhouse. Germination percentage in Petri dishes under 'seed floating’ (0, 2, 4, and 6 days) and 'seed submerged' conditions (0, 2, 4, and 6 days) was measured while in the greenhouse four out of five cultivars were also tested, except for 'La Paloma'. Seedlings growth under 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days submersion was evaluated. In the lab, the cultivars tested displayed a different response to submersion and floating treatments. 'Jackpot' 'Sunbird', and 'Transcontinental' showed the best tolerance to both floating and submersion conditions. In the greenhouse experiment, bermudagrass seedlings appeared to have short-term resilience to flooding, as long as it is not prolonged. All the cultivars showed good tolerance to submersion during germination, while submersion for 6 and 8 days resulted in a significant increase in the average proportion of yellow seedlings.