Evaluation of Cynodon dactylon germplasm as turfgrass use in southern Italy

The use of bermudagrass as turfgrass is increasing in Southern Italy due to its tolerance to drought, heat and salinity stress. Moreover, its aggressive growth and high recuperative potential, make it best suited for many utilizations such as recreational areas, amenity and sport uses. The aim of this research was to evaluate 24 wild ecotypes of Cynodon dactylon, collected in Central and Southern Italy. During the 3 years of research, conducted in Metaponto of Basilicata region, several agronomic and phenotypic traits (winter dormancy interval, total growth, turf quality, color index and ground cover percentage) were analyzed, and their performances were compared with 3 commercial cultivars (‘Panama’, ‘Yukon’ and ‘Tifway 419’). Some native accessions showed lower tolerance to Bermudagrass white leaf disease attack (BGWL); three ecotypes (n. 11, 13, and 23) showed a behavior similar to commercial cultivars, while an ecotype (n. 3) gave better results compared to commercial cultivars for several quality indexes.